[SunRescue] Vertical Limit fild computers

[rescue at sunhelp.org]

wstan at localhostnl.demon.nl writes:

>I guess I really know I am "into" computers when I go
>to see a movie and try to figure out what models, OS's
>window managers, etc they are running when they show
>a terminal in a scene.

Oh hell yeah. I was going to start a web site dedicated to those
sightings, but I don't have a TV or VCR, so it would be stupid
for me to attempt that...

I have however, watched the intro scene to "Three Days of the Condor"
a couple of times in slow-motion, figured out exactly what model
PDP-8 that is, and checked what the character in the movie does on
the front panel (comparing her movements with an actual machine I
have access to) to see if it was completely random or not.

She actually does halt the processor, select a different front
panel display setting, then continue the CPU running. It would
technically work. Of course, that was a production environment
with multiple terminals, so you would *never* arbitrarily halt
it from the front panel, but aside from that it was accurate.

I don't actually know what the rest of the movie is about. :-)

--- david fischer --- dave at cca.org --- www.cca.org -----------------------
----------------------- I took one sample and interpolated from there. ---