Article: 13611 of alt.sys.pdp10 From: aek@spies.com (Al Kossow) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.sys.pdp10 Subject: Re: Software used on Foonly F-1 for Tron? Date: 7 Dec 2001 17:14:54 -0800 Organization: Spies In The Wire Lines: 10 Message-ID: <9urpie$sv6$1@spies.com> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: spies.com X-Trace: 7 Dec 2001 17:20:07 -0800, spies.com Path: dfw-read.news.verio.net!dfw-artgen.news.verio.net!dfw-peer.news.verio.net!news.verio.net!newsfeed.mathworks.com!arclight.uoregon.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news.kjsl.com!news.spies.com!localhost!not-for-mail Xref: dfw-artgen.news.verio.net alt.folklore.computers:76053 alt.sys.pdp10:13611 From article , by bdc@world.std.com (Brian 'Jarai' Chase): > > What operating system was running on the Foonly F-1 they used for the > digital visual effects on Tron? Later versions used a modified Tenex called Foonex. Sadly, no software or hardware/software docs for any of the F-series has been located yet. Article: 13643 of alt.sys.pdp10 From: aek@spies.com (Al Kossow) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.sys.pdp10 Subject: Re: Software used on Foonly F-1 for Tron? Date: 9 Dec 2001 07:58:09 -0800 Organization: Spies In The Wire Lines: 15 Message-ID: <9v01mh$83j$1@spies.com> References: <85r8q4ahwc.fsf@junk.nocrew.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: spies.com X-Trace: 9 Dec 2001 08:03:43 -0800, spies.com Path: dfw-read.news.verio.net!dfw-artgen.news.verio.net!dfw-peer.news.verio.net!news.verio.net!stl-feed.news.verio.net!news.cc.ukans.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!arclight.uoregon.edu!enews.sgi.com!news.spies.com!localhost!not-for-mail Xref: dfw-artgen.news.verio.net alt.folklore.computers:76117 alt.sys.pdp10:13643 From article <85r8q4ahwc.fsf@junk.nocrew.org>, by Lars Brinkhoff : > bdc@world.std.com (Brian 'Jarai' Chase) writes: >> So what happened to the [F1]? I can't imagine it just disappeared. > > I asked Dave Dyer about this, and he answered: > >> It could be in a garage somewhere. I think Karol Brandt had >> posession last. I'll ask Karol what happened to it the next time I see him. In the time I've known him (about 15 years) I don't recall seeing it (would be hard to miss..) Article: 13675 of alt.sys.pdp10 Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.sys.pdp10 Path: dfw-read.news.verio.net!dfw-artgen.news.verio.net!iad-peer.news.verio.net!news.verio.net!nntp1.roc.gblx.net!nntp.gblx.net!nntp.gblx.net!newsfeed.cwix.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!wn4feed!wn3feed!worldnet.att.net!198.6.0.7!uunet!ash.uu.net!world!bdc From: bdc@world.std.com (Brian 'Jarai' Chase) Subject: Re: Software used on Foonly F-1 for Tron? Message-ID: Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 19:19:17 GMT References: <9urpie$sv6$1@spies.com> <85r8q4ahwc.fsf@junk.nocrew.org> Organization: HappyNet Bungalow Lines: 34 Xref: dfw-artgen.news.verio.net alt.folklore.computers:76194 alt.sys.pdp10:13675 In article <85r8q4ahwc.fsf@junk.nocrew.org>, Lars Brinkhoff wrote: > bdc@world.std.com (Brian 'Jarai' Chase) writes: > > So what happened to the [F1]? I can't imagine it just disappeared. > > I asked Dave Dyer about this, and he answered: > > > It could be in a garage somewhere. I think Karol Brandt had > > posession last. You might also try Gary Demos for news. I don't > > have current email addresses for either of them. You could try Tom > > McMahon (tlm@microsoft.com), he used to be my source for Foonly > > gossip. I received the following in mail from Dave Sieg who worked with the system while it was at Paramount: -> When Omnibus folded in 1986, Jim Rapley, who had worked with me on -> the F1, had a friend whose company I believe was called Intergon. -> They acquired the F1 and the PFRs and tried making movies with it. -> I believe they were not successful, and as I understand it, Intergon no -> longer exists. Jim Rapley would probably be the one person that would -> know where the remains of the system are. I had an email address for -> him but can't seem to find it. I can't find anything useful on Intergon, but I may be able to find some things on Jim Rapley. I know some people who worked on Tron and spent time at Omnibus. Of what little I've found so far, the above seems like the best lead. -brian. -- --- Brian Chase | bdc@world.std.com | http://world.std.com/~bdc/ ----- I'm sorry, this doesn't make any sense. TO YOU!!! -- K. Article: 15314 of alt.sys.pdp10 Path: sea-read.news.verio.net!dfw-artgen.news.verio.net!dfw-peer.news.verio.net!news.verio.net!stl-feed.news.verio.net!newsreader.wustl.edu!gumby.it.wmich.edu!newsxfer3.itd.umich.edu!forum.apple.com!news.apple.com!il0502a-dhcp193.apple.com!user From: aek@spies.com (Al Kossow) Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp10 Subject: Re: Xerox Sigma-7 vs. DEC PDP-10 Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:58:48 -0800 Organization: Apple Computer, Inc. Lines: 40 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: il0502a-dhcp193.apple.com X-Trace: news.apple.com 1011484727 20782 17.205.24.193 (19 Jan 2002 23:58:47 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@news.apple.com NNTP-Posting-Date: 19 Jan 2002 23:58:47 GMT Xref: dfw-artgen.news.verio.net alt.sys.pdp10:15314 In article , inwap@inwap.com (Joe Smith) wrote: > In regards to an e-mail about possible myth of the PDP-10 clone at Xerox: > > That story is the topic of Chapter 7 "The Clone" in "Dealers of Lightning, > XEROX PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age" by Michael Hiltzik > (ISBN 0-88730-891-0). > > "The talk," Kay said, "turned into how long it would take > us to _build_ our own PDP-10." The answer was about one year > and less than $1 million. The truth was that Xerox had only > forbidden the lab to buy a PDP-10. Nobody had said > anything about cloning one. > > It was called the MAXC (Multiple Access Xerox Computer) and had to be > bug-for-bug compatible with the PDP-10's floating point instructions > in order to run LISP. > -Joe > > -- > See http://www.inwap.com/ for PDP-10 and "ReBoot" pages. MAXC and MAXC II are pretty well documented. There was an article in IEEE computer about MAXC (May 1978 pp 57-67) and I have scans of some information on it at www.spies.com/aek/pdf/xerox Something I had wondered about was HOW they got it done so quickly. I suspect it had a lot to do with Thacker, et al 's experience at Berkeley Computer Corporation building the BCC-500. They knew how to build microcoded machines, having just built that one, and they also decided to use the then new semiconductor RAM devices rather than go through the pain they went through with the flakey core memory system they bought for the BCC. I'm less familiar with the BBN people who came over to PARC at the same time that worked on MAXC (Fiala in particular) but I'm sure they must have been as sharp as the folks who came over from BCC. Article: 111136 of alt.folklore.computers Path: iad-read.news.verio.net!dfw-artgen!iad-peer.news.verio.net!news.verio.net!washdc3-snh1.gtei.net!chcgil2-snh1.gtei.net!news.gtei.net!wn12feed!worldnet.att.net!204.127.198.204!attbi_feed4!attbi.com!rwcrnsc53.POSTED!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Foonly F-1 References: From: jwusenet5@smoe.org (Jeff Wasilko) Organization: smoe.org X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test76 (Apr 2, 2001) Message-ID: <1qcm1b-nf4.ln@proxy.smoe.org> Lines: 20 NNTP-Posting-Host: 66.30.212.245 X-Complaints-To: abuse@attbi.com X-Trace: rwcrnsc53 1044297349 66.30.212.245 (Mon, 03 Feb 2003 18:35:49 GMT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 03 Feb 2003 18:35:49 GMT Date: Mon, 03 Feb 2003 18:35:49 GMT Xref: dfw-artgen alt.folklore.computers:111136 In article , GanjaTron wrote: >Greetings, programs! > >Just wondering: whatever happened to the (one and only) Foonly F-1 >used by III (Triple I) to produce the CGI in TRON? I worked at triple-I (after the Movie division went elsehwere), and I've got a scan of a couple of documents related to the Foonly and the Tron project: http://www.smoe.org/jeffw/triple-i_history.pdf Some other web sites that might be of interest: http://vhost2.zfx.com/~dave/f1.html http://vhost2.zfx.com/~dave/ddyer.html http://www.accad.ohio-state.edu/~waynec/history/tree/iii.html -jeff Article: 117196 of alt.folklore.computers Path: iad-read.news.verio.net!dfw-artgen!iad-peer.news.verio.net!news.verio.net!newsfeed.icl.net!newsfeed.fjserv.net!newsfeed.icl.net!newsfeed.fjserv.net!colt.net!nycmny1-snf1.gtei.net!nycmny1-snh1.gtei.net!news.gtei.net!panix!not-for-mail From: Rich Alderson Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: death of the PDP-10 Date: 25 Mar 2003 14:43:46 -0500 Organization: Systems Administration, XKL LLC, Redmond WA 98052 Lines: 23 Sender: alderson+news@panix5.panix.com Message-ID: References: <00hf5b.8e3.ln@teabag.cbhnet> <3E7CADE1.29CC6D6E@yahoo.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: panix5.panix.com X-Trace: reader2.panix.com 1048621426 10524 166.84.1.5 (25 Mar 2003 19:43:46 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@panix.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 19:43:46 +0000 (UTC) X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.7/Emacs 20.7 Xref: dfw-artgen alt.folklore.computers:117196 johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) writes: > After Jupiter, there were two follow-on attempts to build a PDP-10 by > geeky PDP-10 lovers, Foonly and Mars, both of which built impressive > prototypes, but neither of which could be manufactured, shipped, or > maintained. By "Mars" I assume you mean Systems Concepts, a company whose first product allowed the attachment of IBM bus-and-tag devices to PDP-10 systems on the IObus; they eventually built a successful clone family (the SC-30M, the SC-25, the SC-20, and the SC-40). The -40 was licensed by CompuServe, who built their entire network using these things to replace older DEC equipment; their needs were so great that SC could not keep up with demand. Foonly was also in business very early, building clones of the early PDP-10 systems. A follow-on design, the SuperFoonly, migrated to DEC and became the underpinnings of the KL10 processor. And there is a third company I heard about... -- Rich Alderson news@alderson.users.panix.com "You get what anybody gets. You get a lifetime." --Death, of the Endless