PS/8 NEWSLETTER

This document is the second issue of the PS/8 Special Interest Group Newsletter, published in January 1972. It serves as an informal platform for sharing information, tips, ideas, and program availability for PS/8 users.

Key updates include the imminent release of PS/8 Version 2 (V2), which will offer bug fixes and improvements, with ordering details to follow. The distribution policy for PS/8 Monitor and Command Decoder source code and listings has been revised, now requiring users to commit to internal use only due to restrictions. Modifications to these core programs must be submitted as binary files, overlays, or patch procedures, rather than source code. DEC is also actively collecting a "Wish List" of user ideas for future PS/8 improvements.

The newsletter lists currently available non-standard device handlers (e.g., for KV8, TC58/TU20, Centronics 101 Printer) and notes handlers under development for the PDP-12 Scope and SYKES 100 Compucorder. It details a comprehensive list of PS/8-related programs newly available from DECUS, including various editors, file utilities, text formatting tools, and FORTRAN library routines. Additionally, it mentions programs submitted to DECUS, such as PS/8 FOCAL, and utilities for DECtape labeling and directory listing.

The document also discusses challenges and techniques for running PS/8 on the PDP-12, including ongoing experiments with PAL8 for DIAL code. A "Work Being Done" section outlines programs under development, such as an 8K MACRO-8, a binary disassembler, a macro expander, PDP-10 DECtape interchange, and various language implementations. The "Hints and Kinks" section provides a concise bootstrap procedure for cold starting PS/8 systems and offers detailed instructions and code for bootstrapping arbitrary monitors and LINCtape PS-8 systems.