RSTS/E was the most elegant OS I've ever used. VMS was a close second. Amiga OS always appealed to me as its command-line was basically VMS. The PDP-11/70 that I used in college had a whopping 32K of RAM. The day before a programming assignment was due we would have 30 or more people logged in at once, and it ran like we had the machine to ourselves. The VAX I used a couple years later, with 16MB of RAM, would start coughing with 20 users. The University's workhorse was an IBM 4341. It was a pain in the tuckus to use, and complained loudly when too many people needed it at once. Finally around 1987 they bought a 4381 to run administration stuff so we peons (I mean students) could use the whole 4341 for programming projects.
Sure, my Mac with OS-X is pretty, but I feel I could get a lot more done on that PDP. I'm sure it is just my perception. I have many more things going on on the Mac that I could not even dream of when I was using the DEC, but I don't feel nearly as productive trying to program these days.
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Oh, it was Windows NT that ran on the Alpha. Of course finding Windows applications that were compiled for it was tricky.
I like my MacBook a lot. My wife recently got one also for music composition. That sharp edge bugged me too though. I fixed it with a de-burring tool in about 10 seconds. If you don't have one of those, a fine file or some sand paper would work just fine too.
Still, I'm not sure why they put it there in the first place.
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7 posts • joined Friday 4th April 2008 13:57 GMT
One-line post that doesn't need a title.
What will he make with his Swiss-Army wheelchair?
The Onion, anyone?
Funny this came up now. This story from the Onion is related:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/japan_pledges_to_halt_production
RSTS/E
RSTS/E was the most elegant OS I've ever used. VMS was a close second. Amiga OS always appealed to me as its command-line was basically VMS. The PDP-11/70 that I used in college had a whopping 32K of RAM. The day before a programming assignment was due we would have 30 or more people logged in at once, and it ran like we had the machine to ourselves. The VAX I used a couple years later, with 16MB of RAM, would start coughing with 20 users. The University's workhorse was an IBM 4341. It was a pain in the tuckus to use, and complained loudly when too many people needed it at once. Finally around 1987 they bought a 4381 to run administration stuff so we peons (I mean students) could use the whole 4341 for programming projects.
Sure, my Mac with OS-X is pretty, but I feel I could get a lot more done on that PDP. I'm sure it is just my perception. I have many more things going on on the Mac that I could not even dream of when I was using the DEC, but I don't feel nearly as productive trying to program these days.
---
Oh, it was Windows NT that ran on the Alpha. Of course finding Windows applications that were compiled for it was tricky.
Super atomic permanent wedgie
The prank potential is mind-boggling.
@Sharp Edge
I like my MacBook a lot. My wife recently got one also for music composition. That sharp edge bugged me too though. I fixed it with a de-burring tool in about 10 seconds. If you don't have one of those, a fine file or some sand paper would work just fine too.
Still, I'm not sure why they put it there in the first place.
DEC Alpha
Windows NT ran on x86 and the DEC Alpha 64 bit RISC chip. I never saw one though and few Windows apps were cross-compiled for it.
Sarcastic Gamer's take...
That is an interesting gadget. Way too pricey for me and I'd be terribly afraid to set anything on it.
I like this assessment:
http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/2007/06/ms-surface-how-we-would-have-done-it.html
Paris because she probably knows about being interactive on a table.
Hmm, can it recognize butt-prints?