[Ansteorra] Forum

[mikea]

On Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 12:47:23PM -0500, Eadric Anstapa wrote:
> There are people that old still alive?
> =-O
> 
> -EA
> 
> Richard Threlkeld wrote:
> > First programmed in 1964 in Fortran on what they called mainframes at the
> > time and on minis (including NCR 500, IBM 1620, 1130, ...). In 1967, I also
> > did the plug board stuff on IBM 407, IBM 650, ... .
> > Caelin

Very much so. 

My first program ran on the IBM 1620 in the Space Science Lab at Rice, 
back in October 1964. Then I started working at the NASA Manned Space-
craft Center's Data Reduction Complex in Building 12, working all the 
Gemini shots and the preliminary Apollo stuff up through the fire in 
the Apollo I spacecraft[1]. I left there at the end of February 1967.

I wrote code for CDC 160A and 160G, 1604, 3200, 3600, and 3600 
computers in FORTRAN and in COMPASS assembler. 

It was my first job ever, and it was by _far_ the best job I have ever
had. 

I'm only 61 and some months -- that's not old. 

[1]  I was the guy who ran the biomedical tapes out to strip charts 
     and handed them to the NASA surgeons for evaluation. 

-- 
Mike Andrews        /   Michael Fenwick    Barony of Namron, Ansteorra
mikea at mikea.ath.cx  /   Amateur Extra radio operator W5EGO
Tired old music Laurel; Chirurgeon; SCAdian since AS XI