On 2026-08-09 02:39, Stefan Ram wrote:

Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> wrote or quoted:

You'll meet strange creatures who speak of Commodore 64 as the pinnacle
of computer interfaces.

The pinnacle of computer interfaces is the IEEE-488,
and the Pet 2001 supported it.

Originally engineered as Hewlett-Packard's instrumentation bus
(HP-IB), it pioneered a highly reliable, hardware-driven three-wire
handshake that guarantees zero data loss by automatically throttling
communication to the speed of the slowest device on the line.

Capable of chaining up to 15 instruments simultaneously over rugged,
shielded cables with substantial parallel throughput, it bypasses
the unpredictable latencies and CPU-heavy software overhead that
plague modern USB and network stacks.

Even decades later, its sheer resilience against electrical
noise and its plug-and-play simplicity without the need
for bloated software drivers explain why this legendary
interface remains a rock-solid, mission-critical standard in
high-precision laboratory and aerospace environments worldwide.

Is it a coincidence that the connectors look a lot like a scaled-down
IBM channel connector?
--
Lars Poulsen - an old geek in Santa Barbara, California

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 09/08/2026 10:03 PM, Lars Poulsen wrote:

On 2026-08-09 02:39, Stefan Ram wrote:

Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> wrote or
quoted:

You'll meet strange creatures who speak of Commodore 64 as the pinnacle
of computer interfaces.

ÿÿ The pinnacle of computer interfaces is the IEEE-488,
ÿÿ and the Pet 2001 supported it.

ÿÿ Originally engineered as Hewlett-Packard's instrumentation bus
ÿÿ (HP-IB), it pioneered a highly reliable, hardware-driven three-wire
ÿÿ handshake that guarantees zero data loss by automatically throttling
ÿÿ communication to the speed of the slowest device on the line.

ÿÿ Capable of chaining up to 15 instruments simultaneously over rugged,
ÿÿ shielded cables with substantial parallel throughput, it bypasses
ÿÿ the unpredictable latencies and CPU-heavy software overhead that
ÿÿ plague modern USB and network stacks.

ÿÿ Even decades later, its sheer resilience against electrical
ÿÿ noise and its plug-and-play simplicity without the need
ÿÿ for bloated software drivers explain why this legendary
ÿÿ interface remains a rock-solid, mission-critical standard in
ÿÿ high-precision laboratory and aerospace environments worldwide.

That is indeed impressive. I however prefer /creature computer inter-
faces/, rather than direct hardware connectors. I have put my finger in
an oscilloscope, and set the switches to interpret the signal. I was
able to see my finger's so called /static electricity/ but it was far
from static, and writhed on the screen.

I have no idea what that setting was, nor if I can replicate the feat.
As I don't have an oscilloscope at all, and especially not one made in
the 1970s.

I was never able to control the writhing on my screen with my mind. I'm
not that kind of creature.

So how exactly do you communicate with computers through the I.E.E.E.-
488 interface?

Is it a coincidence that the connectors look a lot like a scaled-down
IBM channel connector?

I wouldn't know, as I've never been in the I.B.M. channel.


Happy creature comforts in the weave!
--
Johann | email: invalid -> com | http://www.myrkraverk.com/blog/
I'm not from the Internet, I just work there. | via Easynews.com https://bsky.app/profile/myrkraverk.bsky.social | for ( ;; ) _:;

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 9 Aug 2026 09:39:19 GMT, Stefan Ram regurgitates more AI slop:

Capable of chaining up to 15 instruments simultaneously over
rugged, shielded cables with substantial parallel throughput, it
bypasses the unpredictable latencies and CPU-heavy software
overhead that plague modern USB and network stacks.

Back in the early 1980s, big companies like Boeing and GM proposed
protocols called ?MAP? and ?TOP? to handle real-time communication on
the factory floor. They didn?t trust Ethernet, you see, because it
didn?t seem like it could guarantee reasonable bounds on latency,
throughput etc.

People still laughed at collision-based protocols then. Who?s laughing
now?

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Automation_Protocol>

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Is it a coincidence that the connectors look a lot like a scaled-down
IBM channel connector?

I'm not familiar with a channel connector that's anything like the
common micro-ribbon (Amphenol series 57) connector often used for
GPIB and Centronics printer interfaces.

The PET end didn't use a standard connector; it was a card edge, 0.1"
pitch I think.

De

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 9 Aug 2026 09:39:19 GMT, ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) wrote:

Even decades later, its sheer resilience against electrical
noise and its plug-and-play simplicity without the need
for bloated software drivers explain why this legendary
interface remains a rock-solid, mission-critical standard in
high-precision laboratory and aerospace environments worldwide.

The cable also known as the "garden hose"... "rock-solid" applies to the cable as well!


Thomas Prufer

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Sun, 9 Aug 2026 20:29:15 -0000 (UTC)
Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On 9 Aug 2026 09:39:19 GMT, Stefan Ram regurgitates more AI slop:

Capable of chaining up to 15 instruments simultaneously over
rugged, shielded cables with substantial parallel throughput, it
bypasses the unpredictable latencies and CPU-heavy software
overhead that plague modern USB and network stacks.

Back in the early 1980s, big companies like Boeing and GM proposed
protocols called ?MAP? and ?TOP? to handle real-time communication on
the factory floor. They didn?t trust Ethernet, you see, because it
didn?t seem like it could guarantee reasonable bounds on latency,
throughput etc.

People still laughed at collision-based protocols then. Who?s laughing
now?

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Automation_Protocol>

Vote Betamax!

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)