View source for Talk:Technology Square

==9th floor map==

Noel, we're interested in hearing your comments about the floor plan. [[User:Larsbrinkhoff|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff|talk]])  And you already gave some, thanks!

: I wasn't there during the CTSS/Multics era, ''but'' later on there was still a huge I-beam running along the floor where '1401/DM PDP-6' is on this map, and I was told that that had been installed to hold the Multics (or CTSS, I forget which) tape drives (or maybe drum). So it may have been all through that end. It shouldn't be hard to find out.
: Also, LISP machines were scattered all over the floor; the prototype CADR, along with the CONS machine and the chess machine (CHEOPS) was in one of 904-906 (I forget which); others were down near AI. [[User:Jnc|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc|talk]]) 22:01, 25 January 2018 (CET)

Where did the four KS10 machines go? [[User:Larsbrinkhoff|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff|talk]])

: Where the ML KA used to be.
: Speaking of the KS10's, I wish I could find a copy of the letter I wrote for Dave Clark to sign, asking for the donation from DEC. I looked on the MIT-CSR machine (whose filesystem I recently recovered), but alas, not there. It must have been on one of the other machines (XX, or one of the ITS's). [[User:Jnc|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc|talk]]) 15:11, 26 January 2018 (CET)

:: I see various references in mailing list archives, but not specifially that letter.  I believe there were two rounds of deliveries?  First one KS10 replacement for AI in 1984, and then three more in 1985; does that seem right? [[User:Larsbrinkhoff|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff|talk]])

:: JNC Aug 1985. "I have organised a campaign to get DEC to give MIT several more of the little critters. A letter was written asking for a donation of several of the machines to MIT (i.e.  both LCS and AI); due to the time pressures involved (all of the remaining unsold KS's were about to be scrapped) I couldn't get a lot of big wheels to sign, but Dave Clark did agree to sign the letter and lend his name to the campaign."

:: JTW May 1984: "It would appear that I am the slightly surprised recipient of one KS10-AA PDP10 CPU, with 512K MOS memory, 32 TTY lines, and a small DEC disk of some flavor.  This object will be arriving in late May or early June."

::: Yeah, I think that's right. I had thought all 4 arrived together, but clearly they didn't. The 3 makes sense also because I had wanted to call them Huey, Duey and Looey (after the droids in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Running Silent Running], which I quite liked). [[User:Jnc|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc|talk]]) 16:07, 26 January 2018 (CET)

When the KA10 AI was removed: "The place where AI used to be is now filled with Vaxen and 3600s." [[User:Larsbrinkhoff|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff|talk]])

: Well, I'm pretty sure OZ was along the outer wall there, in the space between 923 (which stayed for a long time, although maybe eventually it was diked - my memory is dim on that) and the corner of the building. Although the AI -6 was not along the wall, but further out, with the AI KA between it and the wall. [[User:Jnc|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc|talk]]) 16:03, 26 January 2018 (CET)

:: Supposedly there was a gold brick road painted on the floor, leading up to OZ. [[User:Larsbrinkhoff|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff|talk]]) 13:31, 19 January 2022 (CET)

::: I don't recall that; but I did help to paint a 'green line' on the tiles, to mark the AI/LCS boundary; the name comes from the one in Beirut. It wasn't serious; more of a 'hack' (practical joke, in MITese). [[User:Jnc|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc|talk]]) 12:25, 14 March 2023 (CET)

Speaking of VAXen, around the time the MC KL went, LCS got a farm of VAX-11/750's, which lived either in that area, and around the corner a bit (to where the DM -6 and KA used to be); again, I don't recall the exact layout, alas. But it was in that general area. [[User:Jnc|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc|talk]]) 16:03, 26 January 2018 (CET)

==ABC 1973 documentary==

I selected some interesting stills here:<br>
https://github.com/PDP-10/its/issues/425#issuecomment-1456437794

==Sign==

I snarfed this off a video, but I found it hard to include it gracefully in the article.<br>
[[Image:545_Technology_Square_sign.png]]

==Name==

Isn't the ''proper'' name "Technology Square '''545'''"? [[User:Larsbrinkhoff|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff|talk]]) 12:47, 16 June 2023 (CEST)

: No, it's a street/mailing address, so the number always comes before the name (as on the sign). (Unlike on a computer model! :-) [[User:Jnc|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc|talk]]) 13:01, 16 June 2023 (CEST)

==9th floor today?==

This looks no fun.
https://sienaconstruction.com/project/confidential-client-2/
https://sienaconstruction.com/project/confidential-client-2/moderna-9th-floor-1/
By the way, don't put the name of your confidential client in the URL.
[[User:Larsbrinkhoff|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff|talk]]) 14:53, 9 February 2024 (CET)

== Location of ITS KS10 machines? ==

These photos of the KS10 AI, ML, MD, and MC appeared:

https://github.com/larsbrinkhoff/its-archives/blob/master/photos/setala-5.jpg<br>
https://github.com/larsbrinkhoff/its-archives/blob/master/photos/setala-1.jpg

Noel, do you know where on the 9th floor they were located? [[User:Larsbrinkhoff|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff|talk]]) 13:37, 12 November 2024 (CET)

: I'm not absolutely positive those are the ITS KS's. But I don't remember them well enough to be certain. But there are some things that make me suspicious; e.g. in the picture that shows two RP06's between two KS's, there seems to be a window at the end of the row (see the shades?). That would have been impossible at Tech Sq; the KS's were in a row ''parallel'' to the Tech Sq exterior wall. So, at the 'far end' of the group, if this is a picture of the Tech Sq KS's, that wall would have been the wall to MOON's office (925, or possibly 926 - I don't remember the number definitely), so it couldn't have had an exterior window; [https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102803898 this picture] shows that wall.
: The machines were definitely mostly where ML-KA10 had been; although I have a vague memory that either the DM-KS10 or the MC-KS10 was where the end of DM-KA10 closest to ML-KA10 had been. That is, the KS's were all in a contiguous group, mostly where ML-KA10 had been, but with a little overflow further up. The picture above shows the space where they were.
: I guess I should do a plan of the 9th floor machine area in the MC era (from the XGP, around through where MC was); that [[:File:9th floor techsquare.png|hacked map]] is really somewhat inaccurate, when it comes to that era. (I see the captions of Brou's pictures have been updated at the CHM - did you point them at my annotated list?) [[User:Jnc|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc|talk]]) 17:22, 12 November 2024 (CET)