PDP-10 TIMESHARING HANDBOOK 1970

This handbook is a comprehensive guide to using the Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-10 timesharing system, primarily aimed at users with little to no prior programming experience, such as students, scientists, engineers, and financial analysts. It aims to help users acquire timesharing programming competence for business and professional activities.

The document is structured into several books:

• Book 1: Introduction to Timesharing provides an overview of timesharing's history, its benefits over batch processing (e.g., shared costs, simultaneous multi-user access), and core operational concepts. It covers technical aspects like multiprogramming, memory management (swapping, reentrant software, memory protection), dynamic scheduling (handling compute-bound vs. I/O-bound jobs), communication infrastructure (data sets, multiplexors), I/O control, file handling (UFD, MFD, file protection), management of slow peripherals (spooling), and system reliability.
• Book 2: Getting Started with the Monitor details essential procedures for logging in and out, managing files (creating, editing, deleting, renaming), and using basic monitor commands.
• Book 3: Conversational Programming with BASIC introduces the BASIC language, covering its fundamental concepts, arithmetic operations, mathematical functions, variables, statements (LET, READ, DATA, PRINT, GO TO, IF-THEN, ON-GO TO, END), loops (FOR-NEXT), lists and tables (DIM), and data file capabilities.
• Book 4: Conversational Programming with AID describes AID (Algebraic Interpretive Dialogue), a JOSS adaptation designed for numerical problem-solving. It details AID's language, commands (verbs), functions, and error handling.
• Book 5: Programming in FORTRAN serves as a reference for experienced FORTRAN IV programmers, outlining the language's statements, constants, variables, expressions, control statements, data transmission, specification statements, subprograms, library functions and subroutines, and accumulator conventions.
• Book 6: Demonstration Programs presents practical examples for FORTRAN, TECO, and DDT, illustrating concepts and commands discussed in the manual, including debugging processes.
• Book 7: Advanced Monitor Commands delves into more complex monitor commands for allocating system resources, manipulating Teletype assignments, requesting line printer output, and managing core images.
• Book 8: Utility Programs covers essential utilities such as BATCH (for sequential job execution), CHAIN (for handling programs exceeding core memory), LINED (a line-oriented editor), and TECO (a powerful text editing program).

The handbook also includes appendices summarizing BASIC/AID statements, diagnostic messages, and character sets.