[THIN] Re: OT: Microsoft Certified Architect Program
- From: "Jim Kenzig http://ThinHelp.com" <jkenzig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 19:46:07 -0700 (PDT)
Yeppers..keep reading the thread..like I said, I worked on PDP11's at NASA back
then. Then Dec came out with something called the Microvax I and II. Big 14
inch square circuit boards to plug in.
Here if my NASA story on PDP11's. At the time I was working for Bendix Field
engineering on the computer contract at NASA Lewis. We were sent out to one of
the facilities to remove two PDP11's for replacement with a Microvax. Now to
make this story funny you need to know that the company who had the contract
for like 10 years continuously before Bendix was called Mercury International.
Whenever we would show up someplace we would always be asked if we were from
Mercury and of course always say yes, cause the NASA fogeys new no better. Well
my coworker and I got all dressed up in our jumpsuits so we didn't get our
clothes dirty removing the equipment and showed up at this facility to remove
the equipment.
The NASA fogey at security stopped us and asked if we were from Mercury and
we said yes. He told us to go right through that door....well we did and
walked through and found we had just been sent through a gigantic Mercury spill!
Apparently they were expecting a hazmat team there at the same time to clean
up the spill and us in our jumpsuits made the Nasa fogey think we were the
team.
My coworker was really pissed off but I about died laughing. The 4 hours of
detox though and getting sprayed off by the hazmat guys wasn't pleasant. Damn
funny story I got out of it though.
Jim
Rick Mack <Rick.> wrote:
Hi Nick,
That's a challenge I can't resist.
At least we're not upside down ;-)
Let's see... it'd be about '76 or '77
Ever seen the Digital PDP8 word processor? A vt55 terminal, dual 8 inch
floppies, a whopping 8 (or was it 16?) MB of RAM. Or the Digital PDP 11/34 with
the switch front panel, where you toggled in the boot code in octal?
Them was real computers :-)
regards,
Rick
Ulrich Mack
Volante Systems
________________________________
From: thin-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of Nick Smith
Sent: Sat 24/06/2006 1:11
To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [THIN] Re: OT: Microsoft Certified Architect Program
Pah!
Just remembered that my first computer (As opposed to Mum's) was one we built
as a science project. Soldered the switches on, had little metal copper plates
running as circuits, and small laboratory light-bulbs to give feedback to the
user.
The switches were binary ones and we had two rows of four I think.
This enabled us to flick switches to 0 or 1 and then the logic of the circuits
was such that the lights lit up to show the addition of the two rows.
I presume we could only add to 30 altogether.
So in terms of the Yorkshireman competition;
No RAM
No External Storage
No Machine code
No silicon whatsoever
And a CPU (OK bundle of badly-wired switches) that was about 2 feet by 6 inches.
Beat tha', you Southern p*nsies.
Probably 78 or 79.
Nick
From: David Finch [mailto:david.finch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 23 June 2006 12:15
To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [THIN] Re: OT: Microsoft Certified Architect Program
OK, with my pedantic hat on, the certification is only given "Unlike other IT
certifications, this credential was built and is granted by industry
architects, as candidates must pass a rigorous review board with previously
certified architects."
So how did the FIRST architect get certified?
J
And to enter the "Four Yorkshiremen" competition
Lookshury!
My first system was a Microbee (Australian) Z80 with 32K RAM and a cassette
tape....that was about 1983 I think....It had BASIC, but I used it to teach
myself Assembler programming
The first system I actually worked on with a Hard Drive had a 5Meg Disk Platter
that was nearly 2 foot across, and used tapes for long term storage. That was
in about 1986.
And my mum and dad used to dance on our graves and sing Hallelujah!
But tell that to the kids of today and they won't believe you
________________________________
From: thin-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:thin-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Steve Snyder
Sent: Wednesday, 21 June 2006 1:07 PM
To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [THIN] OT: Microsoft Certified Architect Program
No doubt Brian and Douglas will be the first two! :)
http://www.microsoft.com/architecture/default.aspx?pid=share.certification
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