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ee9 V3.1a

Like the Raspberry Pi, but half a century earlier, the English Electric KDF9 was a groundbreaking product of the UK computer industry.

It is once again possible to learn about KDF9 "hands on" by running some famous KDF9 software such as the original Whetstone Benchmark, using ee9, my KDF9 emulator.

Download packages of the latest version, V3.1a, for macOS, 64-bit Linux, and Windows, can be found at:

An older version is available there for the Raspberry Pi.

The present version should compile and run successfully using GNAT, the GNU Ada 2102 compiler, under the Stretch version of Raspbian, but I do not own an RPi, so cannot verify this myself. Please let me know if you try, whether successfully or not.

For more detail, without downloading everything, see the Users' Guide:

Enjoy.

--
Bill Findlay 
("incompetent" googler, USENET "leech", 
and open source contributor since 1977)
Reply to
Bill Findlay
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I recall using one as a front end to an ICL 1904 (or 1906?) when I did my degree.

Reply to
Peter Percival

I heard about them, but did my University computing work (analysing Mossbauer spectra) with the more or less contemporary Elliott 503, learning Algol 60 in the process. In 1968 I started work at an ICL bureau doing OS support, system design and programming a 1903 in PLAN and COBOL.

--
Martin    | martin at 
Gregorie  | gregorie dot org
Reply to
Martin Gregorie

I had my first experience of computing with the KDF9 at Birmingham University in 1970.

The University had an early online system called COTAN; a network of teletypes connected to the KDF9 via a PDP8 front-end processor. In theory only post-grad students were allowed to use the system, however I (and quite a few others!) discovered that the passwords were stored on the disk in clear text and were accessible from a punch-card job submitted through the same account. We like to think that security has improved a lot since then but sometimes I wonder...

--
Dave
Reply to
Dave

On 10 Aug 2018, Dave wrote (in article):

At Glasgow, we year 3 CS undergrads all had COTAN accounts in 1968.

The COTAN manual is online:

--
Bill Findlay
Reply to
Bill Findlay

"This paper describes the design and implementation of a software teletype exchange for a multi?access service using linked KDF9?PDP8 computers. The KDF9 can support up to 20 on?line terminals and the PDP8, in which the software exchange operates, can support 32 terminals. Th is software operates like an automatic telephone exchange with a user? ?optional waiting queue, and has been used at the Universities of Glasgow and Liverpool to widen the availability of the multi?access system COTAN.

"At Glasgow, using additionally a hardware exchange, about 50 terminals may compete for access to COTAN. At Liverpool a set of on?line termina ls has been specifically provided for undergraduate teaching.

A software teletype exchange D. A. Jones, N. J. Partington, April/June 1974

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Owain

Reply to
spuorgelgoog

On 12 Aug 2018, snipped-for-privacy@gowanhill.com wrote (in article):

That's a terrific find. Thanks for posting it, Owain.

Alan Jones gave us lectures on the PDP8 program; I still have those lecture notes.

Nice guy!

--
Bill Findlay
Reply to
Bill Findlay

1906A, apparently.

Reply to
Peter Percival

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