Unanswered Questions
289 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
19
votes
0
answers
473
views
Is an X Window System older than release 10 available online?
I'm looking for any copy of the X Window System older than release 10.
The oldest on x.org is X10R3.
Bob Scheifler doesn't have anything.
Jim Gettys may have something, but has yet to retrieve it ...
- 3,101
19
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Oxford C compiler for Commodore 64
I kept one floppy from my Commodore 128 (which I used mostly in C64 mode), labelled ‘Oxford C compiler’. It is a 5.25″ floppy. Don't ask me why I kept just this one; probably because I thought I ...
17
votes
1
answer
593
views
When was an image of an apple first used to promote the APL language
The APL community is contemplating the adoption of a common logo but some are worried about trouble from Apple lawyers. Now, IBM and others have been using apple motifs in promoting APL for a long ...
- 668
16
votes
0
answers
836
views
Was there a cartoon series in the UK computer press called "Computability Brown"?
My dad was a computing professional in Scotland in the 1970s. He received a couple of industry trade magazines every week, such as Computer Weekly and Computing. In one of them, I remember there being ...
CommunityBot
- 1
14
votes
0
answers
477
views
Is it possible to trap 387 FPU opcodes on a 287 connected to a 386?
The 8087 and 287 FPUs were designed before the IEEE 754 standard was released. Because of this, they contain some instructions which are not compliant with it. When the 387 was released in 1987, it ...
- 23.2k
14
votes
0
answers
640
views
Original instruction set for the first ARM processor
I'm studying ISAs and would really like to see the very first ISA that Sophie Wilson chose/put together when designing the very first ARM CPU while at Acorn Computers around 1983 or so.
From what I ...
- 39.3k
14
votes
0
answers
243
views
68060 CLKEN and CLK pins
Using an 68060 to 68040 Amiga adapter on another brand.
The adapter ties the 68040 BCLK to the 68060 CLKEN. The CLK pin on the adapter is left floating.
To run the CPU with 1/2 bus will I need to ...
- 141
14
votes
0
answers
493
views
Is there a simple BASIC program that demonstrates SID6581 distortion?
Many songs use a SID6581 design "flaw", distortion, as an effect. I tried experimenting with the filter and resonance registers, but was unable to reproduce the sound. What conditions are necessary ...
- 8,141
13
votes
0
answers
435
views
Unix on the H11?
I'm curious if anyone is aware of actual uses of Unix on the Heathkit H11? I don't see any technical reason a memory-expanded H11 couldn't run Unix, but can't find any examples of it doing so.
- 20.5k
13
votes
0
answers
577
views
Who owns the intellectual property of Thinking Machines today?
Who owns the intellectual property regarding the Connection Machine and other products from Thinking Machines? I believe the remnants were bought by Sun, so possibly Oracle, but does anyone know?
13
votes
0
answers
904
views
In search of.... SeaWar -- NOT Battleship!
Hopefully, sufficient background
Many years ago (40-45), I used to play "Sea War" on a good sized time-share system. It was a text/adventure war game between a couple remote players, played over a ...
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
1990s BBS game featuring mining elements from a planet
Sometime in the 90s (sorry, can't be more specific) I used to dial in to a BBS and play a multi-player game that involved manually mining elements from a planet. It was very detailed, you got employed ...
CommunityBot
- 1
11
votes
0
answers
385
views
When was the asterisk first used for "unsaved changes" and why?
The asterisk itself has been around as a symbol since literally (pun intended) before the earliest writing systems. Among its many uses, in some user interfaces it denotes unsaved changes to a file or ...
- 211
11
votes
0
answers
237
views
Anyone know of older mentions of the word "trap" for software interrupts than the IBM 704 manual from 1955?
I've dug into the origin of the word "trap" in computer engineering. The older documented mentions of the term I can find, is the "trapping mode" in the IBM 704, specifically in ...
- 23.2k
10
votes
0
answers
272
views
How was BOS on the Apple III different from SOS?
The original operating system for the Apple III was SOS, a.k.a. "Sophisticated Operating System". Though the Apple III and SOS didn't last very long as the platform was considered a failure, ...
- 16.4k