User:HughesJohn

What annoys me most about editing Wikipedia

Is not being able to write things I know are true because I can't find a reference.

What annoys me the next most is CENSORED who put irritating little^{[citation needed]} markers without bothering to look themselves or even say exactly what they need a citation for.

Editors! When you put^{[citation needed]} please write something in the talk page saying what you doubt and why.

Is there a way on Wikipedia of finding a random page that has ^{[citation needed]} markers. Maybe we could arrange something like the Debian fix 10 bugs a day competitions.

TODO list

~~Add description of "steering committee" to BSD.~~
~~Finish work on Jerry Popek and LOCUS~~.
~~Make a new page for Locus Corp in my sandbox, this time saying what was notable about it.~~
~~Add citations to Single-system image article, see Talk:Single-system image/Rewrite~~
~~better indicate different levels of Single-system image support - may be controversial~~
~~Install new Talk:single-system image/Rewrite page~~
~~New UnixWare NonStop Clusters page.~~
~~Rewrite OpenSSI page /Sandbox#OpenSSI~~
Put VNODE somewhere
More about VPROC somewhere
Maybe rescue the TruClusters page
~~The Univel article needs rescue too~~
Rescue work needed on UnixWare
- ~~Univel~~
  Need talk about OEMs - ICL &c
- ~~Novell~~
- Ray Noordas plan to rule the world
- ~~SCO~~
  - ~~NSC~~
  - Reliant HA?
  - OEMs?
  - Monterey?
- Caldera
  Death of NSC - complex licensing?
Split-brain (computing) and maybe Quorum (computing)
Improve the ICT 1900 page. Some things it needs
- ~~Description of how the 1900 was created - FP6000, competition with IBM System/360~~
- ~~Description of architecture (Partly done)~~
- ~~Description of various models~~
- Something about peripherals - disk controllers, comms controllers.
- Multi-processor systems
- Better description of OS's:
  - ~~Operators Executive~~
  - ~~George 1, 2~~
  - Minimop, Maximop
  - ~~George 3~~
    George 3 on multiprocessors, George 3 clusters.
  - ~~George 4~~
Swapping (memory management)
~~Improve the ALGOL 68R page.~~
~~Improve the ALGOL 68RS page.~~
Try to get a copy of "Introduction to the 'RS' portable compiler. S. G. Bond, P. M. Woodward. RRE Technical Note 802 (1977).", also maybe "Guide to ALGOL 68 for users of RS Systems (ISBN: 0713134909 / 0-7131-3490-9) Woodward, Philip M., and Bond, Susan G." (less interesting, easier to get).

~~Started work at /Sandbox/ALGOL 68RS~~

~~Fix Algol Bulletin references.~~
~~Clean up ALGOL 68, ALGOL 68S, ALGOL 68RS merge proposal.~~
ALGOL 68S
Discuss why sublanguage proposed, make difference between language and implementation clearer.
Datacraft / HCSCD computers (slash six, H800 and so on).
Royal Radar Establishment has nothing about software, e.g. ALGOL 68R.
~~ALGOL 68RS, ELLA, TenDRA are mentioned at RSRE.~~

People: Ian F. Currie, Susan G. Bond, ~~P. M. Woodward~~, J. D. Morrison.
J. M. Foster's Syntax improving device.
A syntax improving program The Computer Journal (1968) 11(1): 31-34 doi:10.1093/comjnl/11.1.31

Article A syntax improving program J. M. Foster * Aberdeen University, Aberdeen, UK First received September 1967. * Royal Radar Establishment...
Elwro
Odra (computer) 1000's, 1100's, 1204, 1304, 1305, 1325

R32, R45?
Odra (computer)
Odrette?

Sandbox

My little sandbox: User:HughesJohn/Sandbox

Journal

Oh noes, my first speedy delete, Locus Computing Corporation bites the dust! I forgot to say what was interesting about it. HughesJohn (talk) 07:52, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

So yesterday I installed my new! improved! now with brighter citatations! version. We'll see. HughesJohn (talk) 13:32, 3 October 2008 (UTC)

New version of single-system image too. HughesJohn (talk) 13:32, 3 October 2008 (UTC)

New version of OpenSSI. HughesJohn (talk) 20:12, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

UnixWare NonStop Clusters HughesJohn (talk) 15:02, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

New version of GEORGE (operating system). HughesJohn (talk) 13:39, 28 March 2011 (UTC)

New version of ICT 1900. HughesJohn (talk) 09:14, 29 March 2011 (UTC)

New version of ALGOL 68R. HughesJohn (talk) 10:33, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

New version of ALGOL 68RS. HughesJohn (talk) 17:44, 11 December 2011 (UTC)

Notes - Borderline WP:OR

Corollary

http://www.cbronline.com/news/positive_on_future_of_unix_under_santa_cruz_operation:

Santa Cruz's older SCO MPX-based multi-processing extensions from Corollary Inc which Microport said top out at four-way arrangements.

Gemini

HP and SCO report on progress of Gemini 64

http://www.computing.co.uk/articles/print/2060559

sarah petrie, Computing 07 Nov 1996

UnixWare 7.0 to provide solid base for 64-bit Gemini project

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2097065/unixware-provide-solid-base-bit-gemini-project

Written by Des Lorimer

vnunet.com, 11 Mar 1998

UnixWare 7.0, the next release of SCO's Unix operating system, will be officially launched next week in New York.

The new operating system lays the foundation for SCO's "Gemini" project, a 64-bit version of UnixWare which is being developed with Intel for the latter's 64-bit Merced processor.

SCO SETS OUT UNIXWARE 7 ROADMAP

http://www.cbronline.com/news/sco_sets_out_unixware_7_roadmap

13 November 1997 By Computergram

The Santa Cruz Operation's next generation merge of its two Unix operating system lines - Unixware and OpenServer - was originally set to ship during the summer, but in August the company changed its mind and promised the software "by the end of the year."...

SCO GEMINI TO DEBUT AS UNIXWARE; COMPAQ GETS CHUMMY

http://www.cbronline.com/news/sco_gemini_to_debut_as_unixware_compaq_gets_chummy

Unix-owner Santa Cruz Operation Inc is sticking by the UnixWare brand it acquired along with core Unix SVR4.2 technologies from Novell Inc in 1995 and will bring its next-generation operating system for Intel Corp computers, code-named Gemini and now available in beta, to market as UnixWare. SCO's extended SVR4.2 with 64-bit technologies

Reliant HA

http://www.cbronline.com/news/sco_taking_clustered_unixware_multiplatform

SCO TAKING CLUSTERED UNIXWARE MULTIPLATFORM, 16 July 1998, By Computergram

SCO says the clustering and failover functionality of NonStop Clusters reaches well beyond the kind of high-availability of its SCO Reliant software which incorporates technology licensed from Siemens Pyramid Information Systems Inc,

Locus/NSC/OpenSSI

[ http://groups.google.com/group/comp.unix.aix/browse_thread/thread/7847c790cc90244d/034882491ab5f07d AIX running on clones] - Talks about TCF, and it's failure to get into OSF/1

"When OSF didn't accept the TCF parts of the DEcorum proposal, the future of TCF became somewhat clouded." - David Skeen

"First, while OSF didn't accept TCF as part of DCE, TCF was not rejected either. It was deemed to be beyond the scope of the DCE Request For Technology. OSF may include part or all of it in the future." - Richard M. Mathews

Locus bought by Platinum 1995-08-17

Non Stop Clusters group sold to Tandem? August 1996 according to Frank Mayhar.

Tandem bought by Compaq in 1997 - announced June 23/4 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE2DF1631F937A15755C0A961958260

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CGN/is_/ai_21054652

Sco To Offer Tandem's Nonstop Clusters To Other Oems Computergram International, August 19, 1998

Compaq's Tandem division has actually been shipping NonStop Clusters for UnixWare on ProLiant Integrity XC systems to telecommunications companies since the beginning of the year, and will continue with direct sales. But now SCO has the rights to sublicense the software under the name UnixWare NonStop Clusters. It will now begin an early access program, shipping the software as a bundled package, initially with UnixWare 2.1.2, for the rest of the year.

People: User:Dave Butterfield. See Talk:IBM370/AIX and Talk:IBM AIX (operating system)

MIA (from the BSD story)

Missing people (from BSD story):

Duane Adams - Worked at DARPA (Was BSD's "mentor", then Deputy Director), then CMU http://www.nist.gov/director/vcat/adams.htm

~~Sam Leffler~~ - BSD FFS, HylaFAX, Various BSD drivers ('till today!)

I just started Sam's page. Please add to it. Lentower (talk) 23:29, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

Thanks Lentower. HughesJohn (talk) 09:42, 27 November 2009 (UTC)

Most Welcome. There are some suggestions on Talk:Samuel J Leffler on how to add to it. Lentower (talk) 17:33, 27 November 2009 (UTC)

Alan Nemeth - BBN - Alan G. Nemeth

http://portal.acm.org/author_page.cfm?id=81100152579&coll=GUIDE&dl=GUIDE&trk=0

"We prepared this description of the X.25 link access protocol for a commercial packet-switching network installation in which we participated. Our goal was to provide the network's users with a version of the link access procedures specification which..."

http://www.decus.org/pr99/nemethbio.stm.htm

"Dr. Alan G. Nemeth works for Compaq Computer Corporation as the Technical Director of the UNIX Software Division. He is responsible for Tru64 UNIX architecture and strategy for competing in the open systems market. Dr. Nemeth holds the rank of Corporate consulting Engineer, the highest level in the technical career path for the company, and along with 15 others shares responsibility for the overall technical direction of the company."

Rob Gurwitz - BBN

Keith Lantz - Stanford (Keith A. Lantz (1977?-1984?)) - http://www.informatik.uni-trier.de/~ley/db/indices/a-tree/l/Lantz:Keith_A=.html

Dan Lynch (ISI) - ISI

ICT 1900 Series

http://jeanbellec.pagesperso-orange.fr/information_technology_3.htm claims MICOS-1 (as used in 2903/PF73) designed by John Freer. References?

Example of George 3 source

From chapter WLE

 21 2DLQ    [ SPLIT PROERTY NAMES IN <NAME>&<NAME> FORMAT INTO APERI/APROPS FORMAT
  4 2F6B    [
  4 2FL2    [
 10 2G5L    [ X1 - BLOCK TO COPY INTO
 11 2GK=    [ X2 - LENGTH OF PROPERTY NAMES
  9 2H4W    [ X3 - PROPERTY NAMES
  6 2HJG    [ X6 - LINK
  4 2J46    [
 13 2JHQ    [ ALL ACCUMULATORS EXCEPT X7 DESTROYED
  4 2K3B    [
  8 2KH2       LDN   0  ATTMAX
 12 2L2L       STO   0  0(1)   [ NO. OF NAMES
 19 2LG=       ADN   1  1   [ X1 - POSITION FOR NEXT CHAR OF PROPERTY NAME
 16 2L_W       STO   1  4   [ X4 - POSITION FOR LENGTH OF NAME
  7 2MFG       ADN   1  1
 13 2M_6       LDN   5  0   [ X5 - LENGTH OF NAME
 14 2NDQ       WHILE    2,NZ   [ CHARACTER LEFT IN NAMES
 10 2NYB       DO           [ SPLIT AT &
  8 2PD2          LDCH  0  0(3)
  8 2PXL          SBN   0  #26
 10 2QC=          IF       0,ZE   [ &
  6 2QWW          THEN
  8 2RBG             LDX   1  4
 14 2RW6             STO   5  0(1)   [ LENGTH OF NAME
 15 2S*Q             ADN   1  5   [ POSITION FOR NEXT NAME
  8 2STB             ADN   4  4
  8 2T*2             LDN   5  0
  6 2TSL          ELSE
  9 2W#=             ADN   0  #26
 12 2WRW             DCH   0  0(1)   [ COPY CHAR
  8 2X?G             BCHX  1  £
  8 2XR6             ADN   5  1
  5 2Y=Q          FI
  7 2YQB          SBN   2  1
  7 2_=2          BCHX  3  £
  6 2_PL       REPEAT
  7 329=       SMO      4
 13 32NW       STO   5  0   [ LENGTH OF LAST NAME
  7 338G       EXIT  6  0

The gibberish at the start of each line is a checksum.

"£" as the destination of a branch means "next instruction". It is used because George runs in 22AM, BCHX instructions always branch.

Note that the nice "structured programming macros have lead the programmer into error. Instead of:

    WHILE 2,NZ
    DO
        ...
        SBN 2 1
    REPEAT

It should read:

    IF 2,NZ
    THEN
       DO
           ...
       REPEAT CT 2
    FI

Everyone's a critic :-)

Fragments of an old testament

Fragments of an old testament
D.W.Barron, Computer Bulletin - Sept 1976

In the beginning was the FP6000
which was made by Ferranti-Packard in a distant land

And there were in another country at that time
divers International Computers and Tabulators
and though they did tabulate
as their fathers before them
yet they could not compute

(Wrong, ICT were already selling computers, the ICT 1301 for example.)

And they said unto one another
let us go even unto West Gorton
to see this marvel
that has come to pass
and they beheld the FP6000
and saw that it was good

And they said
let us offer many shekels
that the FP6000 may be ours
and Ferranti did say
lo here are men who will pay
for what loseth us much money
praise be

Then the International Computers and Tabulators
did take the FP6000
clothed it in panels of blue
and did call it the 1905
thus was accomplished the birth
of the 1900 series

And on the next day
they created the 1904
which was the image of the 1905
but lacked a floating point unit
next did they fashion the 1902 which was slower
and the 1903 which was the same
but with a floating point unit

(Wrong, the 1903 was a 1902 with faster store.)

Finally they did fashion the 1907
a mighty engine for the crunching of numbers
and the 1906 that lacked a floating point unit
and the unbelievers asked
who shall purchase a scientific computer
that hath no floating point unit
and none could answer

(good question!)

Yet another time they salesman said
behold the great multitude
that clamour crying out
lo we have mighty programs
yet the 1905 hath not sufficient core to hold them
so there was created the 1905E which much store
and the 1905F that some did buy
believing the F to signify fast
though none did know for a certainty
and they did yoke together two 1905s
like unto a pair of oxen
to make the 1907F
and no man could comprehend the reason therefor

(Because the original 1906/7 was too slow.)

Then the salesman said
verily we have so many machines
that we know not what we sell
neither do the customers know what they buy
and the engineers said
a new technology hath been revealed to us
in platters of many layers
let us make a new series called the a series
and let there be the 1901A 1902A 1903A AND 1904A
and the company saw that it was good

And the devil taketh the company to a high place
and showeth them the IBM 195 and the CDC6600
and they said let us fashion a mighty machine
like unto the walls of jericho
and call it the 1906A
and let there be set up a graven image
called George 3
that the heathen may worship
and it was accomplished

Now the time was come when there should be fulfilled
the prophecy that was written
in that time they shall travail
and bring forth a New Range

And it came to pass
that although the time was long passed
that the new range should be delivered
yet it did not appear
and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the land

And there arose instead a false prophet
who did privily sell semiconductor stores
wherewith were made the 1903s and the 1904s
that the people might forget the new range
in wonder at a store so fast
that the processor could not keep pace with it

And there came forth in succession the 1903T and the 1901T
and the heathen were confused
knowing not which machine was which

In that season they did call together
a monstrous gathering of the press
and there appeared a spokesman of the company
saying Behold I bring you tidings of great joy
for unto you is available
the 2970
and if peradventure you are willing to wait
the 2980
and there is System B
that controlleth both their going out and their coming in
But certain unbelievers gathered together privily
and murmured among themselves saying
truly the mills of System B grind fine
but they grind exceeding slow

And the spokesman replied
O Ye of Little Faith
Is it not written in your contract
that all shall be accomplished
even unto the fourth benchmark
and the unbelievers answered
how can these things be?

Harris/Datacraft

http://www.ccur.com/company_history.aspx

1967 Harris Computer Systems founded as Datacraft.

1974 Datacraft acquired by Harris Corporation.

1994 Harris Computer Systems Corporation spun off from Harris Corporation.

1996 A spin off from Harris creates Cyberguard Corporation. In June of 1996, Concurrent Computer Corporation acquired Harris Real-Time Computer Systems. The combined company reflects nearly 30 year's experience in high-performance, real-time computer system solutions. Concurrent is the synthesis of two world-leading, real-time computer companies: Concurrent Computer Corporation & Harris Computer Systems Corporation

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Harris-Corporation-Company-History.html

In 1974, Harris-Intertype acquired Datacraft Corporation [...]. Datacraft was a producer of superminicomputers. During the same year the company changed its name to the Harris Corporation.

ICL 1908

According to Virgilio Pasquali the 1908 was announced at the Edinburgh IFIP in 1968. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/v.pasquali/1-3-6%20Span%20of%20the%201900%20Range.htm

From http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/acl/technology/1906a/p003.htm

Jan 1967 - 1908A (P51) proposed to ACL "There appeared to be considerable merit in ICT's proposal for the 1908 machine."

Jul 1967 - "ICT's former 1908 proposal had been examined by a small panel appointed by the Computer Board, and they had proposed certain modifications which had led to the PF 51 concept.",

Nov 1967 - "After expressions of individual views by the members, the Committee unanimously supported the main proposal of the paper, namely that an ICT P.51 should be ordered for the Atlas Laboratory. ... The need to get firm prices from ICT was stressed, as was the fact that the decision depended on the ICT project being supported by the Government."

Apr 1968 -

ICT had still not produced a specification of the P.51 system.
The recent merger of ICT, EEC and Plessey had disturbed the whole project, and the effect of this disturbance was so far unknown.

Also

The change from the original 3-processor system, extendable to 4, to one of a maximum of 2 processors removed some of the flexibility but simplified the software; it was probably inspired partly by ICT's fears of software complications, partly by their interest in producing a twin-1907 system.
There should be no difficulty in producing hardware capable of 7-10 times Atlas speed, but the production of software to run even this simpler system efficiently would be a serious problem. It would be worth urging ICT to deliver the hardware as quickly as possible, and accepting the need to develop software on the site, in collaboration with other customers.
One particular weakness of ICT's proposal for software was the holding of a complete operating system in each processor; this was made necessary by a decision to allow peripherals to be attached directly to either processor. A simpler and more efficient system could be designed if all peripherals were attached to one, the other communicating only with the disc and the main core store.
The Manchester Regional Centre were considering a system similar to that now proposed for Chilton. They too considered the mass core store essential for operational efficiency.
There was a great need for a serious study of the problems of linking processors, and by tackling the problem with a full-scale installation the Chilton laboratory would be making a valuable contribution to the technology of computer software.

July 1968

ICL were firmly convinced that the whole project was sound and that the delivery dates they had offered were realistic. They were confident of getting adequate supplies of the advanced components which they needed - in particular the 330ns store, the 50ns and 100ns buffer stores, the mass core store and the 1ns integrated circuits. They were expecting to sell some 30-40 1906A installations, but knew that several potential customers would not buy the machine unless they knew that the 1908A was to be produced.
The twin-processor system could be either 1906A + 1908A (as proposed) or 1908A + 1908A. Provisional twin-system software would be supplied initially (i.e. in mid-1972 for the Chilton installation) which would allow, for example, sharing of the file store by the two processors, but a fully integrated operating system would not be available until mid-1973.
The first prototype 1906A had power on now and should be running as a complete machine, with peripherals, by January 1969. the second prototype, which would have the proper production platters from their automated plant, should be at the same stage of development as the first by march 1969. Software would be developed on these machines and on a specially-built 1905E with paged store, due to be delivered to Putney in February 1969. Present production plans were:
- First production 1906A in June 1970, thereafter approximately one a month with plans for ten in 1971.
- First production 1908A in April 1972, with total of four in 1972 and six in 1973.
ICL had made a detailed comparative study of the architectures of the 1900 and System 4 series and had concluded that the former, which was much simpler, was the better basis for the powerful machine. To provide the same computing power with the System 4 design (which is the same as the IBM System 360) would have to involve more complex design, cost more and take longer.
Asked about ICL's plans for the future, Dr Wilson said that they were expecting to introduce a new product set about 1975 or 1976, but much study was needed before its form could be decided. they were very conscious of the need to make changeover easy both from 1900 and System 4 machines, so that the very big investment in programs, both of the Company and by users, should not be wasted. He felt that this need to preserve the value of the investment would ensure a long life for all the large families of computers, including the ICL 1900 series and especially, because of the numbers involved, the IBM 360. His view was that there was little risk of rapid obsolescence of these machines.
ICL recognised that there were deficiencies in some of the basic software of the 1900, in particular in the operating systems and the Fortran compilers; they were working on these and were confident of making considerable improvements. They did not agree with the view that the short character-length (6 bits) and small number (3) of index registers of the 1900 were a serious drawback to this series

Feb 1969: No news

Jul 1969 Abandoning of the 1908A - ACC/69/15

ICL have just told us - for the time being in confidence - that they have decided to abandon the 1908A. They propose to concentrate their resources on the development of the new range of machines which will ultimately replace the 1900 and System 4 ranges, and aim to produce a machine of comparable power to the 1908A in 1973.

The world was informed in one of those unimaginatively brief statements that the icl 1908 A was no more because something better was round the corner. Unfortunately for icl, the decision was timed to follow on the heels of ibm's latest ...

Business week 1970, part 6, page 286: http://books.google.com/books?id=C5wpAQAAIAAJ&q=icl+1908&dq=icl+1908&hl=en&ei=oKIcTo_CIpGr8APq95mKCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwADgK

ICL gets only a seventh of its $276- million yearly revenues outside its home country. And that market is too narrow to finance big new products, such as ICL's canceled 1908-A, which would have been Europe's largest computer

New Scientist, 1969, volume 43, page 478: http://books.google.com/books?id=Zx3xAAAAMAAJ&q=icl+1908&dq=icl+1908&hl=en&ei=f6EcTv_BHoS38QOO2tCCCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDcQ6AEwBDgK

The recent terse announcement that ICL had stopped work on the development of its largest computer— the 1908 ... It had long been thought that the 1908 A stretched the architecture of the 1900 series way beyond its own level, ...