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1993-12-20
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Ç ôæêüöôä... ╬╠╬╠╬╠╬╠╬╠╬╠╬╠╧╧╡
ß√ Φαφ ≥≤α∩δΣ≥
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye...
At 15:40 Eastern Standard Time today, the first day of spring,
our old SR-72 was interred at "The Taj" in Mareeba.
ôτΣ ε±πΣ± εσ ≥Σ±⌡ΦΓΣ ÷α≥:
∩±εΓΣ≥≥Φφµ σ±ε∞ ≤τΣ ßΣφΓτ ≤ε µ±α⌡Σ: Pallbearers (4 original users)
Σ⌠δεµ√: C.C.O. (Note 1)
±ΣαπΦφµ≥ σ±ε∞ ≤τΣ δεµ: C.S.O. (Note 2)
Σ≈≤±αΓ≤Φεφ εσ ≤τΣ σ⌠≥Σ: The DataStar expert
≤τΣ δε÷Σ±Φφµ: Pallbearers
≤±Φß⌠≤Σ≥ [ó" πΦ≥Ω≥, ∞αφ⌠αδ≥, Σ≤Γ.]: The full congregation assembled
ôτΣ ûαΩΣ: Courtesy of The Bunyip
(more)
φε≤Σ¢: C.C.O. was Computer │ learn how to drive them. The two
*Control* Officer - none of this │ owners eventually did retrieve
modern wimpy management by │ them, but we had quite a long
consensus and committees! │ period of gratuitous use before
│ our very own SR-72 arrived on 20
φε≤Σ£ C.S.O. is the new-fangled │ April 1983.
Computer Systems Officer. │
│ The SR-72 was a giant among
------------ │ PCs. Twin 8" drives, *huge*
│ power supply capacitors (it would
≤he SR-72 was our very first │ keep running even if the lights
"PC" - in truth, we had been │ went out - well, for a little
using an Apple II and a TRS-80 │ while!, stepper motors half the
Model I for some time before the │ size of a beer can, and those
SR-72 arrived, but these belonged │ drive motors!! - We briefly
to progressive local farmers who │ considered salvaging them to make
were interested in the │ an electric lawn mower for the
spreadsheet capabilities │ gardener, but the more ethical
[VisiCalc] of these modern │ principles espoused by the anti-
wonders, but never had time to │ vivisectionists prevailed.
│ as SpellStar with WordStar etc.
Construction was superb and │ [And, as is probably fairly
*heavy*. The internal cables │ typical of committee procurement
were all neatly folded (none of │ practices, we originally didn't
this modern "stuffing" │ get ReportStar with DataStar, so
technology), and the peripheral │ we couldn't actually do anything
boards had little plastic levers │ very useful with all the data
at each end to facilitate safe │ people diligently entered, until
removal when necessary. Memory │ much later!]
was a full 64K! │
│ The operating system was CP/M
The machine was based on the │ 2.2 - another "standard" which
"standard" S-100 bus and ran all │ was about to fall even then.
the great software of the day: │ This was great for those of us
WordStar, DataStar, MBASIC (also │ who had cut our teeth on the PDP-
known as BASIC-80), SuperCalc │ 10 monitors (DECSystem10) of the
(version 1.1 by Sorcim), │ mid 70s because a lot of the
Microsoft Fortran (F80), │ command syntax was very similar
Ecosoft's MICROSTAT, and the │ (CP/M even had PIP!)
sundry "peripheral programs" such │
[Mount soapbox:] │
Incidentally, I've noted with │ The SR-72 gave sterling
concern that history has already │ service for many years. In the
been rewritten as far as CP/M is │ end it wasn't really defeated by
concerned. It's almost │ any fault of its own, it was just
universally referred to these │ superseded as the "real" PCs took
days as "Control Program for │ over the desktop world. [The SR-
Microcomputers", which is quite │ 72 was never really a desktop
wrong, as even a cursory │ machine - more of a deskstop!]
consideration of the syntax │
"CP/M" should tell you (though │ The most startling breakdown
there aren't too many literate │ it suffered - as recalled at the
people around now either "CP/M" │ Reading of the Log today - was
is, of course, an acronym for │ when the mains power switch on
"Control Program/Monitor", which │ the front of the case arced onto
rather succinctly states what the │ the case with a fair amount of
system did: it controlled the │ noise and fireworks, much to the
computer and monitored the │ astonishment and concern of the
applications that ran under it. │ C.C.O., who had just attempted to
[Dismount soapbox:] │ turn it on!! Towards the end of
its life it often gave BDOS │
errors, but even these were more │
likely the result of the user's │
failing memory than the │
machine's. │
│
Vale SR-72! We who remain [for │
the moment anyway], salute you! ñ │