From ACW at WAIKATO.S4CC.Symbolics.COM Thu Jul 23 14:55:00 1987 From: ACW at WAIKATO.S4CC.Symbolics.COM (Allan C. Wechsler) Date: Jul 23 87 08:55 EDT Subject: Musings on history In-Reply-To: <870722140244.3.TK@CUCKOO.SCRC.Symbolics.COM> Message-ID: <870723085519.1.ACW@ROCKY-MOUNTAINS.S4CC.Symbolics.COM> Date: Wed, 22 Jul 87 14:02 EDT From: Tom Knight Date: Tue, 21 Jul 87 16:38:22 PDT From: marker%random.s1.gov at mordor.s1.gov >nbdd>sipb>pl>o>xind was compiled on November 11th, 1971. This doesn't win but is still pretty impresive. especially since it wasn't backed up! At least when I was a member, we backed up >nbdd> "by hand" periodically. We actually had to use those backup tapes occasionally. From CENT at AI.AI.MIT.EDU Thu Jul 23 06:26:56 1987 From: CENT at AI.AI.MIT.EDU (Pandora B. Berman) Date: Jul 23 87 00:26:56 EDT Subject: MC crash Message-ID: <231258.870723.CENT@AI.AI.MIT.EDU> it complained about IMPOS. dumped to CRASH;IMPOS LOSS. From bal%va.decnet at nrl.arpa Wed Jul 22 23:08:00 1987 From: bal%va.decnet at nrl.arpa (VA::BAL) Date: Jul 22 87 16:08:00 EST Subject: Musings on history Message-ID: Reply-To: bal%va.decnet at nrl.arpa Full-Name: Brian A. LaMacchia Address: Code 4771, Naval Research Laboratory Address: 4555 Overlook Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20375-5000 Phone: (202) 767-3066 When this challenge was originally posted, Census data was mentioned. Well, although it may not be the winner, the Census Bureau puts up a good fight. Here are the high points: 1920 Census Data was originally tabulated on Hollerith cards, but those probably no longer exist. 1920 records are on microfilm (which I assume doesn't qualify). However, some of it is available on tape (see below). The 1950 Census used a Univac I (I think) to count the population. Data from this census was originally written to Univac metal tape. Some of these tapes still exist, but it's unclear whether or not the bits on them are still readable. The 1960 Census used FOSDIC (Form Optical Scanner Direct Input to Computer, or something like that) to convert all the forms to microfilm, and then to bits. These tapes still exist. So it looks like 1950 (which wasn't tabulated until 1954 or so) or 1960 is the best bet. However, you can get from the Census Bureau tapes containing data summaries for each Census since 1920. These are 1% samples of the population, which don't contain any personal data, just averages. However, some of the numbers are from 1920, so I guess that's "maintained data." --Brian LaMacchia bal%va.decnet at nrl.arpa (current) balamac at athena.mit.edu ------ From tk at STONY-BROOK.SCRC.Symbolics.COM Wed Jul 22 20:02:00 1987 From: tk at STONY-BROOK.SCRC.Symbolics.COM (Tom Knight) Date: Jul 22 87 14:02 EDT Subject: Musings on history In-Reply-To: <8707212338.AA00695@random.s1.gov> Message-ID: <870722140244.3.TK@CUCKOO.SCRC.Symbolics.COM> Date: Tue, 21 Jul 87 16:38:22 PDT From: marker%random.s1.gov at mordor.s1.gov >nbdd>sipb>pl>o>xind was compiled on November 11th, 1971. This doesn't win but is still pretty impresive. especially since it wasn't backed up! From marker%random.s1.gov at mordor.s1.gov Wed Jul 22 01:38:22 1987 From: marker%random.s1.gov at mordor.s1.gov (marker%random.s1.gov at mordor.s1.gov) Date: Jul 21 87 16:38:22 PDT Subject: Musings on history In-Reply-To: Ed Schwalenberg's message of Sat, 18 Jul 87 00:20:05 EDT <228939.870718.ED@AI.AI.MIT.EDU> Message-ID: <8707212338.AA00695@random.s1.gov> >nbdd>sipb>pl>o>xind was compiled on November 11th, 1971. This doesn't win but is still pretty impresive. Charley From barmar at think.com Sun Jul 19 00:25:00 1987 From: barmar at think.com (Barry Margolin) Date: Jul 18 87 18:25 EDT Subject: Musings on history In-Reply-To: <228939.870718.ED@AI.AI.MIT.EDU> Message-ID: <870718182532.2.BARMAR@NIETZSCHE.THINK.COM> I think Roger Roach still has some tape archives from CTSS. barmar From ED at AI.AI.MIT.EDU Sat Jul 18 06:20:05 1987 From: ED at AI.AI.MIT.EDU (Ed Schwalenberg) Date: Jul 18 87 00:20:05 EDT Subject: Musings on history Message-ID: <228939.870718.ED@AI.AI.MIT.EDU> I just saw an old file creation date on AI, which led to the following thought: Those bits are "still around", despite the fact that the hardware they live on wasn't invented at the time the bits were written. Which leads to a question: What is the oldest "continuously maintained" set of bits in the computer universe? Does Grace Hopper still have artillery aiming data on her Macintosh? Did the Census Department copy their punched cards from the 1920 census onto CD/ROM? By continously maintained, I mean that the data has been used regularly since its creation, or at least kept around on some form of reasonably random-access memory in the hope or expectation that it would be used. Thus, the sine lookup table diode ROM in the artillery aiming machine doesn't count if the machine doesn't still work, but AI:SYSEN2;PRUFD > does, even though it hasn't actually been assembled in 15 years or so, and the object code hasn't been run in 2. And of course, by data I'm referring to "digital" information. Rosetta stones, Dead Sea scrolls and Enrico Caruso records don't count, but the first stock ticker tape might. Any interesting candidates? Send me your votes. (The file mentioned above dates from 28 February 1971, and is the oldest file on AI whose creation date is believable.) From ALAN at AI.AI.MIT.EDU Wed Jul 15 07:55:10 1987 From: ALAN at AI.AI.MIT.EDU (Alan Bawden) Date: Jul 15 87 01:55:10 EDT Subject: IP routing table In-Reply-To: Msg of Tue 14 Jul 87 13:40:44 EDT from Alan Bawden Message-ID: <227628.870715.ALAN@AI.AI.MIT.EDU> Date: Tue, 14 Jul 87 13:40:44 EDT From: Alan Bawden Date: Tue, 14 Jul 87 02:44:52 EDT From: J. Noel Chiappa You know, I wish there were some tools to manipulate this table...., some command that could delete routes, or modify the entyry, could be a real win. This sounds like an easy one night hack for someone. I'd do it if I was certain just what kinds of commands were desirable. Stop by my office some day, and spend 5 minutes helping me design it. I was in the mood for a little hack, so I wrote one. (Source on SYSNET;REDRCT.) Try out: :ALAN;REDRCT (If anyone can think of a good directory for this to live on other than ALAN, let me know.) With no JCL it will remind you of its usage as follows: Usage is: :REDRCT Gateways can be given as hostnames, or in decimal octet form (as in "10.0.0.77"). If the new gateway is omitted, REDRCT will simply pick a likely-looking gateway from ITS's list of main gateways. REDRCT will ask for confirmation once after it interprets its command, to be sure it properly understood what you asked it to do. Then for each routing table entry it finds that uses the old gateway, it will ask for confirmation before clobbering it with the new gateway. From ALAN at AI.AI.MIT.EDU Tue Jul 14 19:40:44 1987 From: ALAN at AI.AI.MIT.EDU (Alan Bawden) Date: Jul 14 87 13:40:44 EDT Subject: IP routing table In-Reply-To: Msg of Tue 14 Jul 87 02:44:52 EDT from J. Noel Chiappa Message-ID: <227392.870714.ALAN@AI.AI.MIT.EDU> Date: Tue, 14 Jul 87 02:44:52 EDT From: J. Noel Chiappa You know, I wish there were some tools to manipulate this table...., some command that could delete routes, or modify the entyry, could be a real win. This sounds like an easy one night hack for someone. I'd do it if I was certain just what kinds of commands were desirable. Stop by my office some day, and spend 5 minutes helping me design it. From JNC at MC.LCS.MIT.EDU Tue Jul 14 08:44:52 1987 From: JNC at MC.LCS.MIT.EDU (J. Noel Chiappa) Date: Jul 14 87 02:44:52 EDT Subject: IP routing table Message-ID: <258985.870714.JNC@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU> You know, I wish there were some tools to manipulate this table. For instance, the main gateway to a net went down, and I wanted to switch to the backup; however, ITS doesn't discover dead gateway, and you have to make the switch manually. There's no tool to do this; I had to grovel in IPGWTN: for the right netry (after doing the conversion to octal) and bash it by hand (it picked up the right gateway from a Redirect, so it wasn't totally by hand). Still, some command that could delete routes, or modify the entyry, could be a real win. NOel