Versions of important ITS software
A shorter title would be appreciated.
An attempt to bring together information from various sources, about version numbers for prominent ITS and pre-ITS software. This includes references to version number and/or dating information, even though the code itself is no longer available. Such data items are marked "version", whereas preserved files are marked "source" or "binary" (as applicable).
Many programs were created on the PDP-6 (or PDP-1, or TX-0) before ITS, and were gradually or abruptly migrated to run under time-sharing. The non-timesharing versions are marked with "NTS".
Contents
A note about ITS program versions
Version numbers for ITS and related software do not work exactly like we are used to today, where a version number is associated with a release of a program whose code is fixed. The ITS version numbers are more like file edit versions, or build numbers. A program takes its version from the source file version. When in use, the binary is updated with binary patches, and those updates are also noted on the paper listing, and/or in the source file. At some point, a fresh new binary is built from the source file, which may at that point have added one to the version, or sometimes more if intermediate edits were made.
ITS
Since there are hundreds of versions of ITS, this table focuses on preserved files and version information below version 688. From then on, comprehensive ITS version history has been recorded in the backup database. See ITS versions
| Source | Version | Dating | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sussman paper listing | 138 | 1967 | source |
| "TSB" DECtape listing | 265A | version | |
| "TS1"-"TS6" DECtape listings | 331-346 | version | |
| AI memo 161 | 350 | 1968-06 | version |
| AI memo 169 | 444 | 1968-12-08 | version |
| AI memo 170 | 454 | 1969-01 | version |
| "FW1", "FW4" DECtape listings | 527 | version | |
| AI memo 161A | 530 | 1969-07-14 | version |
| Article | 549 | 1969-11-01 | version |
| ToTS 3100150 | 671 | <1971-04-01 | binary |
| ToTS 3100150 | 672-674 | <1971-04-01 | source |
| ToTS 3100151 | 715 | 1972-02-04 | binary |
| ToTS 3100151 | 717 | 1972-03-02 | binary |
| ToTS 3100151 | 719 | 1972-03-22 | binary |
| ToTS 3100151 | 720 | 1972-03-30 | source |
| ToTS 3100151 | 722 | 1972-04-13 | source |
| ToTS 3100151 | 723 | 1972-04-14 | source |
| ToTS 3100151 | 724 | 1972-04-14 | binary |
| ToTS 3100151 | 724 | 1972-04-14 | binary |
| ToTS 3100151 | 724 | 1972-04-15 | source |
DDT
DDT by that name was first created on the RLE PDP-1, but even before that the UT3 program on the TX-0 was a similar type of program.
The history of DDT on the AI lab PDP-6 is somewhat muddled. There first was a non-timesharing DDT; it was still in use later, mostly for booting and debugging ITS. The timesharing DDT evolved from NTS DDT, but the latter received some updates over the years. The most obvious link is the DECtape "@ HACTRN" file which is clearly NTS DDT ported over to make timesharing system calls rather than direct IOT instructions. There is also the matter that HACTRN was initially envisioned by Greenblatt to be an entirely unrelated program with an interface more similar to TECO. However, Knight's "multi procedure DDT" won out. Most files called HACTRN are DDT, but some might be code from the other.
This table lists versions up to 285, after which there are plenty of files preserved in the ToTS archive.
| Source | Version | Dating | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samson "Subway" DECtape, part of @ LISP | 1966? | binary, NTS | |
| Greenblatt "cruft" DECtape, @ OPDDT | binary, NTS | ||
| ToTS 3100150, SYSENG;NTSDDT N77F | source, NTS | ||
| Samson DECtape "RandomSystem", @ HACTRN | binary, NTS | ||
| AI memo 147 | 1968-01 | ||
| Greenblatt DECtape "TSB" listing, TSDDT 64 | 64 | version | |
| AI memo 169 | 156 | 1968-12-08 | version |
| AI memo 161A | 198 | 1969-07-14 | version |
| SYS; @ HACTRN | 218 | binary | |
| SYS; OLD HACTRN | 221 | binary | |
| FW; DDT DUMP | 256 | 1971-02-05 | binary |
| SYSBIN; ATSIGN O2HACT | 263 | binary | |
| SYSBIN; ATSIGN HACTRN | 269 | binary | |
| SYSBIN; DDT SYSSSS | 272 | binary | |
| AI memo 215 | 274 | 1971-04-?? | |
| SYS; ATSIGN OOHACT | 275 | binary | |
| SYSENG; DDT 279 | 279 | source | |
| SYS; ATSIGN OHACTR | 281 | binary | |
| SYSENG; DDT 283 | 283 | source | |
| SYSENG; DDT 284 | 284 | source | |
| SYSENG; DDT 285 | 285 | source |
TECO
| Source | Version | Dating | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDP-1 TECO | 1962 | ||
| PDP-6 memo 2 | 1964 | ||
| Greenblatt "cruft" DECtape | binary, NTS | ||
| ToTS 310015, .;@ TECO | binary, NTS | ||
| "TSB" DECtape listing | 64 | version | |
| "TEC" DECtape listing | 105-116 | version | |
| "TE2" DECtape listing | 103-114 | version | |
| SYSENG;TECO 132 | 132 | 1969-01-22 | source |
| .INFO.;TECO RECENT | 158 | 1969-10-26 | version |
| AI memo 194 | 175 | 1970-04 | version |
| Samson M79 DECtape | 186 | 1970? | binary |
| ToTS 3100150 | 187 | 1970-03 | source |
| AI memo 147A | 206 | 1971-09 | version |
MIDAS
| Source | Version | Dating | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX-0 MIDAS | |||
| PDP-1 MIDAS | |||
| Samson DECtape "RandomSystem", MIDAS 16K | binary, NTS | ||
| Greenblatt DECtape "Cruft", @ MIDAS | binary, NTS | ||
| .; @ MIDAS | 1972 | binary, NTS | |
| RFC 254 (MIT-DM) | 39 | 1971-10 | version |
| .INFO.; MIDAS RCENT? | 41 | 1969-06-21 | version |
| SYS; TS LMIDAS | 43 | 1971 | binary |
| SYS; TS OMMIDA | 63 | 1971 | binary |
| MUDDLE; TS MIDAS | 73 | 1973 | binary |
| SYSENG; MIDAS 74 | 74 | source | |
| SYSENG; MIDAS 75 | 75 | 1971-03-11 | source |
| AI memo 147A | 75 | 1971-10 | version |
| SYSENG; MIDAS 76 | 76 | 1971-09-18 | source |
| BACKUP; TS OOMIDA | 76 | 1972 | binary |
| BACKUP; TS OOMMID | 76 | 1972 | binary |
| SYSENG; MIDAS 77 | 77 | 1972-01-22 | source |
| BACKUP; TS OMIDAS | 77 | 1972-04-19 | binary |
| BACKUP; TS OLMIDA | 77 | 1972 | binary |
| BACKUP; TS OMMIDA | 77 | 1972 | binary |
| SYSENG; MIDAS 78 | 78 | 1972-04-18 | source |
| SYSBIN; MMIDAS BIN | 78 | 1972-04-19 | binary |
| INFO; MIDAS ARCHIV | 94 | 1972-07-10 | version |
| INFO; MIDAS ARCHIV | 96 | 1972-08-10 | version |
| INFO; MIDAS ARCHIV | 98 | 1972-08-13 | version |
| SYSBIN; MIDAS BIN | 98 | 1972-10-08 | binary |
| INFO; MIDAS ARCHIV | 103 | 1973-02-11 | version |
| INFO; MIDAS ARCHIV | 108 | 1973-03-06 | version |
| SYSENG; MIDAS 108 | 108 | 1973 | source |
| SYSBIN; LMIDAS BIN | 108 | 1973-03-07 | binary |
| SYSBIN; MIDAS BIN | 108 | 1973-03-08 | binary |
| SYS; TS LMIDAS | 108 | 1973-03-08 | binary |
| INFO; MIDAS ARCHIV | 113 | 1973-03-27 | version |
| SYS; TS OMIDAS | 114 | 1973-03-31 | binary |
| INFO; MIDAS ARCHIV | 119 | 1973-04-08 | version |
| SYSENG; MIDAS 120 | 120 | 1973-04-16 | |
| INFO; MIDAS ARCHIV | 121 | 1973-04-20 | version |
| SYSBIN; MIDAS BIN | 121 | 1973-05-25 | binary |
| INFO; MIDAS ARCHIV | 123 | 1973-06-07 | version |
| INFO; MIDAS ARCHIV | 135 | 1974-04-01 | version |
| SYSBIN; MIDAS 135BIN | 135 | 1974-03-26 | binary |
LISP
LISP on ITS is Maclisp, meaning Project MAC LISP. It started as an implementation of the original LISP 1.5 to the PDP-6, initially running out of timesharing (since ITS didn't exist yet). It was called PDP-6 LISP, but slightly after it was made to run under timesharing, the name Maclisp came into use.
| Source | Version | Dating | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI memo 79 | 1965-06 | ||
| "TM2" DECtape listing | 39-41 | version | |
| "YX1" DECtape listing | 41 | version | |
| Samson "Subway" DECtape | binary | ||
| LISP;LISP 97 | 97 | 1969-02-02 | source |
| .INFO.;LISP INFO | 104 | 1969-04-25 | version |
| Article | 107 | 1969-11-01 | version |
| ToTS 3100150 | 131 | 1971 | source |
