It I were starting to build a ma- chine from surplus parts, I think I would choose the PDP-8 instruc- tion set-- August 1968, page 2
DEC recently announced the PDP-8/L, a stripped-down model ot the PDP-8. The interfacing cirouits have been removed, and only a TTY can be used for I/O. The memory is 4K, with a maximum of 8K. Price is $8500, or $1500 less than the PDP-8. As to a PDP-8/S kit, DEC says that there is the question of their re- sponsability to the kit buyer. What happens if he can't make the kit work? Does he ship it back to the manufacturer, like a Heathkit, and get it fixed up for a priceL Also, if the back panel is fur- nished pre-wired, how can the kit cost much below the assembled and tested price, because there isn't much to the assembly. And if the back-panel weren't pre-wired, how long would it take a man to go crazy trying to wire it all him- self? DEC says the only practical place for a kit is the power sup- ply, which is handwired.-- August 1968, page 4
A new 425-page book, "Introduction to Programming," is available free from DEC as the latest in their Small Computer Handbook Series. It is oriented toward the PDP-8 fam- ily of oomputers, of which over 3500 are in operation.-- December 1968, pages 3 and 4
"Read-Only Memory Loads Process Computer," by Marcon and Rosbo- rough (Control Engineering, Feb. 1969, pp 89-9l), shows how one group ot users solved the problem of setting the initiating code by buildlng a read-only memory (ROM) to enter the read-in mode (RIM) instructions into a PDP-8, or 8/s. You probably aren't in a position to really need this ROM, but the details are interesting, and "readers are invited to contact the authors tor more detail."-- April 1969, page 4