#xeroxalto

[adafruit]

🎄💾🗓️ Day 11: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - The SEL 840A🎄💾🗓️

Systems Engineering Laboratories (SEL) introduced the SEL 840A in 1965. This is a deep cut folks, buckle in. It was designed as a high-performance, 24-bit general-purpose digital computer, particularly well-suited for scientific and industrial real-time applications.

Notable for using silicon monolithic integrated circuits and a modular architecture. Supported advanced computation with features like concurrent floating-point arithmetic via an optional Extended Arithmetic Unit (EAU), which allowed independent arithmetic processing in single or double precision. With a core memory cycle time of 1.75 microseconds and a capacity of up to 32,768 directly addressable words, the SEL 840A had impressive computational speed and versatility for its time.

Its instruction set covered arithmetic operations, branching, and program control. The computer had fairly robust I/O capabilities, supporting up to 128 input/output units and optional block transfer control for high-speed data movement. SEL 840A had real-time applications, such as data acquisition, industrial automation, and control systems, with features like multi-level priority interrupts and a real-time clock with millisecond resolution.

Software support included a FORTRAN IV compiler, mnemonic assembler, and a library of scientific subroutines, making it accessible for scientific and engineering use. The operator’s console provided immediate access to registers, control functions, and user interaction! Designed to be maintained, its modular design had serviceability you do often not see today, with swing-out circuit pages and accessible test points.

And here's a personal… personal computer history from Adafruit team member, Dan…

== The first computer I used was an SEL-840A, PDF:

I learned Fortran on it in eight grade, in 1970. It was at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where my parents worked, and was used to take data from cyclotron experiments and perform calculations. I later patched the Fortran compiler on it to take single-quoted strings, like 'HELLO', in Fortran FORMAT statements, instead of having to use Hollerith counts, like 5HHELLO.

In 1971-1972, in high school, I used a PDP-10 (model KA10) timesharing system, run by BOCES LIRICS on Long Island, NY, while we were there for one year on an exchange.

This is the front panel of the actual computer I used. I worked at the computer center in the summer. I know the fellow in the picture: he was an older high school student at the time.

The first "personal" computers I used were Xerox Alto, Xerox Dorado, Xerox Dandelion (Xerox Star 8010), Apple Lisa, and Apple Mac, and an original IBM PC. Later I used DEC VAXstations.

Dan kinda wins the first computer contest if there was one… Have first computer memories? Post’em up in the comments, or post yours on socialz’ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing – See you back here tomorrow!

[blisscast]

The Majestic Birth of Graphical User Interfaces – Xerox Alto and the Alto Trek game

Can you imagine a time before the Graphical User Interface, when you could only operate a computer with abstract-looking text instead of using simple menus, and it was unheard of to use the oh-so-common mouse? A time when computers were harder to learn, and even harder to master? Well then, join us in our splendid trip where we’ll discover one of the very first GUIs in a personal computer, found on the Xerox Alto!

Disponibile anche in 🇮🇹

https://blisscast.wordpress.com/2024/02/20/xerox-alto-trek-gui-wonderland-1/

[alfea]

@xeroxalto sorry about the multitude of shades, so many of the items tagged as teal don't match lmao

[retrocompmx]

La historia del GUI en computación

En los años 60, el pionero de la informática Douglas Engelbart había conceptualizado la interfaz gráfica de usuario. Imaginó un sistema informático que utilizara hipertexto, sistema operativo basado en ventanas y videoconferencia. También se le ocurrió el concepto del mouse de la computadora.

En Xerox PARC fue donde la GUI finalmente encontró su camino en un producto funcional, que puso al desconocido Bob Taylor y varias mentes brillantes más a trabajar en ello y en 1973, el equipo de PARC desarrolló la computadora "personal" Xerox Alto, compatible con la visualización de mapas de bits y el sistema operativo basado en ventanas e iconos, GUI y el editor WYSIWYG (Lo que ves es lo que obtienes). También tenía un mouse y un teclado, y un puerto de cable Ethernet.

Aunque la Xerox Alto era un producto funcional y se denominaba "Personal Computer" nunca fue vendida al consumidor final como producto comercial. Solo algunas universidades y campos de investigación tenian unas cuantas. Costaba el equivalente de 100 000 usd de hoy. y solo se construyeron 2 mil.

Apple Lisa y Mac, o Microsoft con Windows no fueron los primeros en contar con un SO basado en cuersor, apuntar y clic y un sistema de organización de archivos basado en vantanas, con soporte de red via modem o ethernet. Que distinta hubiera diso la historia de no ser por los "cabezas de tóner"

#retrocomputingmx #GuiSystem #xeroxalto #DouglasEngelbart

[rockman-x]

@xeroxalto this thing reminds me of nemo

WHAT THE FUUUUUUCK ME ME ME ME ME ME

[retrocompmx]

Historia del GUI, parte 3: Xerox Alto

Sin duda el Xerox Alto era un ordenador muy avanzado para la época, que se usaba para la investigación sobre la interacción humano-tecnológica y el uso de ordenadores. Inclusive había entornos de programación para esta máquina, como el BCPL y MESA, lenguaje de bajo nivel que podían usar el microcódigo del CPU. Sin olvidar el SmallTalk y Lisp de alto nivel, interactivos y orientado a objetos. Xerox sin duda, marcó la pauta. De hecho utilizaron esta tecnología no comercial para crear el procesador de documentos Xerox 8010 también conocido como "Xerox Star". Todo esto movió a Steve Jobs cuando visitó PARC para crear un sistema aún más robusto donde agrego menús desplegables, arrastrar y soltar, barras de menú y el "Copy+Paste" moderno del cual hablaremos posteriormente 📸: ToastyTech #retrocomputingmx #historiadelgui #xeroxalto

[koney-scanlines]

sALto - The xerOX ALTo siMuLaTOr PT#2

[nezmar]

[Restored] Xerox Alto Demo - YouTube

[qaisfrompalestine]

I am a weak and oppressed woman living in Gaza, struggling every day while everyone ignores my suffering. I have no income, no food, and no clothing. Please, I am desperate and willing to clean your shoes or do any work in exchange for any help you can offer. I just need to survive😭💔.

🚨 Urgent Help Needed 🚨

Hello friend 🍉🇵🇸,

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Your support can save their lives. Any donation, big or small, makes a difference.

Please donate and share: [https://gofund.me/e6cd83a9]

Thank you for your kindness.

Esraa Al-Kafarna

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@yandereforelorn

Children in Gaza are losing their limbs every day—just like the little girl in this heartbreaking photo. The war has stolen their futures, their mobility, and their right to live in peace. My own son, Qais, is just two years old. He was injured in an airstrike, and I cannot afford the medical treatment he desperately needs. As a mother with no income, I beg you—please Donate and help us. Your donation could be the reason Qais walks again.

This is the terrifying reality for many children in Gaza:

1. Airstrikes often target residential areas, leaving children with life-altering injuries.

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I watch my child cry in pain every night, and I can do nothing but hold him. No mother should face this. We need your support now more than ever. Every donation—no matter the amount—can help save Qais’s , his future, and his life. Please, don’t look away. Help us heal.

Donate Now Here

Please stop ✋🚨 you're the only hope to save a child😔😭

Vetted by @gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #64 )🍉🇵🇸

[hydralisk98]

XeroxAlto, Ancestor of all GUI .png

[kn1ghtc0r3]

@xeroxalto

Sounbchbob

He’s so cool

[retrocompmx]

Historia del GUI, parte 2: Xerox Alto

Mas fotos del Xerox Alto: Neptune file Manager Bravo, el editor de textos WYSIWYG Draw, programa de dibujo bitmap (los objetos eran definidos y manipulables de forma individual) MazeWar, juego de años antes al Doom, en 3D, jugable por red, multijugador, portado al Alto. Continuará... 📸: ToastyTech #retrocomputingmx #historiadelgui #xeroxalto

[quiverwingquack]

@xeroxalto

Bugs became way cooler to me when I realized they're basically tiny biological robots. He ain't botherin nobody his prime directive is just [SEEK NUTRIENT]

[retrocompmx]

Historia del GUI, parte 1: Xerox Alto

Platicamos sobre que el ordenador Xerox Alto había sido la primera en reunir los elementos clásicos de la moderna interfaz gráfico de usuario.

Aunque fue construido para la investigación, Xerox donó varias a Universidades y centros de R&D.

El hardware de la Xerox Alto de 1973 consistia de procesador de 16 bits, una pantalla monocromática de 606x808 px, ratón de 3 botones, teclado de 82 teclas, 5 discos extraíbles de 2.5 Mb y 512Kb de memoria.

El SO tenia un simbolo de sistema, si, como lo escuchas. El ambiente de comando se llamaba Alto Executive y el ambiente similar para ejecutar programas a través de la red sera el Net Executive.

Ya entrado al GUI, se deplegaba el "Neptune Directory Editor" que usaba el ratón, botones gráficos y lista de archivos.

Continua...

#retrocomputingmx#historiadelgui#xeroxalto

[quiverwingquack]

@xeroxalto

Remembered that I once visited museum of old tech, I know many of you would really enjoy those💙

[rockman-x]

@xeroxalto

stands in the door way of your room and sneezes . and then leaves

normal version if youre nasty ‼️