Educause Security Discussion mailing list archives

Re: University credentials used by third parties


From: David Gillett <gillettdavid () FHDA EDU>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:19:07 -0700

   The Computer History Museum has a 1620, or perhaps it's a 1710 (enhanced
successor).

  Or rather, it has the shell of one.  Somewhere inside the cabinet, a Mac
II is running a simulator program that allows it to execute actual code.  I
could tell there was something fishy about it when I saw the CPU/console
unit but no accompanying freezer-chest-sized memory units....

  Oh, while we're gazing deeply into our rear-view mirrors:

  I first learned to program on a desktop machine -- an Olivetti Programma
101.  It could store about 100 instruction steps on a magnetic card that was
about 4" long by 1.5" wide.  The year was 1969, and I was 12.
  My Dad got his local Olivetti salesman to bring one to our school so I
could demonstrate it to my classmates -- first time I ever had a demo crash
on me in front of a live audience....

David Gillett

-----Original Message-----
From: Joel Rosenblatt [mailto:joel () columbia edu]
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 16:02
To: SECURITY () listserv educause edu
Subject: Re: [SECURITY] University credentials used by third parties

For your trip down memory lane ...

<http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/1620.html>

Joel

--On Wednesday, August 18, 2010 3:43 PM -0700 "Pollock, Joseph"
<PollockJ () EVERGREEN EDU> wrote:

Well, I started out on an IBM 1620.  Still have the programming book
around the office somewhere (it's fun to pull out for visiting
students).  BTW - my recollection of the 1620 is that it had magnetic
core memory, and was the first commercial solid state computer.

Moved on to the PDP-8 and PDP-11, complete with front panel switches.
There was a tech in the lab where I worked who thought he could fix
any programming error by randomly changing memory contents...  Success
usually eluded him.

Speaking of switches, when I came to Evergreen in 1985 they were still
running an HP-1000/2000, with lots of lights and switches :-)  And a
paper tape boot/diagnostic loader.  I still have a 16KB core memory
stack from it.

Anyone remember when an 8KB core memory board for a PDP-8 was nearly
$10,000?  For me, that really puts things in perspective.

Joe Pollock
Network Services
The Evergreen State College



-----Original Message-----
From: The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv
[mailto:SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU] On Behalf Of Bristol, Gary L.
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 2:49 PM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: Re: [SECURITY] University credentials used by third parties

Here, you mean where you could actually see the wires wrapped around
the core with the sense, and x, y  wires going thru them.

Connecting to different systems meant throwing big two or three
position switches to change which system talked to other systems.
 Plugging in the bootstrap program either push buttoned lighted
indicators or toggle switches on the front of the data general nova or
eclipse computers.

Sent from my iPad - Gary

On Aug 18, 2010, at 4:43 PM, "Eric Case" <eric () ERICCASE COM> wrote:

Know about or use front panel switches?  I never got to use them, but
I know
about them.

While we are in the way back machine, how many know about core memory?
-Eric


Eric Case, CISSP
eric (at) ericcase (dot) com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericcase
(520) 344-CISO (2476)



-----Original Message-----
From: The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv
[mailto:SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU] On Behalf Of Russell Fulton
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 2:26 PM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: Re: [SECURITY] University credentials used by third parties

On 19/08/2010, at 4:02 AM, Guy Pace wrote:

COBOL!?!?! COBOL is for people who love to type and write code in
stream
of consciousness mode.

It's front panel switches for me!

OK, how many folk on the list know about front panel switches? ;-)

or 80 column boot straps?

Russell

PS.  since I'm wasting bandwidth advertising my age ;)

Stephen Bradley

I'll bet not as much as I miss working on the card punches and
readers.
:-)

don't forget card sorters for when you drop your deck of 500 cards
an
hour
before the assignment is due...




Joel Rosenblatt, Manager Network & Computer Security Columbia Information
Security Office (CISO) Columbia University, 612 W 115th Street, NY, NY 10025
/ 212 854 3033 http://www.columbia.edu/~joel


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