Experiences?

[Snapshot77]

Did anyone else have experience using Decwriter terminals and HP 2000 Access systems in the mid-1970s? Back when I was in junior high, I had my first hands-on experience with computing using a Decwriter terminal connected via an acoustic modem. This allowed me to dial into our school district’s HP 2000 Access system, which ran Timeshare BASIC. It was on this system that I first learned to program in BASIC, sparking my early interest in computing.

The system provided access to a variety of interactive experiences, including classic text-based games like Adventure and Star Trek. You could also print out ASCII art, such as Snoopy with a calendar, and explore an extensive library of educational and recreational programs.

For those who used similar systems, what was your experience like? Would love to hear your stories!

 

[krebizfan]

I had much the same experience. When Rutgers upgraded to glass terminals internally, they moved a lot of the surplus TTYs to off campus locations. It gave me the chance to experience the PDP-10 (?) without having to go into New Brunswick. I was probably one of the last to experience that since it quickly became cheaper to buy a complete micro than to move the ASR-33.

 

[daver2]

As this is your first post, welcome to VCFED.

We used the DECwriter with a UNIBUS PDP-11 at work.

It was the system console and error logger for our RSX11 operating system.

It is strange how the main use was for Adventure and Star Trek though...

I also used it a lot for recording debug sessions - so I could take the printouts back to my desk for analysis to see if I had missed something, or decode a block of octal numbers I had dumped.

I used to run diagnostic programs (to fix the hardware) so the DECwriter provided evidence to the software monkeys that there was nothing wrong with the hardware and that it was their software that was to blame!

Yes, ASCII art did feature, but we also had a decent line printer - so that was generally the 'go to' device.

Likewise for the 'scrap paper generator program' that printed page after page with just the consecutive page number on it...

I really liked the DECwriter terminals.

Dave

 

[1944GPW]

At my Uni in the mid 80s our terminal rooms had a small number of DECwriter III's and Teletype 43's apart from the majority of glass terminals (Hazeltine 1500, VT100, VT220 maybe an ADM3A or two).
Of course at the start of a prac most students ran straight to these instead of the printing terminals, leaving latecomers with no choice but to use them.
These were all connected to the undergrad's VAX-11/780, imaginatively named VAXB. There was also a Research 11/780 named VAXA. Both ran VMS, I think 4.x

I quite enjoyed using the line editor to work on my comp sci assignments and became proficient at it, so I never really got stuck to use a terminal.
I recall I had a slight preference for the Teletype 43 over the DECwriter not because of the printing speed but they were quieter and shook a lot less (the 43's were on tables). The ribbons always left a lot to be desired, they weren't replaced that often. And here I am 40 years later with a DECwriter II, Teletype 43, ASR33 and a US Army Kleinschmidt backpack teletype to be worked on.

 

[Uniballer]

My first computing experiences used a DECwriter II with an acoustically coupled modem to the BOCES IBM 370.