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How's your DOS ?
DavidA:
Phil,
Ah yes, the Dallas real-time clock chip.
I have a couple of machines that need 'the fix'.
A while back I took a computer into our local computer emporium and asked the about the cause of my 'won't boot' problem.
The nice lady didn't quite burst out laughing, She did say that they couldn't do anything. Then disappeared for a while and came back with two sheets of paper.
"Here is the answer, if you want to try it".
It was the fix.
And when I can get up the courage to take a Dremel to the chip I intend to do it.
Actually it looks pretty straight forward.
Worth doing it just to gain bragging rights.
After all, how many people these days can claim that they fixed their computer by taking an angle grinder to the real time clock ?
Dave.
lordedmond:
I think we have forgotten
Linux , UNIX and BSD I think that's the one
Then there was the G5 IBM processors aka power PC
UNIX is the base for OSX
And so the show goes one
But it's my belief that the slower processors with a simple OS that is not a multi tasking one can be just as fast to do one task as the modern computer think of the One they used to crack the enigma code yes it was slow but it only did one thing no fancy bells and whistles just KISS
Stuart
awemawson:
A variety Unix is the basis for the windows Kernel if I'm not mistaken. Much of DOS was very unix like in the early days. And CP/M had much DOS compatibility, with all the same low end system calls and the first 100 Hex addresses for i/o
None of these things developed entirely in isolation, if only because the programmers moved from one organisation to another.
I was googling nostalgically last night regarding the Ferranti Argus machines I used to work on. It was always rumoured the the ICL 1900 used exactly the same function codes at the machine code level - sure enough they do (XFMN to the initiated)
X= accumulator to use
F= function code(add, subtract, sift etc
M=Modifier (page addressing effectively)
N= Address
The modifier bits allowed the memory addressing to be extended by pointing to extension registers that were concatonated with the N address
Explained by Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferranti_Argus
(The chap in the photograph is called Leo Capaldi and used to run the Edinburgh office for me - was a crazy rally driver !)
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