Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!mips!ultra!shj
From: shj@ultra.com (Steve Jay)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cdc
Subject: Re: The Design of the CDC 6600
Message-ID: <1991Jun15.012141.1107@ultra.com>
Date: 15 Jun 91 01:21:41 GMT
References: <25400@well.sf.ca.us> <1991Jun13.175819.573@ultra.com> <204102.21677@timbuk.cray.com>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Ultra Network Technologies
Lines: 28

In <204102.21677@timbuk.cray.com> wws@raphael.cray.com (Walter Spector) writes:

>Does anybody have a copy of Thornton's "Design of the CDC 6600" that is
>otherwise collecting dust and would *love* to get rid of it?

Most people I know say "Gee, I used to have it, it should be around
somewhere....".   Rich Ragan must have one.  Rich...you still around?

>Also, has anyone duplicated the font of the old 6000 operator console for
>use with X?  'Chippewa 12 point' anyone?  :-)

No way to duplicate it exactly.  The characters were not bit-maps.  The beam
actually traced the curves for each character.  You got true curves, and
each console would be a little bit different.  The movements were controlled
by the controller in the CPU chassis.  It was loads of fun to figure out
which module was busted by trying to correlate which characters came out
ok/bad with the characters that each module affected.

The logic prints did contain diagrams of each character on a 9 x 9 grid,
or something like that, along with the analog movements required to get
the character.  It would be possible to replicate what the characters
were SUPPOSED to look like, but that kind of misses the point, IMHO.

Steve Jay
shj@ultra.com  ...ames!ultra!shj
Ultra Network Technologies / 101 Dagget Drive / San Jose, CA 95134 / USA
(408) 922-0100 x130	"Home of the 1 Gigabit/Second network"