This mini forum is intended to provide a simple means of discussion about the Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-8 computer. If you want to share your own experience or memories, or add relevant information about this system: post a message!

Hi folks! I''m from Russia which in past was USSR - we worked on PDP 11/70 series machine in Moscow State University at the Department of Math and Mechanics in 1985-1990. These were indeed great times for us students to program on PDP using mostly Macro Assembler and C++ when it later was also enabled on this multi-user machine. We experimented with FORTRAN to calculate differential equations and find better applications for serious tasks in computing the big data. We also had quite a lot of TETRIS, SNAKE games on our hard disk and we used $UIC$ user entry system which allowed user to RUN and DEBUG the programs - there had been BUILDER of EXE files and this was not too easy to cope. While RSX operating system was quite a fun. All commands we used were well documented and helpful. We even tried to a bit hack the RSX shell to enter as highest priority user while this was only to "improve" our skills in the RSX system engine, And this system was and still IS state of the art I would suggest. I had SO many nice experience in general understanding of how OS works, what it''s core is and how system of machine commands works as one Orchestra. These WERE the times folks!!!! Br Oleg from Moscow

The first two of the first three machines I ever worked on were PDP-8''s. A PDP-8A in my high school freshman year in a computer math class and a PDP-8E in my junior and senior years in a computer science/data processing vocational program. They were incredible machines for their time. The one in the vocational program had 2 removable rk05e''s and an rk05f hard drives attached and had 15 terminals attached that could all be used at the same time! It did this with only 32k word memory (appx 48k bytes)! It used an operating system called ''ETOS'' which used the rk05f (5MB fixed version) for virtual memory, one of the rk05e''s for the OS and languages (BASIC, DIBOL, COBOL, and Fortran IV) and the other rk05e for data files.

I am currently leading a group of students in an attempt to restore PDP-8 serial number 85 to operating condition. Our restoration project log is on the web at:
$ http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/pdp8/UI-8/
We''re posting photos of our work $ currently the focus is on reforming the capacitors in the power supply so we can turn it on. That will take a while, since we had to disassemble quite a bit just to get to some of them.

I had the privilege of debugging PDP 8S serial no. 2 in the factory at Maynard in the Traditional products dept. in 1970. It had come to the factory to be rebuilt after being struck by lightning in some place in the Midwest.
It took me almost two months to repair and get it working again. I almost couldn''t believe It was working again after finding so many blown out transistors and other burnt components.

I had the privilege of debugging PDP 8S serial no. 2 in the factory at Maynard in the Traditional products dept. in 1970. It had come to the factory to be rebuilt after being struck by lightning in some place in the Midwest.
It took me almost two months to repair and get it working again. I almost couldn''t believe It was working again after finding so many blown out transistors and other burnt components.

Alex, perhaps you should also get your own facts straight. Unix was first written for the Digital PDP 7.... Not the 8 nor the 11. A quick look at any of the many Unix histories available online will confirm this.

Unix? Get your facts straight. It first ran on PDP-11.

@ A$exeo : Unix? Unix? Unix? are you kidding me?

Ken Olsen would never allow any stinking penguin near any of his machines.

RMS 4ever!

LMAO

I have a friend who's dad OWNS two PDP-8s (plus three PDP-11s).

I'm actually going to be getting one of the 8s and one of the 11s from her.

Long live the PDP!

Well, here it is. First to run UNIX! 12-bit for life. :D