Matrix Games Forums

he Smithsonian called, and took our card reader/punch when they heard we were getting rid of it. Our worked, theirs didn't.

When we went to GTMO for REFTRA in 1978 we got parts from the USS Massachusetts Museum for our main gun: a 5"38 cal DP in game terms. The parts from the Massachusetts kept our gun in action all thru REFTRA.

I had to keypunch stacks of cards in FORTRAN class.

Ah FORTRAN!. Loved those stacks of cards so much I took the class again just for fun.

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Anybody else remember 'notching' a corner of a SSDD to make it-voila!-a DSDD? With a hole punch? Of course, this also reduced the reliability of the disc too-sometimes you'd overbite the notch and mess the disc up. But it was a quick and dirty way to double your capability.

Yes. Bit of useless technical info for you. When the discs were made the batch was tested. If one side failed it became single, otherwise double. Hence the reliability factor.

ORIGINAL: jagsdomain

On a serious note. Would having the launch codes on a floppy disk prevent hacking?
Its basicly like having a hard copy.

In them days there was no cloud, no internet very few networks that existed outside of a building, so yes, unless some idiot had writen it down (and other security risks) just in case the disc corrupted.

ORIGINAL: Chris21wen

ORIGINAL: jagsdomain

On a serious note. Would having the launch codes on a floppy disk prevent hacking?
Its basicly like having a hard copy.

In them days there was no cloud, no internet very few networks that existed outside of a building, so yes, unless some idiot had writen it down (and other security risks) just in case the disc corrupted.

But you could examine the disk contents with an editor and get the info that way, encryption being primitive or non-existent.

ORIGINAL: Chris21wen

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Anybody else remember 'notching' a corner of a SSDD to make it-voila!-a DSDD? With a hole punch? Of course, this also reduced the reliability of the disc too-sometimes you'd overbite the notch and mess the disc up. But it was a quick and dirty way to double your capability.

Yes. Bit of useless technical info for you. When the discs were made the batch was tested. If one side failed it became single, otherwise double. Hence the reliability factor.

And the little sticky tab used to write protect diskettes would fall off...you also had to to be careful about writing on the label with a ball point pen because the disk would be damaged.

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: Chris21wen

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Anybody else remember 'notching' a corner of a SSDD to make it-voila!-a DSDD? With a hole punch? Of course, this also reduced the reliability of the disc too-sometimes you'd overbite the notch and mess the disc up. But it was a quick and dirty way to double your capability.

Yes. Bit of useless technical info for you. When the discs were made the batch was tested. If one side failed it became single, otherwise double. Hence the reliability factor.

And the little sticky tab used to write protect diskettes would fall off...you also had to to be careful about writing on the label with a ball point pen because the disk would be damaged.

For got about that little tab.
I remember the first time I tryed to save something then founs out you had to format the disk.

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: Chris21wen

ORIGINAL: jagsdomain

On a serious note. Would having the launch codes on a floppy disk prevent hacking?
Its basicly like having a hard copy.

In them days there was no cloud, no internet very few networks that existed outside of a building, so yes, unless some idiot had writen it down (and other security risks) just in case the disc corrupted.

But you could examine the disk contents with an editor and get the info that way, encryption being primitive or non-existent.

Only if you stoll the disc.

ORIGINAL: jagsdomain

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: Chris21wen





Yes. Bit of useless technical info for you. When the discs were made the batch was tested. If one side failed it became single, otherwise double. Hence the reliability factor.

And the little sticky tab used to write protect diskettes would fall off...you also had to to be careful about writing on the label with a ball point pen because the disk would be damaged.

For got about that little tab.
I remember the first time I tryed to save something then founs out you had to format the disk.

All that stuff. You forget.

I think I have some key punch cards laying around somewhere. We use to type notes to each other in class.

ORIGINAL: Hanzberger

I think I have some key punch cards laying around somewhere. We use to type notes to each other in class.

I would type, "Help! I'm trapped inside the keypunch machine" and leave the card in the machine.

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: Hanzberger

I think I have some key punch cards laying around somewhere. We use to type notes to each other in class.

I would type, "Help! I'm trapped inside the keypunch machine" and leave the card in the machine.

Brilliant.

I hope everyone here who has used punch cards realizes that you have experience with WWII technology?

backup was not a top priority in those days....

Old school. Backup is always a top priority.

Still backup my game about once every game month to a tumbdrive. Saved my butt when I had a system crash a while back.

ORIGINAL: rustysi

backup was not a top priority in those days....

Old school. Backup is always a top priority.

Still backup my game about once every game month to a tumbdrive. Saved my butt when I had a system crash a while back.

I need to do this...

ORIGINAL: Hanzberger

ORIGINAL: rustysi

backup was not a top priority in those days....

Old school. Backup is always a top priority.

Still backup my game about once every game month to a tumbdrive. Saved my butt when I had a system crash a while back.

I need to do this...

dropbox.

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

Anybody else remember 'notching' a corner of a SSDD to make it-voila!-a DSDD? With a hole punch? Of course, this also reduced the reliability of the disc too-sometimes you'd overbite the notch and mess the disc up. But it was a quick and dirty way to double your capability.

I bought "shoe box size" 5.25" floppy drive for my Commodore C64 in USA in 1986... ahhh... fond memories... [:)]

I, of course, was buying SSDDs and then "notching" them to become DSDDs... [8D]


Leo "Apollo11"

Has anyone mentioned on this thread that in the late 80s one of the NASA suppliers (???Texas Instruments???) had to re-create a production line to build tape drives to keep the 70s tech space shuttles going?

I suppose there must have been some reason they couldn't upgrade the on-board computers to something approximating a 286-XT device with 3.5" floppies and a wopping 40Mb hard disk, but they didn't.