DECUS 12 BIT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWSLETTER

This DECUS 12 Bit SIG Newsletter (March 1977, Number 21) provides updates on upcoming events, technical issues, and user contributions for PDP-8 and 12-bit systems.

It announces a strong lineup for the Spring DECUS Symposium in Boston, including sessions on PDP-8 products, OS/8, DECNET/8, RTS/8, and the IM6100 microprocessor. The newsletter addresses member complaints about slow delivery times, indicating DEC is exploring options like Second Class mail or user charges to improve service and solicits feedback on this. Technical discussions cover solutions for static electricity, the successful refurbishment of an old PDP-8/I by TPL (Traditional Products Line), and a historical list of 12-bit DEC products.

User-contributed items include OS/12 FORTRAN IV display and disk routines, a report on SANDIA FOCAL-77 (an extended FOCAL system), and various OS/8 patches and concerns. Jim Van Zee details fixes for OS/8 LPT: formfeeds and U/W-FOCAL updates, while Jerome Vuoso expresses frustration over DEC's support for small CLASSIC users and the slow evolution of OS/8. The newsletter also outlines DEC's planned resolution for the "OS/8 Date Problem" in the upcoming V3D release, introducing extended date words. Other topics include a FORTRAN IV bug fix, explanations of DECNET/8 and MACREL (a new macro assembler), a comprehensive guide to the experimental 'SET' command for OS/8 V3C, and discussions on RK05 directory overflow solutions. Finally, it provides a detailed overview of the TCS/8 Time-Share system for PDP-8/e and /f computers, including its features, hardware requirements, and available software.