One of my more obscure engineering projects was creating plotting
software for Tektronix storage displays and Versatek plotters called
DIPLOT, which shipped around '76, possibly in Rev 9. Some friends and I have stumbled upon a set of (binary) plotter data files that I'm certain DIPLOT produced. We've mostly sussed out the format, but not completely
so.
One of my more obscure engineering projects was creating plottingJim,
software for Tektronix storage displays and Versatek plotters called DIPLOT, which shipped around '76, possibly in Rev 9. Some friends and I have stumbled upon a set of (binary) plotter data files that I'm certain DIPLOT produced. We've mostly sussed out the format, but not completely so.
No source, no PE-T. Did find this snippet in a PULSE catalog:
PROGRAM NUMBER: 0277-03-09
PROGRAM NAME: DIPLOT
CONTACT: PRIME COMPUTER, FRAMINGHAM, MASS
HARDWARE REQD: PRIME CPU, TEKTRONIX 4010 OR OTHER GOULD
OR VERSATEC ELECTROSTATIC PRINTER/PLOTTER.
LANGUAGE: FORTRAN
PURPOSE: DIPLOT (DEVICE INDEPENDENT PLOT PACKAGE) IS DESIGNED TO
ALLOW THE USER TO DIRECT HIS PLOTTER OUTPUT TO ANY ONLINE
PLOTTER USING THE INDUSTRY ACCEPTED CALCOMP CALLING SEQUENCE.
THE PACKAGE CURRENTLY HAS 2 MODES OF OPERATION:
IMMEDIATE AND DEFERRED. IN THE IMMEDIATE PLOT MODE, PLOTTER
OUTPUT GENERATED BY THE PROGRAM IS PLOTTED ON A TEXTRONIX
4010 TERMINAL CONNECTED TO THE SYSTEM AS EITHER THE USER
TERMINAL OR ON AN ASSIGNABLE AMLC LINE. IN THE DEFERRED
PLOT MODE, ALL PLOTTER OUTPUT IS WRITTEN TO A FILE WHICH
THEN MAY BE PLOTTED ON A HARD-COPY DEVICE. AT THE PRESENT
TIME, THE ONLY DEVICES SUPPORTED FOR HARDCOPY OUTPUT ARE
THE VERSATEC AND GOULD ELECTROSTATIC PRINTER/PLOTTER.
I have (part of?) a PULSE distribution, one reasonably full tape if
it was written at 1600. It doesn't seem to contain DIPLOT; the stuff containing the string "plot" in the name is:
./TVLR/SOURCE/PLOTXY1
./ZETA/PLOT
./PTC-5/PLOT
./PRTX/PRINTRONIX/SCATTER.PLOT ./MISCELLANEOUS/SAMPLE_UNSUPPORTED_CPL/GOPLOT.CPL ./MISCELLANEOUS/SAMPLE_UNSUPPORTED_CPL/PASPLOT.CPL ./MISCELLANEOUS/SAMPLE_UNSUPPORTED_CPL/FTNPLOT.CPL ./MISCELLANEOUS/SAMPLE_UNSUPPORTED_CPL/F77PLOT.CPL ./AUS.UTILS/PRINTRONIX/PLOT.FTN
./AUS.UTILS/PRINTRONIX/PLOTS.FTN
Would be interested in the PE-T document, if it's ever found, to put
with other Prime materials on sysovl.info.
De
Thanks for the citation. Looks like the PULSE distribution you have postdates the DIPLOT release by many years. It's likely that this
software, first released for DOS/VM on the P300, faded into oblivion sometime after 1980. The filenames you posted are unfamiliar to me—and longer than 6 characters(!), a constraint at the time.
Thanks for the citation. Looks like the PULSE distribution you have postdates the DIPLOT release by many years. It's likely that this software, first released for DOS/VM on the P300, faded into oblivion sometime after 1980. The filenames you posted are unfamiliar to me—and longer than 6 characters(!), a constraint at the time.Jim,
Ah. Wasn't sure what era was relevant. Sadly, the oldest runnable
software in captivity is a very bare Rev18, and that's not really
useful. The oldest code around is a partial set of source for Rev16.
(Well, I suppose some of the stuff in that PULSE distribution is older,
but it's not operating system stuff.) There are some docs from the mid
70s.
I would dearly love to find older stuff.
De
On Thursday, January 6, 2022 at 10:47:04 AM UTC-5, Dennis Boone wrote:
Thanks for the citation. Looks like the PULSE distribution you have postdates the DIPLOT release by many years. It's likely that this software, first released for DOS/VM on the P300, faded into oblivion sometime after 1980. The filenames you posted are unfamiliar to me—and longer than 6 characters(!), a constraint at the time.Jim,
Ah. Wasn't sure what era was relevant. Sadly, the oldest runnable
software in captivity is a very bare Rev18, and that's not really
useful. The oldest code around is a partial set of source for Rev16. (Well, I suppose some of the stuff in that PULSE distribution is older, but it's not operating system stuff.) There are some docs from the mid 70s.
I would dearly love to find older stuff.
DeI didn't have the pockets to get the entire PULSE library at the time I got what we have. But I got it from Randy Styka
at COMPUTRONICS. He had it all, at least, he did 20 years ago. His company supported other minis as well.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Computronics Randy Styka, randy (at) computron (dot) com |
| 4N165 Wood Dale Road Phone: 630/941-7767 |
| Addison, Illinois 60101 USA Fax: 630/941-7714 | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
Looks like at least the website still exists:
http://www.computronics.com/
It couldn't hurt to contact him.
-Dai
Interesting, though, to read through Randy's website. I wonder how much
of the Prime software goods he actually has in his possession. I'll
ask.
Interesting, though, to read through Randy's website. I wonder how muchRandy's a good guy. Last I talked to him, he was still supporting
of the Prime software goods he actually has in his possession. I'll
ask.
a small number of small customers with occasional spare parts.
I remain heartbroken that Mike O'Rear let the Rev24 source code tapes die.
:(I remain heartbroken that Mike O'Rear let the Rev24 source code tapes die.The one that breaks my heart is the tape set some folks in Engineering
handed to Al Costanzo as the 50-Series business unit was dying. That allegedly included even some internal-only tools. He discarded them in
a move.
De
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