[NCLUG] Re: "Green" power

[John L. Bass]

Brian Wood wrote:
> Paul Hummer wrote:
>
>   
>> How the heck did you get into computers!?  :) I got my NES in '88 (for
>> context, I was 5, and in kindergarten).  That was my first intro into
>> technology.
>>     
>
> Wow, I guess I'm getting old. My first exposure to computers was with an
> IBM System-360. We would get chewed out for entering the (large)
> computer room without a white lab coat on :-)
>
> beww
>   
There are more than a few of us old IBM mainframe users doing Linux 
these days. It was an exciting time, with large expensive computers, and 
a completely new and growing technology to learn, grow, experiment, and 
play with. The complexity was low, and with a few months of careful 
study you could learn everything that anyone knew about the whole 
computer ... from the hardware design to the best practices in systems 
programming. Programs were small enough in those days you could actually 
write and debug them completely in your head or on paper. The 
flowcharting was much more tedious to properly document a design.
https://www-304.ibm.com/jct09002c/university/students/highschool/flowcharts.html

I started on 026 card punch and plug board tab equipment in 1967 ... 
anybody need an IBM 403/407 programmer? 
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/407.html
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/026.html
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/sorter.html
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/reproducer.html

Then graduated in 1968 to an IBM 1401 4KB (6bit plus parity per byte) 
real computer with 2 tape drives, reader/punch and printer programming 
in Autocoder on an 029.
http://www.nordhornantiques.com/images%20computers/IBM_1401_Tape_System.jpg
http://members.optushome.com.au/intaretro/1401Core.htm

Then graduated in 1969 to an IBM 360/25 32KB DOS machine with two 2311 
disks (10 heads totalling 7.1MB) and four tapes, reader/punch and 1401N2 
printer. The disk head positioner was a hydraulic servo motor with 75ms 
average, and 125MS worst case access time.
http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/mainframe/images/2423PH2025.jpg
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/xi08.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/IBM_2311_memory_unit.JPG/450px-IBM_2311_memory_unit.JPG

A couple years later I was managing a 24x7 data center as the lead 
systems programmer in Los Angeles with two IBM 360/40 64KB DOS machines 
sharing a dozen printers, six tape drives and a dozen 2311/2314 drives. 
A pretty large data center for it's day.
http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/mainframe/images/2423PH2040.jpg

Later the 2311/2314 disks were replaced with a half dozen 3330's, "Pizza 
Oven Drives" in a drawer ... a dozen 14" platters per pack.
http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/images/PH3330.jpg

All these machines were real core memory, hand strung, which is why the 
RAM is measured in KB.
http://www.newbegin.com/html/misc__item_detail_57.html

The 360's had an IBM selectric typewriter for a console log, and a 10" 
fire alarm bell for an alarm to get the operators attention in the VERY 
noisy machine room.

Hope this provides enough references to satisfy the reference police.