Educause Security Discussion mailing list archives

Re: University credentials used by third parties


From: Paul Kendall <PKendall () ACCUDATASYSTEMS COM>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:02:54 -0500

I was so-o-o-o happy the day I finally got a battery-powered wire wrap tool, to supplement the manual wrapping tool I 
used. Couldn't ever quite get rid of the manual tool, but having the electric one really helped.

Paul
========================================
Paul L. Kendall, PhD, CGEIT, CHP, CHSS, CHS-III, DHS-CVI, CISM, CISSP, CSSLP
PCI Qualified Security Assessor
Senior Consultant
Accudata Systems, Inc.



-----Original Message-----
From: The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU] On Behalf Of David L. 
Wasley
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 7:59 PM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: Re: [SECURITY] University credentials used by third parties

Ahh - memory lane (and not necessarily 8 bit/byte).

I built my first "digital machine" in 1959 with discrete transistors - those things in a small metal "can" with 3 
leads.  2 transistors + a few resistors & capacitors created a "flip flop" (who remembers THAT term).  Connect a bunch 
in series, apply a reasonably accurate clock, and voila - a digital stop watch!

Then I learned Fortran on an IBM 704 and punched cards (rectangular holes, 12 bits per character) and wrote a sort 
program that brought the "mainframe" to its knees.

Given an original Data General "mini computer" with 4K "words" of core memory and a multipass, paper tape, assembly 
language "compiler", I wrote a data acquisition system, including drivers for the A/D converter and a 7 track mag tape 
drive.  

I also wrote a very efficient punched card driver that converted 12 bit Hollerith to ASCII before the next column 
showed up. (No, not a 4096 entry lookup table - we didn't have that much memory.)  This was "remote job entry" in its 
hayday.

Along the way I repaired several "4K word core memory cards" that were about 16" square.  Usually it was one of the 
driver transistors.

Wire wrap? - I'm was an expert!

Now my wristwatch has more computing power than any of those computers.  

And I love my Mac!!!

     David


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