FORTY YEARS!

[Bill Campbell]

On Sat, Nov 02, 2019, Bob Rasmussen wrote:

>I had something similar, maybe HP 41C? Printer was a side option, I think.
>I modelled my business income on it.

The HP-97 was fairly large for a calculator with a full 10-key
keyboard that was easy to use with one-hand, and heavy enough
that it didn't scoot away.  At the time (late '60s), it was HP's
top programmable calculator.

	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-67/-97

>Here's an interesting question for all: what have you programmed that's not
>a computer, per se? I can think of:
>
>* Programmable calculator
>* Daisywheel printer
>* Laser printer
>* Dot matrix printer
>* VCR
>* Thermostat
>* Light switch
>* Modem
>* Router

All the above plus:
   * IBM and Burroughs key punches.
   * Various terminals
   * TV Remote Controls

My first work on a computer was in February 1966 on a Bendix G-20 mainframe
at Bendix Radio in Towson MD.  I was given a deck of cards with a program
that was very slow, a McGracken FORTRAN manual, access to the computer room
with an IBM 026 key punch, instructions on how to submit jobs, and asked to
see if I could make the run faster.  The program when I got it took about
25 minutes per run doing math calculations including calling a subroutine
about 35,000 times per run.  The person who wrote wasn't a programmer and
proud of it.  He took the square root of PI/2 every iteration of that
subroutine.  I calculated it once, put it in COMMON storage, and cut the
run time to about five minutes.

>On Sat, 2 Nov 2019, Bill Campbell via Filepro-list wrote:
>
>> On Fri, Nov 01, 2019, Bob Rasmussen via Filepro-list wrote:
>> > FORTY YEARS! I've been in the software business forty years today, first as
>> > Rasmussen and Associates and later as Rasmussen Software Inc. I started out
>> > by purchasing a desk, a typewriter, an answering machine, and a 2-line phone.
>> > Not even a computer.
>> 
>> Congratulations Bob!  40 years ago, the closest thing I had to a
>> computer in my business has an HP-97 calculator which was less
>> expensive than a Radio Shack Model I, and had a builti-in thermal
>> printer and used programs stored on magnetic strips (which I
>> still have).
>> 
>> ...
>> 
>> Bill
>> -- 
>> INTERNET:   bill at celestial.com  Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC
>> URL: http://www2.celestial.com/ 6641 E. Mercer Way
>> Mobile:         (206) 947-5591  PO Box 820
>> Fax:            (206) 232-9186  Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820
>> 
>> To disarm the people is the most effectual way to enslave them.
>>   -- George Mason
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>
>Regards,
>....Bob Rasmussen,   President,   Rasmussen Software, Inc.
>
>personal e-mail: ras at anzio.com
> company e-mail: rsi at anzio.com
>          voice: (US) 503-624-0360 (9:00-6:00 Pacific Time)
>            fax: (US) 503-624-0760
>            web: http://www.anzio.com
> street address: Rasmussen Software, Inc.
>                 10240 SW Nimbus, Suite L9
>                 Portland, OR  97223  USA
>

-- 
Bill
-- 
INTERNET:   bill at celestial.com  Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC
URL: http://www2.celestial.com/ 6641 E. Mercer Way
Mobile:         (206) 947-5591  PO Box 820
Fax:            (206) 232-9186  Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820

If you want government to intervene domestically, you're a liberal.  If you
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