[GreenKeys] [Bulk] Re: Fwd: Model 28 Teletype in Syracuse NY now says"Offer

Fri Mar 25 13:23:20 EDT 2011

The ASCII teletypes aren't *just* useful for DEC minicomputers... some
nerds plug them into modern boxes for shits and giggles.

"Dude! I'm connected to my überleet server with more computing power
then necessary over the serial port. With a teletype!"

Those people deserve a swift smack upside the head for being morons.
(Other then being awesome, doing that is completely, utterly useless,
I mean really it is.)

Also, 5-bit "Baudot" teletypes are also useful for vintage
computing... if you have a PDP-4. As that one I believe used a 5-bit
teleprinter for console I/O. I think the PDP-7 also used a 5-bit TTY,
but I'm not sure (I think that one was ASCII'ed; the PDP-9 definitely
was an ASCII user).

Also, don't forget an 8-bit TTY that can talk lowercase is still - for
the most part - perfectly useful with modern equipment (as you've got
the perfect serial printing terminal, though slightly slow though).
And the UPPERCASE ONLY ONES, like the '35 and '33 are perfect for
retrocomputers other then DEC minicomputers, like the
Perkin-Elmer/Interdata systems, SDS 940, HP2100/HP2116/HP21MX, and
GRI-909/GRI-99; to name those minis in the SIMH packages. Then there's
also the micros out there as well.

So many systems can use the 8-bit machines.

So in essence, the relative value of 5-bit/8-bit machines depends
completely on the person looking at the machine. If you're wanting to
do RTTY, you'll probably be seeing five-bit as useful and eight-bit as
space consuming uselessness. If you're computer inclined, you're
probably wanting an eight-bit machine while five-bit is a strange, odd
thing that makes your head hurt.

Also, shipping a teletype is an even larger PITA if you're not in the
same country *cough* Canada *cough*.

Well that's my two cents... plus random blithering. Cheers all.

Christian M. Gauger-Cosgrove

On 25 March 2011 12:49,  <WA5CAB at cs.com> wrote:
> I would have put it the other way around.  The 8-level are basically
> useless unless you collect vintage DEC computers.  :-)  Nothing wrong with
> collecting DEC's of course.
>
> In a message dated 3/25/2011 11:38:34 AM Central Daylight Time,
> Til128 at aol.com writes:
>> The 5-level are fairly useless except for amateur radio purposes
>>
>> Oh, I wouldn't say that--there's always ITTY and Heavy Metal....
>>
>> ;-)
>>
>> Tom Tillson
>
> Robert Downs - Houston
> wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
> MVPA 9480
> ______________________________________________________________
> GreenKeys mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/greenkeys
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:GreenKeys at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>