DECUS 12 BIT Special Interest Group Newsletter #23 - July 1977

This DECUS Newsletter provides updates on various DEC products and community activities. Key announcements include the upcoming OS/8 V3D release, a maintenance update addressing bugs and a "date problem," and the MACREL assembler, expected to be released in Fall 1977. The new DECstation 78, an LSI PDP-8 with video terminal and floppy disks (VT78/RX78), is detailed, including its I/O ports, electronic program injection (EPI) for ROM loading, and the customized OS/78 software package. The KT8A 128K Memory Expansion Control is described as a KM8e replacement, enabling 64K/128K addressing with DMA relocation, primarily for PDP-8A systems.

DECUS committee discussions covered the Spring Symposium wrap-up, revealing concerns about DEC's communication and cooperation. The Library Committee addressed program packages, media conversion, catalog improvements, and potential price increases, facing challenges with PDP-12 system reliability for internal operations. The Publications Committee debated controversial proposals for charging for newsletters, mailing list maintenance, and the discontinuation of DECUScope, highlighting significant user dissatisfaction with existing back-issue fees.

Extensive notes on RTS/8 Version 3 outline planned restructuring with MACREL, KT8-A support, a faster TTY handler, and numerous proposed enhancements for task management, messaging, and system control. User contributions include a list of recent DECUS Program Library submissions, such as graphics handlers, random number generators, math subroutines, educational programs, and plotting utilities. Discussions also cover the complexities of programming the FPP-12, FORTRAN IV library default device patches, DECtapes formatting, and a string-to-number conversion subroutine for BASIC.

The newsletter also features a comprehensive section on "Bugs, Problems, and Questions for OS/8 - RTS/8 Users," detailing unresolved issues with PAL8, BATCH, FORTRAN IV, CCL commands, and hardware interfaces. Information is provided on the VIURAM-8/12 video terminal interface, Bill Haygood's multi-user OS/8 executive system, MULTI8 networking developments, and DEC10 communication for PDP-8 to PDP-10 connectivity. User feedback includes critiques on high-level languages (FOCAL, BASIC, FORTRAN IV), discussions on memory expansion beyond 32K, and a "Login for OS/8" capability. The document concludes with a DECNET overview, outlining the status of its protocols and feature availability across various DEC machines.