From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00
	autolearn=unavailable autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
Path: 
 eternal-september.org!reader01.eternal-september.org!reader02.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Simon Wright <simon@pushface.org>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Low-level programming in Ada?
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 09:10:03 +0100
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID: <ly38qgr6lg.fsf@pushface.org>
References: <7x1u64hk2p.fsf@ruckus.brouhaha.com>
	<981741794397689133.903473yaldnif.w-blueyonder.co.uk@news.individual.net>
	<yolU96AxjzBSFwvN@ada-augusta.demon.co.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
Injection-Info: mx05.eternal-september.org;
 posting-host="ab63a21f76991e88ee5b3b5ea015b144";
	logging-data="20123"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org";
	posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18T4w66m6XTyO21eM9ptfea/17Vzp2ARd4="
User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.3 (darwin)
Cancel-Lock: sha1:MXBhhPAhVBpofpPWk4H1veX+hpU=
	sha1:ZB/V7R6lXPCCmbtfUoANYutSjAU=
Xref: news.eternal-september.org comp.lang.ada:16798
Date: 2013-08-11T09:10:03+01:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

Mike H <postmaster@ada-augusta.demon.co.uk> writes:

> The Elliott 803 was of the same era (or was it slightly earlier?). A
> 39-bit word and B-Line instruction modification - they don't make 'em
> like that any more ;-) I cut my programming teeth on one of those and
> have memories of being knee-deep in 5-channel punched paper tape ;-(

My first paid gig was on a 920B or C - a military variant, I think. 18
bits, 15 op codes.

Later, Ferranti Bracknell had a 6-storey building with a back stairwell
which came in handy for unravelling those piles of 8-hole punched tape
you get when the middle drops out of the reel.