From: lynnmcguire5@gmail.com   
      
   On 12/26/2025 10:28 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:   
   > Michael S  writes:   
   >> On Thu, 25 Dec 2025 02:00:16 -0600   
   >> Lynn McGuire  wrote:   
   >>   
   >   
   >>>>> Did C never work on the 6 bit machines such as the Univac 1108 (36   
   >>>>> bit) =20   
   >>>> =20   
   >>>> Yes, there is a C compiler for the Univac machines.   The byte size   
   >>>> is 9 bits. =20   
   >>> =20   
   >>> I get the feeling that you are messing with me.  That would be four 9=20   
   >>> bit characters per 36 bit word.   
   >   
   > Indeed, that would be the case.   
   >   
   > You know, you can always look this stuff up.   
   >   
   > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIVAC_1100/2200_series#Data_formats   
      
   Wild.  I wrote Fortran IV/66 software on Univac 1108 from 1975 to 1980   
   and never knew that it had quarter word instructions.  We stored 6   
   characters in the 36 bit words (all upper case) until we ported to the   
   IBM 370 in 1978 or 1979 when we had to switch to four characters per word.   
      
   You know, we ported to the Prime 450 in 1977 when we bought one.  If I   
   remember correctly, the Prime was a 32 bit word / 8 bit byte machine so   
   we did the 4 characters max for a integer on that port, not the IBM 370   
   port.  All those years run together now so I am not sure which and what   
   port happened when at all.   
      
   It was a major change in our software and used a lot more ram in storing   
   characters in integer arrays.  We did not move to Fortran 77 until 1990   
   or so since the mainframe vendors charged a lot more to use the F77   
   compiler instead of the F66 compiler, compile time was way slower also.   
      
   Lynn   
      
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