Re: storage, compatibility and HP98xx
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg62639] Re: storage, compatibility and HP98xx
- From: "Dr Andy D Kucar PEng" <andy at radio4u.com>
- Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 00:06:20 -0500 (EST)
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
[This subject is getting away from the topic of this group, so I ask that the thread be stopped now and anyone wishing to continue the discussion do personal emails or find another newsgroup - moderator] It appears, storage of data and compatibility of computer software, which is supposedly aimed to read that data, are (becoming) hot topics (again) ------------------------ J=E1nos P.S. Folk tales and folk songs - without writing them down - survived thousands of years. May be computing should pursue THAT media for long term storage :) ------------------------ I started using mainframe computers in the late sixties Those were the days, my friends, when engineers/scientists were among the best paid folks in town, drove fanciest cars, lived in nice houses/apartments, were entertained by the nicest girls, ... mother-in-laws were bragging: my son-in-law is an engineer/scientist, etc ... fortran66, ibm, univac, cdc, punch cards, *ladies (in some languages that word has nice double meaning), soon, I learned, a supposed FIFO system is not exactly FIFO with some inside info, exact timing, and a box of peruggina baci chocolates atop of computer punch cards, I changed FIFO into LIFO --- greasing a squeaky wheel helps then, those mainframe guys became arrogant in 1974/5 my good boss bought an HP 98xx desktop computer for our microwave lab it became my first personal computer (without backdoor spying stuff) this was the year when PC was -n years old, n>0 in 6 years HP diskette as a storage, never failed me modest programs were run Fri pm until Mon am, big programs over holidays, all non-stop, my first personal CAD but, printouts were back-up storage it would be nice to hear more about HP98xx family from someone who designed it those were times when Hewlett and Packard were running the company, and no talking bimbo in sight in parallel, I used mainframe as well, and (in)famous storage tapes in about 1990 I was working on some satellite orbit simulation and strayed into astronomy, and history of astronomy from a virtual terminal in my office, I sent a message to mainframers to install one of my tapes Tape installed, but computer couldn't read my data In meantime, they installed "improved" fast tape drives on their mainframe And my tapes became useless An "improvement" from fortran66 to fortran77 was anything but smooth I could not read/use my, then <2^3 years old tapes, Yet I was able to read >2^11 years old astronomical tablets from Babylon and Uruk About compatibility of losshawks 95, 98, 2000, and difficulties with CD-R later although CD, DVD laser written material may be able to sustain mechanically 2^7 years, it is compatibility and availability of readers and software, which limits the availability of data and, of course, possibility of an (un)intentional damage of storage media must be taken into account sincerely andy