[HECnet] VMS/RSX Guest accounts

[Dave McGuire]

On 4/22/20 11:42 PM, Thomas DeBellis wrote:
> Oh, I'm in Looooong Island, South Shore.

  Ahhh, New Yawwwk.  You should head out this way at some point.

> I actually have relatives not far from you in PA, but I hadn't gotten
> around to noodging you yet for the distinct lack of 20's in your
> collection.  I mean, you have a 4341 yet no 20?  Tisk, tisk...

  You sir are misinformed.  There are three KS10s here.

> Well, I'm pulling your leg a bit; a 20 is a seriously heavy lift.  A KL
> has three purposes in life: 1) Generate Heat, 2) Suck Power, 3) Run
> winning code.  A 2020 uses far less power, but doesn't have extended
> addressing, so it is stuck at Tops-20 4.1, which leaves out a lot of
> DECnet (and ARPAnet) stuff.  Apparently, you can squeeze 5.0 in; MRC did
> this, but that was MRC.  Tops-20 is at version 7.0 now.

  Indeed.

> And both of them are seriously cranky beasts that needed care and
> feeding from trained service personnel; wire wrap and all that (yech). 
> Remember, it's not a mainframe unless you can't fit it in your house and
> have to take out a second mortgage to pay for the electricity and tons
> (60 for a 20) of air conditioning.

  We're no strangers to cranky around here. ;)

> So Paul Allen had a KL based 20, which is now in the the Living Computer
> museum.  But that cost was apparently less than a rounding error
> compared to what he was worth.  A mere monetary blip, as it were.

  Yep.

          -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA