Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

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cwmoser

Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

Post by cwmoser »

I was a Unix System V programmer back in the 1980's, programmed in C.
Took a lot of Unix System Internals courses.
Did a lot of programming interfacing Windows PC with Berkeley Unix on Sun servers.
Fell in love with the 6502 microprocessors and wrote software in Assembly for Commodore microcomputers.
Later got sucked into the Microsoft Windows quagmire and missed the vi editor.
Been a Microsoft free house ever since Ubuntu 6.10.
Used Ubuntu up until 16.04 and then for some reason Ubuntu would no longer install on my PC.
Then downloaded Linux Mint 17 and it would install on my PC.
Now I am running Linux Mint 19 and all is well.

Wife and I are both 70 and we like Linux - especially because we don't have to deal with Windows non-sense like activation codes, malware, viruses, having to pay for software, and bloatware.
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linux-dummie
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Re: Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

Post by linux-dummie »

I LIKE IT!!!
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kc1di
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Re: Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

Post by kc1di »

Great testimony :) we're about the same age. Been 100% linux since 1995. Enjoy the great work of Mint team.
welcome aboard :)
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SuperBoby

Re: Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

Post by SuperBoby »

Hello and welcome to you UNIX guru :D
cwmoser wrote: Sat Dec 29, 2018 9:28 pmI was a Unix System V programmer back in the 1980's, programmed in C.
I'm currently trying to learn C... Do you know about some up-to-date books ? Or is K&R maybe still relevant ?
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AndyMH
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Re: Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

Post by AndyMH »

Fell in love with the 6502 microprocessors and wrote software in Assembly for Commodore microcomputers
+1 except in my case Z80 assember, and an awful long time ago.
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Re: Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

Post by jimallyn »

Welcome aboard, cwmoser! I also like 6502s, but have also programmed in assembly for 680x, 8080, Z80, F8. and probably a few more I can't remember right now. 8 bit microcontrollers are awesome!
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cwmoser

Re: Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

Post by cwmoser »

I got my introduction to Microcomputers at NC State University back in 1974 taking some graduate classes.
There we learned about the 4004, 8008, and the 8080 microprocessors.
I wanted my own computer in a bad way but the Altair kits were expensive.
The Apple II had not been introduced yet.
Then in the Summer of 1975 I saw this MOS Technology ad for a $20 Microprocessor.
Wow!! Intel was selling their 8080 for over $300 and it required multiple voltages.
So, I purchased the $25 6502, the TIM teletype interface chip for I forget, and the 6502 Hardware and the Software manuals.
I taped up a 12"x12" PCB in huge x4 - i.e. on a 4' x4' piece of transparent mylar, reduced the mylar to 1:1, and etched a PCB at work.
Now I had my Microcomputer - 6502 up, TIM chip, socket for a PIA, 4KB static RAM, and 4KB 2732 EPROM.
Tried to market my computer design but no bites.
Later wrote an Assembler/Text Editor for the 6502 and started a software company to market it - Eastern House Software.

Those were infancy days for Microcomputers and were the most exciting times I have ever experienced.
I bet most Linux fans today would have made major contributions to Microcomputers if you lived in that era.

I still have my Microcomputer with 4KB RAM ... but as a programmer today I would allocate 4K for a temp buffer and think who cares :-)

Back then if someone had described the specs for an ordinary PC commonly used today, we would think he was smoking dope or on LSD.
Now think about what computers are going to be like 40 years from now by projecting what has transpired - between now and 2060 is going to be some amazing inventions.
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Re: Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

Post by AndyMH »

Back in the very early eighties I paid over £1000 for a computer with a Z80, 64k RAM, twin floppy running CP/M, no monitor. Last week I bought a esp8266 nodemcu for just over a fiver. 128k flash, 4GB RAM, 70MHz processor and built in wifi!
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cwmoser

Re: Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

Post by cwmoser »

I ran across this neat video on reverse engineering the 6502 microprocessor.
Ever wondered how the hardware designer implemented the chips functionality?
A lot of the intelligence was via a memory ROM - 21 inputs, 130 outputs, that directed the control within the 6502.

The 6502 silicone fabrication masks was manually taped up with CAD software.
No way to do this manually with the much more complex microprocessors today.


Here is this fascinating video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWqBmmPQP40&t=2351s
WharfRat

Re: Unix Sys V progammer in 1980s, long term Ubuntu, now Mint

Post by WharfRat »

Hello cwmoser Image

Welcome to Linux Mint and the Linux Mint forum :)
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