From Newsgroup: comp.sys.unisys

On Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 3:48:18rC>PM UTC-7, Duncan Fenton wrote:

Hi,
I was the lead developer of the CMS (internally SL9) MCP working in Cumbernauld from 1972 thru 1978. The SL9 software (MCP, compilers, utilities) was planned from the start to run on B80 (Cumbernauld), B800 (Downingtown) and B1800 (Liege) series. That was achieved by each plant writing a suite of microcoded interpreters to emulate the same virtual machine for compiled COBOL and MPL bytecodes. [This concept is now used for the Java Virtual Machine and others.] The MCP kernel was hand coded (in microcode) at each participating plant to a common spec - the "SL9 virtual machine".

Have you kept any documentation, or software?
I'm trying to fill in my documentation collection from the product series and I have almost nothing on the later machines.
Oddly, I did come across schematic sets.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.unisys

On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8:27:58rC>AM UTC-7, Al Kossow wrote:

On Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 3:48:18rC>PM UTC-7, Duncan Fenton wrote:

Hi,
I was the lead developer of the CMS (internally SL9) MCP working in Cumbernauld from 1972 thru 1978. The SL9 software (MCP, compilers, utilities) was planned from the start to run on B80 (Cumbernauld), B800 (Downingtown) and B1800 (Liege) series. That was achieved by each plant writing a suite of microcoded interpreters to emulate the same virtual machine for compiled COBOL and MPL bytecodes. [This concept is now used for the Java Virtual Machine and others.] The MCP kernel was hand coded (in microcode) at each participating plant to a common spec - the "SL9 virtual machine".

Have you kept any documentation, or software?

I'm trying to fill in my documentation collection from the product series and I have almost nothing on the later machines.
Oddly, I did come across schematic sets.

CHM recently received several binders full of sales brochures for the CMS and accounting machine products. I've been working on scanning them and uploading to http://bitsavers.org/pdf/burroughs. This information doesn't appear to be available anywhere else on the web.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.unisys

Al Kossow <aek@bitsavers.org> writes:

On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8:27:58=E2=80=AFAM UTC-7, Al Kossow wrote:

On Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 3:48:18=E2=80=AFPM UTC-7, Duncan Fenton wr= >ote:=20

Hi,=20
I was the lead developer of the CMS (internally SL9) MCP working in Cum= >bernauld from 1972 thru 1978. The SL9 software (MCP, compilers, utilities) = >was planned from the start to run on B80 (Cumbernauld), B800 (Downingtown) = >and B1800 (Liege) series. That was achieved by each plant writing a suite o= >f microcoded interpreters to emulate the same virtual machine for compiled = >COBOL and MPL bytecodes. [This concept is now used for the Java Virtual Mac= >hine and others.] The MCP kernel was hand coded (in microcode) at each part= >icipating plant to a common spec - the "SL9 virtual machine".=20

Have you kept any documentation, or software?=20
=20
I'm trying to fill in my documentation collection from the product series=

and I have almost nothing on the later machines.=20

Oddly, I did come across schematic sets.

CHM recently received several binders full of sales brochures for the CMS a= >nd accounting machine products. I've been working on scanning them and uplo= >ading to http://bitsavers.org/pdf/burroughs. This information doesn't appea= >r to be available anywhere else on the web.

Hm. That's the first time I've heard of the B4500, I had thought that the high-end medium systems started with the B4700; granted the B4800 had been
in service for a few years when I started at Pasadena.

I have one of the C3316 calculators (nixie tubes) which still works,
albeit some of the keys are sticky (shown in the products of burroughs 1967).


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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.unisys

scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:

Al Kossow <aek@bitsavers.org> writes:

On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8:27:58=E2=80=AFAM UTC-7, Al Kossow wrote:

On Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 3:48:18=E2=80=AFPM UTC-7, Duncan Fenton wr= >>ote:=20

Hi,=20
I was the lead developer of the CMS (internally SL9) MCP working in Cum= >>bernauld from 1972 thru 1978. The SL9 software (MCP, compilers, utilities) = >>was planned from the start to run on B80 (Cumbernauld), B800 (Downingtown) = >>and B1800 (Liege) series. That was achieved by each plant writing a suite o= >>f microcoded interpreters to emulate the same virtual machine for compiled = >>COBOL and MPL bytecodes. [This concept is now used for the Java Virtual Mac= >>hine and others.] The MCP kernel was hand coded (in microcode) at each part= >>icipating plant to a common spec - the "SL9 virtual machine".=20

Have you kept any documentation, or software?=20
=20
I'm trying to fill in my documentation collection from the product series= >> and I have almost nothing on the later machines.=20
Oddly, I did come across schematic sets.

CHM recently received several binders full of sales brochures for the CMS a= >>nd accounting machine products. I've been working on scanning them and uplo= >>ading to http://bitsavers.org/pdf/burroughs. This information doesn't appea= >>r to be available anywhere else on the web.

Hm. That's the first time I've heard of the B4500, I had thought that the >high-end medium systems started with the B4700; granted the B4800 had been
in service for a few years when I started at Pasadena.

Ah, I've been informed that the B4500 was the planned name, but by the
time it went to FCS (First Customer Ship) it had been renamed from
the B4500 to the B4700 (and core memory had been replaced by
semiconductor memory).
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