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Bringing Back the PDP8
Anne Thwacks writes " Andrew Grillet has decided that the Digial PDP8 - the first ever minicomputer, will rise from the dead.
He is calling it the PDQ8. Sure others have done software emulations, and even hardware clones, but he is not just building a hardware clone, but trying to revive the whole idea of 12 bit computers!"
...and I building a 3.5 GHz TRS80 with a GIG of RAM and 2 5 1/4" 80 GB floppys. its the cats ass
Anyone for hitting up the local vacuum repair shop and getting started on an ENIAC reconstruction project?
12 bit is much better for patriotic Americans.
Think on it, power of two is a far to simplistic and dare I say it European system for the patriotic American. In Europe they use metres, kilometers, grams and kilgrams. All this regulation of structure around a number like 10 is typical of Europeans. Americans use sensible systems like 14 pounds (abbreviated sensibly to lbs as pounds clearly contains the letter l) to a Stone and 16 Ounces (again with a sensible abbreviation of oz) to a pound. Who needs these ridiculous regimented European systems that dicate that everything must follow a sensible pattern?
Patriotic Americans arise. 12 bits to a byte, 7 bytes to a word, 13 words to a sentence and 1764 bits to a chain.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
On a related note, I'm going to be designing my own 32 bit system. It's going to be pretty cool having an asthetically pleasing case, and run most all of the common software out there, but make the operating system run on top of bsd. Then I'll make really high-end systems, and education type systems, and laptops.
Now I'm 95% of the way done with this whole project so I've hired an advertising firm to come up with some commercials. I figure I'll show joe average sixpack switching from the normal x86 windows machine, to my machine, I'll call them 'Switch-Ads'.
My proprietary systems will never run on anything else, and you will be forced^H^H^H^H^H^H encouraged to only buy via our website.
I'll call them MOC's ... and the company will be named Orange.
Ignore the "p2p is theft" trolls, they're just uninformed
8 bits should be enough for everyone.
I can't be sure about Studebakers but in the case of classic Ferraris and Porsche's I'm fairly certain the idea is still to get laid.
--Jimmy has fancy plans; and pants to match.
Now, I'm no expert on legacy computers, but a machine with 32KW of core sounds dangerous...suddenly my 80W Athlon looks puny!
In the bottom of a box somewhere in my basement, I've still got the BASIC source code for the Star Trek game we used to run on our high school's PDP-8. For each player's turn, it printed out the map of the current galactic sector along with any Klingon ships on the line printer.
It's funny, I remember when we played that game we felt like we had godlike control over a mysterious and powerful machine. Now when I play computer games, I mostly feel like a twitching moron.
"Base 8 is just like base 10 really. . .if you're missing 2 fingers."
KFG
What else would be a 12-bit OS?
And of course
"with your bare hands?"
yes
you stand amazed as the dragon lies dead at your feet.
Bugger graphics you can't beat a maze of twisty passages, all different.... or was it a twisty maze of different passages.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
a rough quote from Monty Python...
"I built the castle in the swamp. They said it would fall over but I did it anyways. Sure enough, it did. I build a second castle and that one fell into the swamp as well. But the third castle stayed."
Looks like he needs another iteration.
This space for rent.
I remember when we played that game we felt like we had godlike control over a mysterious and powerful machine.
That must've been a nice feeling, I bet. In these days, the mysterious and powerful machine has god-like control over you!
In Soviet Russia, Jesus asks: "What Would You Do?"
> I can't be sure about Studebakers but in the case of classic Ferraris and Porsche's I'm fairly certain the idea is still to get laid.
I'm rather sure it is easier to get laid in a vintage Studebaker than a Ferrari.
More leg room and all.
In Soviet Russia...
(this one actually makes sense)
I'd say your chances of getting laid are better if you tell 'em you're resurrecting a '53 Corvette than a PDP-8.
--- I wish I could hear the soundtrack to my life. That way I'd know when to duck.
Now you've gone and done it! Our knock is no longer a secret!
But why the hell would anyone still be running Windows 95 in 2025? Or running games which run on Windows 95 in 2025?
Ask the man with the beard and the Dec-PDP8. He speaks in 12 bits. He knows everything!