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NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 02 Mar 2025 06:00:10 +0000
Subject: Re: The joy of FORTRAN
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From: c186282 <c186282@nnada.net>
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2025 01:00:06 -0500
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On 3/1/25 1:43 PM, Peter Flass wrote:
> rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:
>> On Fri, 28 Feb 2025 21:11:33 -0500, c186282 wrote:
>>
>>> Came across a 360 (model 20 ? the little one) in use by a parts
>>> distributor about 20 years ago. Nowadays they're always emulated,
>>> like with the Hercules system or better since I doubt you'll get
>>> parts/service for yer ancient 360/370 now.
>>
>> That must have been cute. RPI had a Model 30 in '66 and I thought that was
>> the bottom of the barrel.
>>
> 
> The Model 20 was a big step up for shops that used a lot of tab equipment:
> Accounting machines, sorters, interpreters, etc. Instead of a room full of
> big gray boxes, each requiring multiple plugboards, you’d have a /20 and
> probably a sorter to do all your work. If you wanted a real computer you’d
> probably get a /30. We got tons of work done on them.


   Short of NASA, they were JUST FINE. Did all
   the biz stuff at an affordable price/profile.
   Great boxes.

   It became popular to trash Big Blue - kinda
   like 'BIG oil' or 'BIG pharma'. Truth is that
   they made damned good stuff - and because of
   that set MANY standards used to this day.

   You can still buy IBM mainframes ... the 'Z'
   series ... up to 4 linked BIG black boxes.
   RHEL-derived Linux is a popular OS option.
   Global-scale biz/govt buy 'em.

   A modern rendition of a 360/370 - same
   instruction set, peripheral scope, would
   still be a good general-purpose computer
   even on a PI/ARM power board. OK, not so
   much need for TTY/cards/tape these days,
   but .....

 
https://retrocomputingforum.com/t/i-have-been-running-a-full-ibm-system-370-mainframe-on-a-5-raspberry-pi-zero-for-5-years/1210

   Also lament the doom of VAX/VMS ... that was
   an OS ahead of its time. Alas the free ports
   of VMS kinda disappeared.