Difference between revisions of "PDP-10"

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* [http://www.avanthar.com/healyzh/decemulation/pdp10emu.html The DEC PDP-10 Emulation Webpage]
 
* [http://www.avanthar.com/healyzh/decemulation/pdp10emu.html The DEC PDP-10 Emulation Webpage]
* [http://pdp10.nocrew.org/gcc/ PDP-10 support for GCC]
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* [http://pdp10.nocrew.org nocrew's PDP-10 stuff]
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** [http://pdp10.nocrew.org/docs/pdp6-ka10.diffs.txt PDP-6/KA10 Differences]
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** [http://pdp10.nocrew.org/gcc/ PDP-10 support for GCC]
 
* [http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp10/ Bitsavers documents.]
 
* [http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp10/ Bitsavers documents.]
  

Revision as of 00:49, 26 January 2021

A PDP-10 1090

A series of large, 36-bit word mainframe-like systems built by DEC. They were basically a re-implementation of the earlier PDP-6 architecture, whose hardware engineering had been a failure. (The machines were so similar at the programming level that PDP-6 object code could run on a PDP-10.)

DEC sold 4 different generations of PDP-10 processors: the KA10, the KI10, the KL10, and the KS10. The first three were marketed as the DECsystem-10, running the TOPS-10 operating system; the third was also sold as the DECSYSTEM-20, running TOPS-20. (The varying capitalization was the result of a trademark infringment suit.)

Two other very important operating systems also ran on PDP-10's: MIT's ITS (a very advanced system, from whence came EMACS, and much more besides), and TENEX, which DEC later turned into TOPS-20.

PDP-10 ad

PDP-10s were very important machines on the early Internet, being one of the few (relatively!) cheaply available machines which could run a full NCP and later TCP/IP stack as a multi-user environment at the time.

They still have a large following today. There are several good simulators available, notably SIMH and KLH10.

Cancelled projects

The 36-bit line was cancelled many times. The PDP-6 was difficult to manufacture and maintain, and only 23 were sold; it was cancelled not long after its introduction. However, it made a comeback as the PDP-10, which was a success.

  • KXF10 "Dolphin", cancelled around 1978.
  • KT20 "Minnow", cancelled around 1979.
  • KC10 "Jupiter", cancelled 1983.
  • KD10

Clones

Commercial

  • Foonly: F-1, F2, F3, F4, F5 (unfinished)
  • Systems Concepts: SC-30M, SC-40
  • Tymshare: System 26, System 26KL.
  • CompuServe: JRG-1 (unfinished)
  • XKL: TOAD-1, TOAD-2

Hobbyist recreations

Software simulators

See also

External links