Donald Knuth's 1986 reflection on the IBM 650 celebrates its profound impact on his formative years as a programmer and computer scientist. He fondly details the machine's quirks, from its rotating magnetic drum memory and bi-quinary arithmetic to its unique assembly language, SOAP. Knuth emphasizes the 650's educational value, arguing that its limitations encouraged creative problem-solving and a deep understanding of computational processes. He contrasts this with the relative "black box" nature of later machines, lamenting the lost art of optimizing code for specific hardware characteristics. Ultimately, the essay is a tribute to the 650's role in fostering a generation of programmers who learned to think deeply about computation at a fundamental level.
ACCESS.bus, developed by ACCESS Co., Ltd., was a short-lived attempt to create a low-cost, low-power alternative to USB in the late 1990s, primarily for connecting peripherals like keyboards and mice. Leveraging the already established I²C protocol, it aimed for simplicity and minimal hardware requirements. Despite backing from major Japanese manufacturers and some limited adoption in devices like digital cameras and PDAs, ACCESS.bus ultimately failed to gain significant traction against the rapidly growing dominance of USB, fading into obscurity by the early 2000s. Its failure was largely due to USB's broader industry support, superior performance for higher-bandwidth devices, and its eventual standardization and adoption across diverse platforms.
Several Hacker News commenters discussed ACCESS.bus's technical merits compared to USB. Some argued that while ACCESS.bus offered advantages like cheaper connectors and isochronous data transfer crucial for audio, its downfall was due to poorer marketing and industry support compared to the Intel-backed USB. Others pointed out that ACCESS.bus's use of a 7-bit addressing scheme limited it to 127 devices, a significant constraint compared to USB's much larger capacity. The conversation also touched upon the complexity of ACCESS.bus drivers and its apparent susceptibility to noise, alongside its prevalence in specific niches like high-end audio equipment in Japan. A few commenters reminisced about using ACCESS.bus devices and noted the lack of readily available information about the technology today, contributing to its "forgotten" status.
The Texas Instruments TI-99/4A, while technically part of the 8-bit generation, stood apart with its unique quirks. Its 16-bit processor was hampered by a sluggish 3MHz clock speed and a convoluted memory access system, leading to underwhelming performance. Despite having advanced features like sprites and smooth scrolling, the TI-99/4A was held back by its limited color palette, expensive peripherals, and a small, cartridge-based game library compared to its competitors. Its unusual design choices and limitations, while intriguing, ultimately contributed to its commercial failure, solidifying its status as an oddity of the 8-bit era.
Several Hacker News commenters reminisce fondly about the TI-99/4A, praising its impressive sound and graphics for its time. Some recall the unique peripheral expansion system and fondly remember specific games like Parsec and Alpiner. A few discuss the limitations, such as the slow CPU and unconventional keyboard, and the business decisions that led to the TI-99/4A's ultimate failure. The unusual cartridge design and TI's strategy of locking out third-party developers also come up as points of discussion, contributing to the system's "weird uncle" status. Others lament the loss of TI's groundbreaking speech synthesizer module. Overall, the comments paint a picture of a system with significant potential hampered by corporate mismanagement, making it a fascinating footnote in computing history.
"Work at the Mill" tells the story of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) through the lens of its unique and influential culture. From its modest beginnings in a Maynard, Massachusetts wool mill, DEC fostered a highly engineering-driven, decentralized environment that prioritized innovation and individual contribution. This culture, while empowering and productive in its early years, ultimately contributed to DEC's downfall as the company struggled to adapt to the changing demands of the personal computer market. The "engineering first" mentality, coupled with internal politics and a resistance to centralized management, prevented DEC from effectively competing with more agile and market-oriented companies, leading to its eventual acquisition by Compaq. The narrative emphasizes how DEC's initial strengths became its weaknesses, offering a cautionary tale about the importance of adapting to a changing technological landscape.
Hacker News users discuss the changing nature of work and the decline of "lifetime employment" exemplified by DEC's history. Some commenters reminisce about their time at DEC, praising its engineering culture and lamenting its downfall, attributing it to factors like mismanagement, arrogance, and an inability to adapt to the changing market. Others draw parallels between DEC and contemporary tech companies, speculating about which of today's giants might be the "next DEC." Several discuss the broader shift away from paternalistic employment models and the rise of a more transactional relationship between employers and employees. Some express nostalgia for the perceived stability and community of the past, while others argue that the current system, despite its flaws, offers greater opportunity and dynamism. The cyclical nature of industries and the importance of continuous adaptation are recurring themes.
A quirk in the Motorola 68030 processor inadvertently enabled the Mac Classic II to boot despite its ROM lacking proper 32-bit addressing support. The Classic II's ROM mistakenly used a "MOVEA" instruction with a 32-bit address, which should have caused a failure on the 24-bit address bus. However, the 68030, when configured for a 24-bit bus, ignores the upper byte of the 32-bit address in this specific instruction. This unintentional compatibility allowed the flawed ROM to function, making the Classic II's boot process seemingly normal despite the underlying programming error.
Hacker News commenters on the Mac Classic II boot anomaly generally express fascination with the technical details and the serendipitous nature of the discovery. Several commenters delve into the specifics of 680x0 instruction sets and how an invalid instruction could inadvertently lead to a successful boot, speculating about memory initialization and undocumented behavior. Some share anecdotes about similar unexpected behaviors encountered during their own retrocomputing explorations. A few commenters also highlight the importance of such stories in preserving computer history and understanding the quirks of older hardware. The overall sentiment reflects appreciation for the ingenuity and occasional happy accidents that shaped early computing.
The frequently misattributed quote, "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers," is almost certainly not something Thomas Watson (Sr. or Jr.) of IBM ever said. While the exact origin remains elusive, the phrase likely emerged in the early days of computing as a reflection of the then-prevailing belief that computers were massive, expensive machines suitable only for government or large corporations. The story's persistence stems from its encapsulating the difficulty of predicting technological advancements and the dramatic evolution of computers from room-sized behemoths to ubiquitous personal devices. Various possible sources and similar quotes exist, but none definitively link the famous phrase to IBM or Watson.
Hacker News commenters discuss the often-misattributed quote about the limited market for computers. Several point out that the quote's origins are murky, with some suggesting it's a distortion of Howard Aiken's or Thomas Watson Sr.'s sentiments, while others link it to anecdotally attributed quotes in the early days of mainframe computing. Some highlight the difficulty of predicting technological adoption and the shifting definition of "computer" over time. One commenter mentions a similar misattribution regarding the market for automobiles, illustrating a broader pattern of underestimating transformative technologies. The overall sentiment reflects a shared understanding that such quotes, while entertaining, are often historically inaccurate and ultimately demonstrate the fallibility of early technological forecasting.
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https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43240301
HN commenters generally express appreciation for Knuth's historical perspective and the glimpse into early computing. Several share personal anecdotes of using the IBM 650, recalling its quirks like the rotating drum memory and the challenges of programming with SOAP (Symbolic Optimum Assembly Program). Some discuss the significant impact the 650 had despite its limitations, highlighting its role in educating a generation of programmers and paving the way for future advancements. One commenter points out the machine's influence on Knuth's later work, specifically The Art of Computer Programming. Others compare and contrast the 650 with other early computers and discuss the evolution of programming languages and techniques. A few commenters express interest in emulating the 650.
The Hacker News post titled "The IBM 650: An appreciation from the field (1986) [pdf]" linking to a PDF of Donald Knuth's reflections on the IBM 650 has generated several comments. Many commenters share their own nostalgic experiences and technical insights related to the machine.
One compelling comment thread discusses the "quirks" of the IBM 650's architecture, particularly its decimal arithmetic and the use of bi-quinary representation. Commenters detail how these design choices, while seemingly unusual today, were logical given the technological constraints of the time and the desire for easy conversion to and from decimal for human operators. They delve into the specific mechanics of bi-quinary, explaining how it facilitated error detection and offered advantages in implementing arithmetic circuits.
Several commenters reminisce about their personal experiences using the IBM 650 or similar machines, sharing anecdotes about programming with punched cards, the physical presence and sounds of the machine, and the challenges of debugging code in that era. These personal stories provide a vivid illustration of the early days of computing.
Another commenter highlights the influence of the IBM 650 on the development of symbolic assemblers, specifically SOAP (Symbolic Optimal Assembly Program). They explain how the constraints of the machine's architecture, like its limited memory capacity and the nature of its instruction set, drove innovation in programming tools.
The discussion also touches on the broader historical context of the IBM 650, its role in the evolution of computer science education, and its impact on subsequent computer architectures. One comment emphasizes the importance of Knuth's writing in preserving the history of computing, allowing modern readers to appreciate the ingenuity and challenges faced by early computer pioneers.
A few comments focus on the technical details of the IBM 650's magnetic drum memory, including discussions about its capacity, access times, and the techniques used to optimize program performance by strategically placing instructions and data on the drum to minimize latency.
Finally, several commenters express their appreciation for the opportunity to read Knuth's reflections, praising his clear and engaging writing style and his ability to convey the essence of working with a now-historic machine. The general sentiment reflects a fascination with the history of computing and an acknowledgment of the IBM 650's significant role in its development.