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A piece about the PDP-1 and the Arpanet, written by Oscar Vermeulen. https://hackaday.io/project/202541-replica-of-the-pdp-1-pidp-1/log/239126-the-pdp-1-and-arpanet
hackaday.ioThe PDP-1 and Arpanet | Details | Hackaday.io<p>We spent the last four days investigating how we can bring our PiDP-1 on Arpanet. Yes, really. Because (1) there is some major history there, and (2) there's a major new project from Lars Brinkhoff where this would be significant Icing On The Cake.</p>
<p><strong>The history</strong>: so Arpanet consisted of IMP routers. Not very well-known is that the software for the IMPs was developed with the help of a PDP-1, at BBN by a small team called The IMP Guys. Actually, in the first-ever instance of remote software updates, the PDP-1 sent over-the-net software updates to all the IMP routers in the field. The PDP-1 also acted as the watchdog for Arpanet stability, constantly chatting to the IMPS in the field.</p>
<p>And as it happened, we were brought in touch with one of the actual IMP Guys at BBN - who did the coding. We found large parts of the PDP-1D time-sharing system (alas, in PDF format) and lots of technical memos from the IMP Guys. So - we now have to think about how impossible it would be, exactly, to get that all going again on the PiDP-1.</p>
<figure><img class="lazy" data-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Arpanet_map_1973.jpg"></figure>
<p><em> Arpanet in 1973, with BBN and its PDP-1 in the
♬ 
@peterrenshaw@ioc.exchange@larsbrinkhoff “The launch of Digital Equipment Corporation’s PDP-1 (Programmed Data Processor-1) computer in 1959 marked a radical shift in the philosophy of computer design.
This on-line exhibition covers the history of this groundbreaking computer and the Computer History Museum’s recent restoration of a PDP-1 to working order.”
#DEC / #PDP1 / #PDP / #BBN / #MIT <https://www.computerhistory.org/pdp-1/>