XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, comp.text.pdf, alt.comp.os.windows-10   
   From: this@ddress.is.invalid   
      
   Paul  wrote:   
   > On Wed, 3/5/2025 9:39 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:   
   > > Carlos E.R.  wrote:   
   > > [...]   
   > >> I can not read punched cards.   
   > >>   
   > >> The lab at uni used them just the year before me. I never had to use   
   > >> cards or punched paper tape.   
   > >>   
   > >> :-D   
   > >   
   > >   I had colleagues who could - visually - read ASCII paper tapes. And   
   > > another one could visually read 9-track magtape, when the magnetzation   
   > > was made visible by some kind of fluid.   
   > >   
   > > [...]   
   > >   
   > When you use paper tape regularly, you learn how to recognize   
   > end of record marks. When a tape load reports a read error,   
   > you can roll back a record and retry, which takes less time   
   > than loading the paper tape all over again. Learning to do that,   
   > is a "survival mechanism" :-)   
      
     Indeed! When we were 'generating' (installing) an HP RTE (Real Time   
   Executive) system, we needed to load dozens of paper tapes, each of   
   which came in a about 10x10cm box, so rather long papertapes. When you   
   got a 'checksum error', which you were nearly guaranteed to get, you   
   didn't want to start all over again.   
      
     The system was installed *to* disk, but the (binaries) input came from   
   paper tape. Later we got disk drives with a fixed disk and a removable   
   diskpack, so we got 'Grandfather' diskpacks to generate a system,   
   instead of using papertape. Bliss!   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)