From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: clemc@ccc.com (Clem Cole) Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2017 20:29:20 -0500 Subject: [TUHS] Names of famous, historical UNIX machines? In-Reply-To: References: <20170201212040.C273118C0DD@mercury.lcs.mit.edu> <20170201221112.GI880@mcvoy.com> Message-ID: Sorry -- I Hit send too soon - cut/pasted from slashdot. Bill - if I can find a hardcopy. I'll scan it. Clem On Wed, Feb 1, 2017 at 8:18 PM, Clem Cole wrote: > The creator of that little gem was Dick Hustvedt, a brilliant engineer > with a wicked sense of humor. He was one of the inventors of VAXclusters, > as well as of the SD730 Solar Horologue Option - see end of this post. > > When in the VMS SYSGEN utility, and you asked for a list of the > parameters, the list included the units. The TIMEPROMPTWAIT parameter was > unusual in that values in one range did one thing, while values in another > range did something else. Dick wanted to encourage users to go read the > manual for the full explanation, so he had the units listed as > microfortnights, hoping that puzzled readers would go search out the > details. > > Sadly, Dick suffered severe brain injury in a car accident many years ago, > and was unable to return to work. The VMS team named a conference room in > his honor at the Nashua, NH facility where VMS engineering lives, and if > you visit it, you can see the prototype SD730, which was introduced as an > April Fools joke one year. Here's the text from the "Product Information > Sheet" for the SD730. > > VAX-11/730 > > SD730 Fixed Head Solar Horologue > > Overview > > The SD730 is an option for the VAX-11/730(TM) that provides an inexpensive > solution to the problem of setting system time correctly following a power > failure. An astronomical reference is used to assure accuracy. Reliability > is assured by the simple, elegant design which employs well-proven > technology. > > Description > > The SD730 is a gnomonic high noon detector that provides a simple, but > elegant solution to the problem of setting system time correctly following > a power failure. This option is particularly valuable for processors > lacking battery backup for their time-of-year (TOY) clock. > > Highlights > > - Gnomonic interference high noon detector > - High accuracy assured by low-drift astronomical reference > - Connects to existing DR-11C port on VAX-11/730 > - Proprietary high-moon rejection design > - Offline mode for standalone time measurement > - User installable and maintainable > - Reliability assured by minimal component count and proven technology > - Heavy duty construction resists solar wind > - Anti-corrosion coating prevents gnomonic plague > > Description > > The SD730 provides a single bit of data via the DR-11C port of the > VAX-11/730 that encodes all of its sensory information. Decoding is > accomplished by measuring the on/off intervals of this sensor channel. > Derivation of the time and date is accomplished by the SD730 Shadow > Processing Support Software. > > Accurate high-noon sensing is obtained by measuring the solar transit time > and computing the midpoint. This algorithm also corrects for variations in > gnomon width, latitude and season. In the event that a cloudless night > permits a high full moon to be seen, it will be differentiated from an > authentic high noon by comparing observed transit time against a reference > solar transit time. > > Within 24 hours following power restoration, the SD730 driver software > will restore the correct system time. > > Power outages in excess of 24 hours can be accomodated once a reference > year has been accumulated. Day length, solar transit time and their rates > of change are used to recognize the day within the year. > > Installation > > The SD730 is user installable and comes complete with an installation kit > consisting of a lensatic compass. All software is self-installing and > self-calibrating. The only requirement is that system time be set correctly > and that at least one clear day be allowed for self calibration. > > The SD730 will not operate reliably when installed at latitudes greater > than 60 degrees. > > Maintenance > > While the SD730 is simple and reliable, some environments may necessitate > periodic cleaning of the gnomon and photo-detector. Although the gnomon > shields the photo-detector from debris, this may not be sufficient for > particularly hazardous locations subject to overflights by large flocks of > migratory birds. To assist in problem detection, error log entries will be > made for days without sunshine and weeks without a high noon. > > Support Software > > A driver and other support software are supplied with the SD730. All > software runs on VAX/VMS. > > An optional package is available to produce a local almanac sprinkled > liberally with gnomic sayings and weather predictions, all derived from one > year's solar date. > > Options > > For severe or hostile environments, a conversion kit consisting of a > fiber-optic cable and adapters is available to convert the SD730 to an > SD730-Tempest. > > Specifications > > I/O Adapter > > DR-11C Connector (single bit) > > Power Requirements > > 9 volt battery (alkaline recommended) > Battery not included > Optional solar cells available > > Physical Characteristics > > Packaging Free Standing Unit > Weight 4.5kg (10 lbs) > Height 86cm (34 inches) > Width 32cm (12.5 inches) > Depth 32cm (12.5 inches) > > Operating Environment > > Temperature 5 to 32 degrees C (41 to 90 F) > Relative Humidity 0 to 90% > Maximum Altitude 4.5km (15000 ft) > Latitude 0 to 60 degrees North (*) > > Performance > > Long Term Accuracy 1 second per year > Operational Reliability Consult your local weather service > > *NOTE For installation in the southern hemisphere, order model SL730-SL. > > On Wed, Feb 1, 2017 at 5:44 PM, William Pechter wrote: > >> One of the best things about DEC was the lack of taking itself too >> seriously. >> >> 11/730 product announcement for the Solar Horologue... >> >> See the above in Google and Slashdot. >> >> Wish I had a pdf to post. >> >> Bill >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Clem Cole >> To: Larry McVoy >> Cc: TUHS main list , Noel Chiappa < >> jnc at mercury.lcs.mit.edu> >> Sent: Wed, 01 Feb 2017 17:28 >> Subject: Re: [TUHS] Names of famous, historical UNIX machines? >> >> On Wed, Feb 1, 2017 at 5:11 PM, Larry McVoy wrote: >> >> > I visited Portland and Santa Clara and I have never >> > seen a more grey cubicle farm in my life. >> > >> >> ​I don't remember which comic it was, but about 8-10 years ago one the >> late >> night comedy guys brought a film crew to SC and made that same exact >> observation.​ >> >> While Intel does do many things well, this one is part of company culture >> and I'm not in a position to change it. I wish I could. I think the >> place >> would be a small bit happier if it did not take itself quite so seriously, >> but that's just my personal opinion. >> >> >> As the late Roger Gourd used to say: *"Bring me to a sacred cow, and I'll >> start up the sacred bbq." ;-) * >> > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: