Is there a version of KERMIT-12 that works with the KL8-A (the four line serial mux for the PDP-8/A, not the much more common single line KL8-E) ? If not KERMIT, is there any other terminal emulator that works with the KL8-A?
For that matter, did DEC ever produce any software that used the KL8- A?
> Is there a version of KERMIT-12 that works with the KL8-A (the four > line serial mux for the PDP-8/A, not the much more common single line > KL8-E) ? If not KERMIT, is there any other terminal emulator that > works with the KL8-A?
Don't think so. Give me one, and I'll adapt my KERMIT implementation for it. :-)
> For that matter, did DEC ever produce any software that used the KL8- > A?
I'm pretty sure that RTS-8 have a device driver for it. I seem to remember seeing one the last time I was running through the sources...
Johnny
-- Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus || on a psychedelic trip email: b...@softjar.se || Reading murder books pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
In article <ef039018-f4a0-49dc-9a31-0af98f17a...@n1g2000prb.googlegroups.com>, Bob Armstrong <b...@jfcl.com> wrote:
> Is there a version of KERMIT-12 that works with the KL8-A (the four >line serial mux for the PDP-8/A, not the much more common single line >KL8-E) ? If not KERMIT, is there any other terminal emulator that >works with the KL8-A?
I don't know of any.
> For that matter, did DEC ever produce any software that used the KL8-
Multos-8 seems to have support for it (not DEC though).
On Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:54:16 -0700 (PDT), Bob Armstrong <b...@jfcl.com> wrote: > For that matter, did DEC ever produce any software that used the KL8- >A?
> On Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:54:16 -0700 (PDT), Bob Armstrong <b...@jfcl.com> wrote:
>> For that matter, did DEC ever produce any software that used the KL8- >> A?
> Didn't WPS support it?
Haven't looked, but it sounds unlikely. WPS-8 after all, is a single user system with very limited support for anything except the disk, the console terminal (which is where you do all your work) and a printer. I think there was some option of hooking a modem or serial connection to another machine, but why would you ever want four serial lines in WPS-8?
Johnny
-- Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus || on a psychedelic trip email: b...@softjar.se || Reading murder books pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
On May 1, 6:23 am, Johnny Billquist <b...@update.uu.se> wrote:
>why would you ever want four serial lines in WPS-8?
Wasn't the DEC DataSystem 310 a PDP-8/A based WPS system? It used a VT52 as the editing terminal, and I suppose it's possible that there was a timeshared version of WPS that supported four terminals at once.
> On May 1, 6:23 am, Johnny Billquist wrote: > >why would you ever want four serial lines in WPS-8?
> Wasn't the DEC DataSystem 310 a PDP-8/A based WPS system? It used a > VT52 as the editing terminal, and I suppose it's possible that there > was a timeshared version of WPS that supported four terminals at once.
I believe so, and looking at some of my WPS documents, there was definitely KL8A support there, and something also used KL8A in the DECnet software (which I know even less about).
I hadn't said anything, as I'm not sure that it is really a different thing from the RTS support. Wasn't the multi-user WPS based on RTS? I've never used either, so I only have a vague memory of reading that somewhere. Maybe I'm thinking of Edusystem, or something.
> On May 1, 6:23 am, Johnny Billquist <b...@update.uu.se> wrote:
>> why would you ever want four serial lines in WPS-8?
> Wasn't the DEC DataSystem 310 a PDP-8/A based WPS system? It used a > VT52 as the editing terminal, and I suppose it's possible that there > was a timeshared version of WPS that supported four terminals at once.
Never heard of a timeshared version of WPS-8, and I very much doubt one exists... WPS-8 was based on, and running from an RX01 floppy... I have a copy here somewhere...
Johnny
-- Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus || on a psychedelic trip email: b...@softjar.se || Reading murder books pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
> "Bob Armstrong" wrote ... >> On May 1, 6:23 am, Johnny Billquist wrote: >>> why would you ever want four serial lines in WPS-8? >> Wasn't the DEC DataSystem 310 a PDP-8/A based WPS system? It used a >> VT52 as the editing terminal, and I suppose it's possible that there >> was a timeshared version of WPS that supported four terminals at once.
> I believe so, and looking at some of my WPS documents, there was > definitely KL8A support there, and something also used KL8A in the > DECnet software (which I know even less about).
That the DEC DataSystem 310 is a PDP-8/A is definitely true. However, they didn't run WPS-8, but COS-300. A OS with DIBOL included... (I bet the C in COS stands for Commercial. :-) ) It might have been time shared, but I really don't know for sure. Never seen COS-300 in real life.
> I hadn't said anything, as I'm not sure that it is really a different > thing from the RTS support. Wasn't the multi-user WPS based on RTS? > I've never used either, so I only have a vague memory of reading that > somewhere. Maybe I'm thinking of Edusystem, or something.
I think people are mixing systems and options up from hearsay here, but that's just what I think. I'll see if I can dig up any more information. It's been so long since I was running through this documentation that I really don't remember where I have it.
Johnny
-- Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus || on a psychedelic trip email: b...@softjar.se || Reading murder books pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
"Johnny Billquist" wrote in message ... > Vincent Slyngstad skrev: >> "Bob Armstrong" wrote ... >>> On May 1, 6:23 am, Johnny Billquist wrote: >>>> why would you ever want four serial lines in WPS-8? >>> Wasn't the DEC DataSystem 310 a PDP-8/A based WPS system? It used a >>> VT52 as the editing terminal, and I suppose it's possible that there >>> was a timeshared version of WPS that supported four terminals at once.
>> I believe so, and looking at some of my WPS documents, there was >> definitely KL8A support there, and something also used KL8A in the >> DECnet software (which I know even less about).
> That the DEC DataSystem 310 is a PDP-8/A is definitely true. However, they > didn't run WPS-8, but COS-300. A OS with DIBOL included... (I bet the C in > COS stands for Commercial. :-) ) > It might have been time shared, but I really don't know for sure. Never > seen COS-300 in real life.
Ah, OK. I didn't mean to confirm that the DataSystem 310 specifically was the system that ran WPS, but should have said merely that there seems to have been a PDP-8/A version of WPS with support for the KL8A.
>> I hadn't said anything, as I'm not sure that it is really a different >> thing from the RTS support. Wasn't the multi-user WPS based on RTS? >> I've never used either, so I only have a vague memory of reading that >> somewhere. Maybe I'm thinking of Edusystem, or something.
> I think people are mixing systems and options up from hearsay here, but > that's just what I think. > I'll see if I can dig up any more information. It's been so long since I > was running through this documentation that I really don't remember where > I have it.
I could be. As I said, I've never seen the systems in question, and am going off of various documents collected off the web. The files in question are fragments of source code, though, so I'm not thinking they represent mere delusion.
> Never heard of a timeshared version of WPS-8, and I very much doubt one > exists... > WPS-8 was based on, and running from an RX01 floppy... I have a copy here > somewhere...
I have direct personal experience only with the DECmate stuff, which is definitely not timeshared.
However, the WPS source code I have laying around talks about the KL8A. Since the KL8A only fits in the 8/A, that seems to indicate an 8/A version of WPS. The source code has lines like these:
wpsys.pa: /QA3.3 MB 13-APR-78 PUT IN KL8A MADE BY BLT TO WS202 SYSTEM
and in wprt01.pa: /SYSTEM DOCUMENT DESTINATION LINE USED
/WS80 HOST KL8A USER SELECTED / DP2,SQ1,SQ2 KL8A LINE 3
Of course, the source code I have isn't nearly complete, so I may not be interpreting it correctly.
> "Johnny Billquist" wrote in message ... >> Vincent Slyngstad skrev: >>> "Bob Armstrong" wrote ... >>>> On May 1, 6:23 am, Johnny Billquist wrote: >>>>> why would you ever want four serial lines in WPS-8? >>>> Wasn't the DEC DataSystem 310 a PDP-8/A based WPS system? It used a >>>> VT52 as the editing terminal, and I suppose it's possible that there >>>> was a timeshared version of WPS that supported four terminals at once. >>> I believe so, and looking at some of my WPS documents, there was >>> definitely KL8A support there, and something also used KL8A in the >>> DECnet software (which I know even less about). >> That the DEC DataSystem 310 is a PDP-8/A is definitely true. However, they >> didn't run WPS-8, but COS-300. A OS with DIBOL included... (I bet the C in >> COS stands for Commercial. :-) ) >> It might have been time shared, but I really don't know for sure. Never >> seen COS-300 in real life.
> Ah, OK. I didn't mean to confirm that the DataSystem 310 specifically > was the system that ran WPS, but should have said merely that there seems > to have been a PDP-8/A version of WPS with support for the KL8A.
And in that it seems you are right, indeed.
>>> I hadn't said anything, as I'm not sure that it is really a different >>> thing from the RTS support. Wasn't the multi-user WPS based on RTS? >>> I've never used either, so I only have a vague memory of reading that >>> somewhere. Maybe I'm thinking of Edusystem, or something. >> I think people are mixing systems and options up from hearsay here, but >> that's just what I think. >> I'll see if I can dig up any more information. It's been so long since I >> was running through this documentation that I really don't remember where >> I have it.
> I could be. As I said, I've never seen the systems in question, and > am going off of various documents collected off the web. The files > in question are fragments of source code, though, so I'm not thinking > they represent mere delusion.
:-) I have various documentation lying around, but nothing very extensive on WPS-8.
>> Never heard of a timeshared version of WPS-8, and I very much doubt one >> exists... >> WPS-8 was based on, and running from an RX01 floppy... I have a copy here >> somewhere...
> I have direct personal experience only with the DECmate stuff, which is > definitely not timeshared.
> However, the WPS source code I have laying around talks about the KL8A. > Since the KL8A only fits in the 8/A, that seems to indicate an 8/A > version of WPS. The source code has lines like these:
> wpsys.pa: > /QA3.3 MB 13-APR-78 PUT IN KL8A MADE BY BLT TO WS202 > SYSTEM
> and in wprt01.pa: > /SYSTEM DOCUMENT DESTINATION LINE USED
> /WS80 HOST KL8A USER SELECTED > / DP2,SQ1,SQ2 KL8A LINE 3
> Of course, the source code I have isn't nearly complete, so I may not > be interpreting it correctly.
> Vince
Well, what you have certainly looks like some support for the KL8A anyway. Interesting... I should try to locate my WPS8 floppy and see which version it is, and if it might have support for the KL8A then.
But I'm still rather sure it was single-user. But it might either be that they had support for additional serial lines for various uses, or that maybe they just supported a serial line on a KL8A just as well as other serial cards. The code snipped above refers to line 3. Line 3 on the KL8A is the only one with full modem control. So if you just want to support one line, that's the line you'll be playing with, I'd guess.
Johnny
-- Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus || on a psychedelic trip email: b...@softjar.se || Reading murder books pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
