[ale] To: old timers that have a gmail account

[Geoffrey]

Jeff Lightner wrote:

<snip>

> One thing I don't miss about the old monochrome terminals/displays was
> screen burn in.   Nothing like seeing your F key definitions on the
> screen even when it was turned off...

Speaking of old terminals.  I've still got a couple of old blit 
terminals in my basement.  The first true multi-window environment. 
Here's a short description from a paper dated 1984 by UNIX guru Rob Pike:

"The Blit is a programmable bitmap graphics terminal designed 
specifically to run with the Unix operating system. The software in the 
terminal provides an asynchronous multi-window environment, and thereby 
exploits the multiprogramming capabilities of the Unix system which have 
been largely under-utilized because of the restrictions of conventional 
terminals."

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.36.2871

I should dig them out, hook them up to the old 3b2 SVR3 boxes I have and 
do a museum presentation for ALE.

Hey, that's an idea.  We should have a meeting where everyone brings out 
that old hardware they've got hanging around for show and tell.  We 
could add software to that list.

I've still got my original floppy disc with the 1.1 version of Netscape 
on it.  Let's see, I've got some old drdos software hanging around and 
some os2 stuff as well.

Maybe we could have a retro-install day.  Collect a $1 from everyone and 
whoever is able to get the oldest release of Linux installed wins the pot.

Yggdrasil anyone???

--
Until later, Geoffrey

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
  - Benjamin Franklin