Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ulowell!cg-atla!lewis
From: lewis@cg-atla.UUCP (Paul Lewis)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Looking for Computer Folklore
Message-ID: <6677@cg-atla.UUCP>
Date: 15 Feb 89 22:18:37 GMT
Reply-To: lewis@cg-atla.UUCP (Paul Lewis)
Organization: Agfa Compugraphic Division
Lines: 24

I heard one about a rail-mounted tape changer that went wild, in Canberra,
Australia. Seems a mainframe (CDC?) site got a new system that would store
9-track reel-to-reel tapes in large racks. There was a tape changing "robot"
that ran on rails that would, on command from the OS, go down the rail to
the correct spot, grab the correct tape off the rack, return to the tape
drive and mount the tape.

The first story concerns installation problems: The rails came in set
lengths: a modular approach. When installing, the engineers told the system
it had one too many rail lengths. So on first try, the robot roared down the
track, smashed against the end stop, backed up, tried again, ...you get the
picture.

The other story takes place after the system was installed. They insalled a
glass wall at the end of the rail to show visitors the new-fangled gadget.
Just when a visitor had his nose up to the glass, the operators would send
the tape changer at top speed to the end of the rail. The poor visitor
couldn't tell whether it was going to stop or not, so they had a few good
laughs at that.
-- 
Paul Lewis   508-658-0200 x5713
Agfa Compugraphic Division, AGFA CORPORATION
200 Ballardvale St., Wilmington, Mass. 01887 
...!{decvax,ima,ism780c,ulowell,laidback,cgeuro,cg-f}!cg-atla!lewis