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Are there any veterans of RapiData Timeshaing, Inc here?
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Al Dykes
Dec 20, 2009, 1:07:10 PM12/20/09
to
I worked for RapiData Timesharing for about a year circa 1969 and it
recently occured to me to google up what I could find. Almost all
record of them seems to have not made it to Usenet adn Google.
It was when all they had was GE 400 series machines. I was there when
Honeywell people came in and removed the GE signage for their own.
Rapidata Timesharing ran a home-grown clone of GE Mark-something
software.
--
Al Dykes
News is something someone wants to suppress, everything else is advertising.
- Lord Northcliffe, publisher of the Daily Mail
Peter Flass
Dec 20, 2009, 4:07:59 PM12/20/09
to
Al Dykes wrote:
> I worked for RapiData Timesharing for about a year circa 1969 and it
> recently occured to me to google up what I could find. Almost all
> record of them seems to have not made it to Usenet adn Google.
>
> It was when all they had was GE 400 series machines. I was there when
> Honeywell people came in and removed the GE signage for their own.
>
> Rapidata Timesharing ran a home-grown clone of GE Mark-something
> software.
>
> I worked for RapiData Timesharing for about a year circa 1969 and it
> recently occured to me to google up what I could find. Almost all
> record of them seems to have not made it to Usenet adn Google.
>
> It was when all they had was GE 400 series machines. I was there when
> Honeywell people came in and removed the GE signage for their own.
>
> Rapidata Timesharing ran a home-grown clone of GE Mark-something
> software.
>
The Computer Museum has some material on companies in various segments
of the industry, I'd suspect timesharing might be one, you might want to
see if they're interested in your recollections.
Another possibility is Wikipedia. I did a brief article on a
now-defunct software company. You might consider that.
Unfortunately, Usenet memory is very selective, and web even more so.
If it weren't for the efforts of individual "rememberers", we'd have
very little today.
badbone...@gmail.com
Nov 27, 2015, 10:06:05 PM11/27/15
to
I worked there for almost 2 years 1977 to 1979. It had an absolutely tremendously talented staff and I did go on to AT&T and other parts of AT&T for a very successful career before I became disabled . When I look back and I think of it, it would've been amazing if rapid data had turned its attention to PCs and networking . The individuals were so amazing , I mean most of them of course - it could've been like a great Internet successful Silicon Valley startup. Rapid data was well ahead of its time in many aspects , and sometimes being ahead of your time is not always a good thing.Dennis Harrison; Badbone...@gmail.com.
gfn...@gmail.com
Feb 19, 2019, 3:34:18 PM2/19/19
to
On Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 1:07:10 PM UTC-5, Al Dykes wrote:
> I worked for RapiData Timesharing for about a year circa 1969 and it
> recently occured to me to google up what I could find. Almost all
> record of them seems to have not made it to Usenet adn Google.
>
> It was when all they had was GE 400 series machines. I was there when
> Honeywell people came in and removed the GE signage for their own.
>
> Rapidata Timesharing ran a home-grown clone of GE Mark-something
> software.
>
> I worked for Rapidata from 1982 until NDC sold it to GM/EDS. I was in the Hardware Engineering group and we maintained the RCA/GE/Honeywell mainframes as well as the DECsystem 10's and DECsystem 20's. During that time from a company in Braintree, MA we bought systems including SA-10 units that allowed using IBM-compatible peripherals on the DECsystems. Some of us went for a look at EDS datacenter to see if we wanrted to work there but decided against.
> I worked for RapiData Timesharing for about a year circa 1969 and it
> recently occured to me to google up what I could find. Almost all
> record of them seems to have not made it to Usenet adn Google.
>
> It was when all they had was GE 400 series machines. I was there when
> Honeywell people came in and removed the GE signage for their own.
>
> Rapidata Timesharing ran a home-grown clone of GE Mark-something
> software.
>
aaddv...@gmail.com
May 17, 2020, 8:04:31 PM5/17/20
to
ohw...@gmail.com
Jul 27, 2020, 5:12:11 PM7/27/20
to
I was a Rapidata user!
I'm a standup comic and former software engineer and I'm working on writing something about Rapidata and looking for any sources who might be out there.
Rapidata was my entry point for learning computer science around 1968 or 69. My eccentric father brought an ASR-33 teletype with a 300 baud acoustic coupler modem into our small Bronx apartment's living room. He got a Rapidata account, and with it came the orange-and-white manuals that would get me started learning Basic and Fortran.
On at least one occasion I visited the headquarters of Rapidata in the Empire State Building and saw the GE mainframe there. I thought I had found some bug in the rendering of a Fortran FORMAT statement I think. I must have been 14.
Today I still remember that the prompt after login was:
OLD OR NEW:
And I remember working with a sort of proto-grep called RITE, Rapidata Interactive Text Editor. I think :4 was the command that got you there.
In summary, I'm writing a piece about that experience and if anyone here -- if there is still anyone using these groups anywhere! -- has any information on Rapidata history or any old manuals or anything like that I would be very pleased to hear from you. You can find me at waynecotter.com.
Thanks,
Wayne Cotter
On Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 1:07:10 PM UTC-5, Al Dykes wrote:
I'm a standup comic and former software engineer and I'm working on writing something about Rapidata and looking for any sources who might be out there.
Rapidata was my entry point for learning computer science around 1968 or 69. My eccentric father brought an ASR-33 teletype with a 300 baud acoustic coupler modem into our small Bronx apartment's living room. He got a Rapidata account, and with it came the orange-and-white manuals that would get me started learning Basic and Fortran.
On at least one occasion I visited the headquarters of Rapidata in the Empire State Building and saw the GE mainframe there. I thought I had found some bug in the rendering of a Fortran FORMAT statement I think. I must have been 14.
Today I still remember that the prompt after login was:
OLD OR NEW:
And I remember working with a sort of proto-grep called RITE, Rapidata Interactive Text Editor. I think :4 was the command that got you there.
In summary, I'm writing a piece about that experience and if anyone here -- if there is still anyone using these groups anywhere! -- has any information on Rapidata history or any old manuals or anything like that I would be very pleased to hear from you. You can find me at waynecotter.com.
Thanks,
Wayne Cotter
On Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 1:07:10 PM UTC-5, Al Dykes wrote:
Dan Espen
Jul 27, 2020, 7:13:16 PM7/27/20
to
Sorry, can't help with RapiData.
I started in 1964, a few years earlier. I was 18 at the time.
I lived first in Baychester, then Pelham Bay.
Always in a house though.
Parts of the Bronx are really nice.
--
Dan Espen
I started in 1964, a few years earlier. I was 18 at the time.
I lived first in Baychester, then Pelham Bay.
Always in a house though.
Parts of the Bronx are really nice.
--
Dan Espen
Rich Alderson
Jul 27, 2020, 9:00:09 PM7/27/20
to
> I'm a standup comic and former software engineer and I'm working on writing=
> something about Rapidata and looking for any sources who might be out ther=
> e.
>
> Rapidata was my entry point for learning computer science around 1968 or 69=
> . My eccentric father brought an ASR-33 teletype with a 300 baud acoustic =
> coupler modem into our small Bronx apartment's living room. He got a Rapida=
> ta account, and with it came the orange-and-white manuals that would get me=
> re State Building and saw the GE mainframe there. I thought I had found som=
> e bug in the rendering of a Fortran FORMAT statement I think. I must have b=
> een 14.=20
> if there is still anyone using these groups anywhere! -- has any informati=
> on on Rapidata history or any old manuals or anything like that I would be =
> > Rapidata Timesharing ran a home-grown clone of GE Mark-something=20
> > software.=20
Did you notice that you were replying to a post that was 10.5 years old?
--
Rich Alderson ne...@alderson.users.panix.com
Audendum est, et veritas investiganda; quam etiamsi non assequamur,
omnino tamen proprius, quam nunc sumus, ad eam perveniemus.
--Galen
> something about Rapidata and looking for any sources who might be out ther=
> e.
>
> Rapidata was my entry point for learning computer science around 1968 or 69=
> . My eccentric father brought an ASR-33 teletype with a 300 baud acoustic =
> coupler modem into our small Bronx apartment's living room. He got a Rapida=
> ta account, and with it came the orange-and-white manuals that would get me=
> started learning Basic and Fortran.
>
> On at least one occasion I visited the headquarters of Rapidata in the Empi=
>
> re State Building and saw the GE mainframe there. I thought I had found som=
> e bug in the rendering of a Fortran FORMAT statement I think. I must have b=
> een 14.=20
>
> Today I still remember that the prompt after login was:
>
> OLD OR NEW:
>
> And I remember working with a sort of proto-grep called RITE, Rapidata Inte=
> Today I still remember that the prompt after login was:
>
> OLD OR NEW:
>
> ractive Text Editor. I think :4 was the command that got you there.
>
> In summary, I'm writing a piece about that experience and if anyone here --=
>
> if there is still anyone using these groups anywhere! -- has any informati=
> on on Rapidata history or any old manuals or anything like that I would be =
> very pleased to hear from you. You can find me at waynecotter.com.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Wayne Cotter
>
> On Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 1:07:10 PM UTC-5, Al Dykes wrote:
> > I worked for RapiData Timesharing for about a year circa 1969 and it
> > recently occured to me to google up what I could find. Almost all
> > record of them seems to have not made it to Usenet adn Google.
> >=20
>
> Thanks,
>
> Wayne Cotter
>
> On Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 1:07:10 PM UTC-5, Al Dykes wrote:
> > I worked for RapiData Timesharing for about a year circa 1969 and it
> > recently occured to me to google up what I could find. Almost all
> > record of them seems to have not made it to Usenet adn Google.
> > It was when all they had was GE 400 series machines. I was there when
> > Honeywell people came in and removed the GE signage for their own.
> >=20
> > Honeywell people came in and removed the GE signage for their own.
> > Rapidata Timesharing ran a home-grown clone of GE Mark-something=20
> > software.=20
Did you notice that you were replying to a post that was 10.5 years old?
--
Rich Alderson ne...@alderson.users.panix.com
Audendum est, et veritas investiganda; quam etiamsi non assequamur,
omnino tamen proprius, quam nunc sumus, ad eam perveniemus.
--Galen
Mike C
Jul 28, 2022, 3:04:45 AM7/28/22
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