DECUS 12 BIT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWSLETTER, Number 34, May 1979

This May 1979 issue of the DECUS 12 Bit Special Interest Group (SIG) Newsletter, marking its 8th anniversary as the oldest DECUS SIG, provides a comprehensive update on PDP-8 related activities, software, and administrative matters.

Key highlights include a review of the Spring '79 DECUS Symposium in New Orleans, which revealed significant activity in COS 300/310 and WPS/8 areas. DEC announced a two-year commitment to enhancing COS-310 and DIBOL, and introduced OS/8-V3D and OS/78-V3.0 Device Extension Kits with support for new peripherals like RL01, RX02, and VT-100s, and a virtual handler (VXAO) to use high memory as a file device. The WPS-200 series, integrating COS-310 on a single RL01 drive, was released, with DIBOL demonstrating superior performance in benchmarks against BASIC+2 and COBOL. Upcoming COS-310 Version 9.00 features include PIP wildcards and improved batch processing.

Administratively, the newsletter discusses a contentious new DEC/DECUS funding scheme proposing subscription fees for newsletters, which the SIG's Steering Committee opposes, advocating for cost-saving measures like mailing list audits instead. A DIBOL Standards Advisory Committee is being formed to establish cross-compatibility.

The DECUS Program Library saw numerous new submissions and updates, including:

• Improved OS/8 utilities (Directory Listing, LQP Handler).
• Specialized device handlers (COS 310 floppy, RX01 floppy, 9-track magtape).
• Communication packages (PDP-8 to DEC-10, RSTS Terminal Monitor).
• Applications like the ADVENTURE game for PDP-8, a statistical package (INFSTAT), and various FOCAL and FORTRAN IV routines.
• A cash-basis accounting package and a RUNOFF-type text formatter were also highlighted.

Crucially, the newsletter provides official DEC patches for COS-310 utilities (SYSGEN, RX Handler, PIP) to fix date handling issues (extending support to 1987), half-block transfer problems, and command file processing. User "HELP" requests cover needs for PDP-8/PDP-11 communication, a PDP-8 cross-assembler for PDP-11, and fixes for OS/8 BASIC real-time functions. Technical notes clarify aspects of two-page system handlers and provide useful "hints and kinks" for EDU 25 BASIC string and file handling.