Re: ascii dates

[mgraffam@idsi.net]

On Mon, 22 Feb 1999 dana@dtn.com wrote:

> >What was BCD?
> Really, some things are best left in the past.... :-)
> (Binary Coded Decimal, came out of IBM (As most decent stuff did (EBCDIC
> not withstanding) )as I recall.)

I think you are right. Not my favorite invention, but it did make things
easier to do in assembler.

> Sorry, I'm a recent kinda guy (Started on VIC-20 at home and IBM CS-1 (and
> some ancient Honeywell and Unisys crap) at work (First system I actually
> got to touch.  First year or so we did COBOL and FORTRAN on coding forms
> which were sent to the punchers to do for us.))

Heh. I'm a very recent kind of guy.. but my first computer was years out
of date (bought it cheap to play around with) and unsupported, so I had
to teach myself how to program just so I could use it for something..

Rebuilding old computers is a hobby of mine.. even then, the oldest
machine I rebuilt was a heathkit monster made in '74. Older than I am. :)
 
> Whatever happened to op code timing tables?  Used to come as part of system
> documentation.  Probably got replaced by the section on using the mouse to
> press "Start".

And "Help on Help." :)

You can get detailed docs, of course.. but you won't find them in the
package your machine came in. If you're lucky, and you have a good sense
of humor you may get a few laughs from the troubleshooting section of the
manual though.

"My computer's foot-peddle doesn't work."
"Thats the mouse."

> >and _whine_ about how the previous couple of generations got
> >them here.
> 
> That is the Gen X goatee detector!

Geez.. nothin' worse than a bunch of old guys going from reminiscing, to
bitching and moaning ..

..and I don't have a goatee, damit!! 

;)

Michael J. Graffam (mgraffam@idsi.net) http://www.idsi.net/~mgraffam
They (who) seek to establish systems of government based on the
regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individual rulers..
call this a new order. It is not new, and it is not order."
				- Franklin Delano Roosevelt