The Soul Of An Old Machine

THE SOUL OF AN OLD MACHINE

Clive B. Dawson
(C) 1984

I started work for the University  Computation Center in 1975 as a  systems

programmer for the  DEC-10, just  a couple of  months after  it arrived  on

campus.  My previous experience  with a DEC-10 had  ended when I  graduated

from Stevens Tech.  Since then, I had spent four rather painful years doing

graduate work on a CDC 6600 system for which I had to learn how to keypunch

again.  I welcomed  the arrival of  the 10  with the joy  of someone  being

released from prison.  I  can't begin to  count the hours  I spent on  that

system--well over 10,000 connect hours-- developing software for it, fixing

bugs, and helping users.  In turn, it helped produce dissertations for both

my wife and me, and  was an endless source of  fun and relaxation as  well.

(It was also  responsible for  extending my  graduate school  career by  at

least four years!)

The KI processor had  served the campus  well for seven  and a half  years.

Now the user population was drifting over  to the two new DEC-20's, and  it

was only a  matter of  time before the  rising maintenance  costs could  no

longer be justified.  A flurry  of last-minute rescue efforts followed  the

announcement that  the  system would  have  to  be shut  down.   It  seemed

incomprehensible that  a  perfectly  good machine  would  be  removed  from

service given  the chronic  state  of saturation  common to  most  computer

systems on most university  campuses.  The efforts  failed, and on  October

31, 1982, the DECsystem-10 at the University of Texas at Austin was  turned

off for the last time.

The event did not pass without due  ceremony.  We held a farewell party  on

that Halloween Sunday,  well attended by  current and ex  staff members  as

well  as  a  few  users.   Many  brought  cameras  to  record  a  vanishing

breed--they don't make  'em with lights  anymore.  In one  of the  stranger

moments we cranked up the PTP: and had paper tape (might as well use it up)

and scratch magtape  draped all over  the place.  The  laughing and  joking

helped.  Many of us on the staff had built up an extremely close-knit group

over the  years which  had slowly  drifted apart  as new  machines and  new

responsibilites came  along.   This "wake"  had  a good  cathartic  effect,

bringing us together at a  time when we needed  to share feelings that  had

hit us harder than we might have cared to admit.

I wondered about  the users--all  the faceless  people scattered  througout

dozens of  small  offices and  terminal  rooms throughout  the  campus--the

complete opposite of our  small, close-knit staff.   Were they feeling  the

same emotions?  If so, who could each of them share with?

At home very late that night, I felt the urge to dial up one last time.  As

I went through  my normal  routine of checking  mail, the  Bboard, and  the

various system  mailboxes, I  discovered something  completely  unexpected.

During the last few hours users had  logged in and sent mail to the  bboard

and to other  system mailboxes like  Operator.  The curious  thing is  that

these people had no  way of knowing  that anybody would  ever be around  to

read these messages.   They were, in  the best way  they knew how,  sharing

their feelings  directly  with  the  machine.  Some  of  the  messages  are

reproduced here as I found them, with only the senders' names altered.

. From: R. B.

. Subject: Dec10

. To: GRIPE

Farewell DEC10 and thank you!

. From: [4435,244]

. Subject: The death of a friend

. To: Bboard

Goodbye, DEC-10, you've been a great friend and co-worker.  I'm

going to miss you for a long time.  I feel worse than when they

killed Hal in 2001.

. From: B. J.

. Subject: November the 2 is too late

. To: Bboard

it feels like this is the end of an old friend.  who says

computers haven't got any personality?

. From: GVCE333

. Subject: Good-Bye old paint

. To: Bboard

The glue factory beckons...   Sigh!

. From: [1276,1]

. Subject: Good-bye, DEC-10

. To: Bboard

As a well-spent day bring happy sleep,

        so life well used brings happy death.

                Leonardo Da Vinci, 1452-1519

                        Notebooks [c. 1500]

 

DEC-10, you've been a good and faithful (for the most part)

servant and companion.  Farewell.

. From: BSAB553

. Subject: bye

. To: GRIPE

This is last "bye" to the DEC 10; too bad. I liked the DEC 10

better than the DEC 20. I find it hard to believe that this

system could not have been supported to some extent... So long

forever!

. From: LSDT141

. Subject: Bye

. To: OPERATOR

BYE BYE FAITHFUL FRIEND - THE DEC-10

. From: C

. Subject: Farewell

. To: Operator

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light...

The next day, one more message appeared on the DEC-20 Bboard:

Date:  1 Nov 1982 2133-CST

From: P.M.

Subject: the death of the dec-10

To: bboard

I was there till the bitter end.  First, the one or two

faithful logged on via the micom were detached and

automatically logged off.  As the only telephone hook-up, I

was privileged to be at his side a little longer.  I fondly

reread the last farewells of those who had cared enough to

write a bboard message.  Then I, too, was detached and logged

off.  But even then the DEC-10 lingered on.  Systat and help

functioned for several more minutes until the operator sent

the last message I or anyone will ever receive from the

DEC-10:

Time sharing is over permanently! Good-bye.

The stone has been rolled in front of the grave, my friends.

        The DEC-10 is no more.

---------------------------------------

About six months later  in St. Louis  I heard DEC announce  the end of  the

36-bit systems.   I wondered  then how  many times  in the  next few  years

the events told here would be repeated.

Recently I had  occasion to visit  the machine  room where the  old KI  had

stood.  On one side of the room was a shiny new VAX 11/780.  The other side

of the room had boxes  of IBM PC's stacked  to the ceiling.  Someday  these

machines would be old too.  But somehow I knew that they would never have a

day for themselves like Halloween of 1982.  They don't make 'em with  souls

anymore.

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