DECUS 12 BIT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWSLETTER, Number 31, November 1978

This newsletter from November 1978 provides updates and technical discussions for the DECUS 12 Bit Special Interest Group. It includes administrative information such as contact details for the coordinator and European liaison, submission guidelines for the bi-monthly newsletter, and lists members of various SIG committees and working groups.

Key technical announcements include the availability of OS/8 RUNOFF V6 (DECUS 8-880) as a standard text formatting program, with the coordinator recommending it for machine-readable documentation submissions. There's also information regarding FORTRAN Double Precision support on OS/8, including a reference to a multiple-precision subroutine package. The document provides detailed notes, patches, and insights into various OS/8 system components, such as the Monitor, Handlers, CCL, FOTP, FUTIL, SRCCOM, PAL8, CREF, and a date fix for U/W-FOCAL. Extensive documentation for MACREL macro libraries (MACLIB) and LNKLIB relocatable libraries is included, covering macros for OS/8 communication, batch interaction, control C handling, I/O, error handling, and logical operations.

User contributions form a significant part, featuring:

• Acknowledgements for information on PDP-8 compatible cross-assemblers.
• A workaround for an alphabetized directory issue in DIRECT /A.
• Discussions on the lack of compatibility among various PDP-8 operating systems (OS/8, OS/78, WPS-8) and a call for standardization.
• A method for creating parametrized batch files in OS/8 using MUNG macros.
• Detailed procedures and a UWFOCAL program for moving data between PDP-8 (OS/8) and PDP-11 (RT/11) diskettes.
• Offers of surplus hardware, including PDP-12 systems, LINC-8s, and PDP-8A memory boards, alongside requests for software like Inventory Management Programs and a TC58 Magtape handler.
• Patches for CREF14 and a discovery about the PDP-8A's 7014 instruction facilitating relocatable programs.
• A request for an auto-answer modem with a passive current-loop interface for a PDP 8-I.
• The introduction of "The '8' Men" group and their "BASIC OS" release, an augmented ETOS version offering modified LOGIN, a simplified OS/8 monitor, and user account management for PDP-8 users.

Finally, the newsletter announces DECUS's new headquarters address in Marlboro and updated contact extensions.