Many IT professionals today only have experience on PC-based networks, or possibly some midrange systems. The mainframe still survives however.
In Classics Rock, I found a video featuring a state of the art machine from 1956 - the IBM 305 RAMAC.
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/classic-tech/?p=207
I'm not quite THAT old. The first mainframe I got to do much work with was an IBM 4381. What was your first mainframe? And do you still use one today?
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i cut my eye tooth in the early 80's on a mid range IBM system 38, then moved up to a first generation AS400, then moved across to an IBM system 370, moved up to an IBM 4331 then upward again to an IBM 4381..back in them there days, we coded in COBOL (batch and online), RPGII and RPGIII...quite a journey..anyone knows anyone who needs a COBOL programmer to maintain their (ageing) legacy systems..?? Gimmie a shout...
i cut my eye tooth in the early 80's on a mid range IBM system 38, then moved up to a first generation AS400, then moved across to an IBM system 370, moved up to an IBM 4331 then upward again to an IBM 4381..back in them there days, we coded in COBOL (batch and online), RPGII and RPGIII...quite a journey..anyone knows anyone who needs a COBOL programmer to maintain their (ageing) legacy systems..?? Gimmie a shout...i am available full or part time..
As posted in the July 4 Classics Rock discussion...
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-13624-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=268137&messageID=2539906
You're starting to repeat yourself, John!
Edit: BTW, the link to the connector pinouts is bad. Shouldn't "http://ed-thelen.http/ed-thelen.org/RAMAC/RAMAC-Connectors.htmlorg/RAMAC/RAMAC-Connectors.html" be "http://ed-thelen.org/RAMAC/RAMAC-Connectors.html"? It looks like you double-pasted it.
Second edit to provide corrected link
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-13624-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=268137&messageID=2539906
You're starting to repeat yourself, John!
Edit: BTW, the link to the connector pinouts is bad. Shouldn't "http://ed-thelen.http/ed-thelen.org/RAMAC/RAMAC-Connectors.htmlorg/RAMAC/RAMAC-Connectors.html" be "http://ed-thelen.org/RAMAC/RAMAC-Connectors.html"? It looks like you double-pasted it.
Second edit to provide corrected link
Your TinyURL link is dead as well.
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-12850-0.html%3FforumID%3D102%26threadID%3D268137%26messageID%3D2539906
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-12850-0.html%3FforumID%3D102%26threadID%3D268137%26messageID%3D2539906
This is the post I was linking to: http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-13624-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=268137&messageID=2539906
Apparently either TR or TinyURL don't like parsing the character substitutions.
Apparently either TR or TinyURL don't like parsing the character substitutions.
I posted a link for Michael Kassner in a discussion, only to get a puzzled response. Turns out the link I posted was to a discussion I'd never even seen before. It is a puzzlement.
The link I posted here with the duplicate domain in the link was quite odd as well. It is the way it showed up in the address bar, not a paste error.
Weird? Definitely.
The link I posted here with the duplicate domain in the link was quite odd as well. It is the way it showed up in the address bar, not a paste error.
Weird? Definitely.
You can type the URL for TR into the address bar as
http//www.techrepublic.com and reach the home page. But
if you look at the URL, it will read
http//techrepublic.com.com. It isn't an error.
I know, confusing isn't it?
http//www.techrepublic.com and reach the home page. But
if you look at the URL, it will read
http//techrepublic.com.com. It isn't an error.
I know, confusing isn't it?
This is what I was talking about:
http://techrepublic.com.com/http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-13624-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=268137&messageID=2539803
Actually, I know that com.com has been registered by CNET for a very long time, along with a lot of other simple/obvious domains like news.com, download.com, etc. Very smart marketing decision from the early days. Quick off the mark, CNET was.
http://techrepublic.com.com/http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-13624-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=268137&messageID=2539803
Actually, I know that com.com has been registered by CNET for a very long time, along with a lot of other simple/obvious domains like news.com, download.com, etc. Very smart marketing decision from the early days. Quick off the mark, CNET was.
http://techrepublic.com.com/http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-13624-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=268137&messageID=2539803
OK, that link is weird, but works. A TR bug.
This is cleaner:
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-13624-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=268137&messageID=2539803
That was actually Justin James in the July 4 Classics Rock. How did he originally spell Burroughs?
OK, that link is weird, but works. A TR bug.
This is cleaner:
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-13624-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=268137&messageID=2539803
That was actually Justin James in the July 4 Classics Rock. How did he originally spell Burroughs?
See? I didn't repeat myself after all. 
And I know I've asked what your first COMPUTER was, but I had mostly meant first PC, Apple, Commodore or whatnot. Although I know for many in the TR audience, first computer means first REAL computer such as a mainframe.
We just never seem to talk mainframes much around here, so I thought I'd highlight the mainframe folks a bit for a change and see even for the PC Jockeys, what mainframes they worked with and their experiences thereof.
*whew* Not as close as suffering from dementia as I was afraid!
And I know I've asked what your first COMPUTER was, but I had mostly meant first PC, Apple, Commodore or whatnot. Although I know for many in the TR audience, first computer means first REAL computer such as a mainframe.
We just never seem to talk mainframes much around here, so I thought I'd highlight the mainframe folks a bit for a change and see even for the PC Jockeys, what mainframes they worked with and their experiences thereof.
*whew* Not as close as suffering from dementia as I was afraid!
Hmmmm... Did I? Must be getting old. Especially if I double pasted a link. Which I'll correct shortly.
Unfortunately, that Tinyurl link caused the discussion forum to spit up, so dont know which post you're referring to.
Thanks though!
Unfortunately, that Tinyurl link caused the discussion forum to spit up, so dont know which post you're referring to.
Thanks though!
Hmmmm... Did I? Must be getting old. Especially if I double pasted a link. Which I'll correct shortly.
Unfortunately, that Tinyurl link caused the discussion forum to spit up, so dont know which post you're referring to.
Thanks though!
(Yeah... that was intentional *snicker*)
Unfortunately, that Tinyurl link caused the discussion forum to spit up, so dont know which post you're referring to.
Thanks though!
(Yeah... that was intentional *snicker*)
All I knew was that I had been asked twice... 
Sorry about the link, it's been fixed.
Sorry about the link, it's been fixed.
and magnetic core memory.
I really want a computer with knobs, dials, and indicator lights more than ever.
I particularly like how the tape and film leaders were left on the video. Very cool.
Thanks for the article and links, I'll be checking them forthwith.
I really want a computer with knobs, dials, and indicator lights more than ever.
I particularly like how the tape and film leaders were left on the video. Very cool.
Thanks for the article and links, I'll be checking them forthwith.
My first computers were IBM 1401's, IBM 407 accounting machines and the rest of the board wired stuff, and the Univac 1004 which also had board wiring. Progressed to univac 9300, Ibm 7090, IBM 7080 and then IBm 360. Along the way I also worked on the Honeywell computers and even the RCA Spectra70 (which was the best at the time).
I wonder if I can still wire a board. I used to be pretty good at it in the old days.
It was amazing what we could do on those old things. I remember seeing the payroll done for the Pentagon Army contingent on a 16K 1401 with punched card input, tape drives and a printer. Good times then just trying to be creative in using everything and saving storage. It was more fun then.
I wonder if I can still wire a board. I used to be pretty good at it in the old days.
It was amazing what we could do on those old things. I remember seeing the payroll done for the Pentagon Army contingent on a 16K 1401 with punched card input, tape drives and a printer. Good times then just trying to be creative in using everything and saving storage. It was more fun then.
In 1961 I had IBMs STRETCH running Fortran-2 at AWRE Aldermaston.
It took ages to get from the written data sheet to punched cards to a printed output, usually it failed as I had got three brackets one side and two the other or something trivia like that.
It took ages to get from the written data sheet to punched cards to a printed output, usually it failed as I had got three brackets one side and two the other or something trivia like that.
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