My HP 9000 712/60 “Gecko” Workstation

Posted on February 9, 2005 by Blake Patterson

One weekend last summer, my wife and I drove to a remote shopping center in search of a particular lamp shop. When we pulled into the parking lot, we found a massive “flea market” spread across the asphault with hundreds of people peddling table after table of what was basically junk. I noticed some old game consoles among the junk and thought I had best dig about for a bit in case something interesting or rare was lurking there, waiting for me. While I didn’t find anything good, I did notice a fellow selling old PCs out the back of a large cargo truck. When I got closer I saw that among the stacks of PCs were a few old, large Sun servers and a slab-shaped machine, of which I could only see the rear. The longer I tried to identify the slab-shaped machine, the more I felt I recognized it. After a few moments I realized it was an HP 9000 712 “Gecko,” which I had seen reviewed in an early-90’s NeXTWORLD magazine. (I was impressed with myself at having identified a machine I had never seen in real life, and from its rear interface configuration alone. My wife was simply scared.) I asked the gentleman what he wanted for it and soon I was walking off $20 poorer with a machine that I knew would run NeXTSTEP over twice as fast as my current slab.

The machine I brought home that day was an HP 9000 712/60, also known by HP’s codename, “Gecko.” The Gecko is a workstation based on the PA-RISC processor that normally runs HP/UX, HP’s flavor of UNIX. The Gecko is unique in several ways. First, it is one of the few non-NeXT platforms that can run the NeXTSTEP operating systems (another UNIX). In early ’94 I had purchased a 486 66 that was specially fabricated to run NeXTSTEP for Intel. (It was even black!) Around the same time that NeXT ported its operating system to the Intel architecture, NeXTSTEP was also made to run on certain HP PA-RISC machines as well as several models of Suns. NeXTSTEP saw real performance gains running on these new RISC workstatons above NeXT’s native 68040-based CISC hardware. Beyond performance, however, there is another detail that sets the Gecko apart.

NeXTSTEP had a graphical user interface with a capital ‘G’. Its interface was lush and vibrant. It looked best on true color video hardware with a 32-bit framebuffer which used 24-bit color (16.8 million) + 8-bits transparency info, but back then the required video hardware was extremely expensive. NeXTSTEP also supported more affordable 16-bit framebuffers, using 12-bit color (4096 colors) + 4-bit transparency. In this mode, NeXTSTEP still looked amazing, but dithering had to be employed and was noticeable. The Gecko features a technology known as Color Recovery that employs an extremely unusual 8-bit framebuffer to achieve true color video output, with the help of a DSP, akin to what would be expected with a 32-bit framebuffer. The following is a clip from an HP Journal article by Anthony C. Barkans, publushed in 1995, that describes how Color Recovery works:

    The simplest explanation of HP Color Recovery is that it performs the task your eye is asked to do with an ordinary dithered system. In essence, an HP Color Recovery system takes 24-bit true color data generated by an application and dithers it down to eight bits for storage in the frame buffer. Then as the frame buffer data is scanned from the frame buffer to the display, it passes through specialized digital signal processing (DSP) hardware where the work of producing millions of colors is performed. The output of the DSP hardware is sent to the display where millions of colors can be viewed. It is important to recognize that since the data stored in the HP Color Recovery frame buffer is dithered, thousands of applications can work with it. It is also important to recognize that these applications will run at full performance in an interactive windowed environment. In other words, applications do not need to be changed to take advantage of HP Color Recovery.

When I read NeXTWORLD’s brief rundown of Color Recovery, I could not understand how such a system could effectively generate a true color display—I could not picture what the output would look like. It wasn’t until here, 10 years later, when I finished setting installing NeXTSTEP on this Gecko, that I saw it with my own eyes. And I must say…the result is amazing. The best way I can describe it is to say that the display looks like a screenshot of a true color desktop, saved as a JPEG with medium/high compression. The tradeoff of this 8-bit true color is mild artifacting, but despite this, the display is without question preferable to the dithered, 4096-color desktop generated by standard NeXT boxes and other 16-bit framebuffer platforms. A most unique workstation, indeed.

See some photos of my Gecko setup in my gallery, here.

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Posted in HP, NeXT, UNIX | 16 Comments

Retro Gamer Made Me Famous…

Posted on February 5, 2005 by Blake Patterson

It seems Retro Gamer magazine, which I spoke of a while back, has added a few seconds to my allotted 15 minutes of fame. I’ll explain how. In issue 10 there is a nice, 10-page article about the Apple IIgs [ pics of my IIgs ] that reveals a wide range of historical facts and trivia. It’s a great read complete with many color photos and it’s most pleasing to see a machine that figured so prominently in my past put back in the spotlight. One area where the article is a bit misleading, however, is in its description of the IIgs as a 16-bit machine akin to the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST.

While the IIgs has graphics capabilities more or less similar to those machines, and audio hardware more powerful than either, strictly speaking the IIgs is an 8-bit machine. The Amiga/ST employ the Motorola 68000 CPU which is a 16/32-bit CPU, in that it uses 32-bit internal registers but sits on a 16-bit data bus through which it communicates with the outside world. At the heart of the IIgs lies a WDC 65C816 processor which is an 8/16-bit CPU, in that it has 16-bit internal registers, but sits on an 8-bit data bus. The only way one could consider the IIgs to be a 16-bit machine is if the internal CPU architecture alone is being referenced, and from that point of view the Amiga/ST become 32-bit machines.

At any rate, feeling the matter needed to be clarified, I sent an e-mail to the editor that described the above…and promptly forgot the matter. Several weeks later I was paging through issue 11 when I came across a letter to the editor which was pointing out this inaccuracy. I began to read with interest, as I recalled that the same inaccuracy had bugged me when I read the original article. (I still did not recall that I had written in about it.) It wasn’t until about half-way through the piece that I was so struck by this reader laying out point after point that I had wanted to make, that I jumped to the end to see who it could be. Shock and surprise—it was me! There was my e-mail, in full, complete with a link to this site.

I guess between this printing, my inclusion in The Cult of Mac, and the NY Times appearance from ’99, I am on my way to stardom….

Posted in Apple II | 1 Comment

My Commodore 64…and The Stand…

Posted on February 3, 2005 by Blake Patterson

I have recently begun putting together a Commodore 64 system in order to have actual 8-bit Commodore hardware with which to compare my C-One. I’ve rather enjoyed playing with the C64, having never really been an 8-bit Commodore user. Impressive hardware. At any rate, I have always really liked the Commodore 1702 CRT with its separate chroma / luma inputs and sharp screen image, so that is the screen I chose for the system. I went with old school, brown 1541 floppy drives to match the display, but grabbed a C64C (new case design, beige rather than brown) because I could not determine with comfortable certainty that the older, brown C64s on eBay were rev. 3 units and had 8-pin video (with separate chroma/luma). The lot looks rather nice on the desk, but the 1702 was awkwardly situted, sitting rather low on the desk and making access to the rear C64 interfacfes difficult. I got the notion to try and remedy the situation.

I have just completed a project that took entirely too long and generated far too much of a mess in the house. I decided to build a rather simple monitor stand that would hold the screen at the proper height and angle and leave clearance for easy access to the rear interfaces of the C64. The stand is an exact fit for the 1702 and is made out of pine, with acrylic polyurethane (3 coats) used to finish. After plenty of corrective sanding, it’s complete and in place and let me turn this into a much nicer looking this and this. Thought I would share for those interested.

It is a much smaller scale job than my last real woodworking bout, which also was an effort in support of vintage hardware.

Posted in Commodore 64/128 | 4 Comments

The Vintage Computer Festival

Posted on February 2, 2005 by Blake Patterson

It definitely seems that the number of vintage / retro computing fans out there is increasing. I suppose kids that were lusting after the latest and greatest hardware back in the days of the Apple II, Commodore 64, and Atari 800 now have careers and a bit of disposable income to spend on “dream hardware” they could never convince their parents to buy back in the day. One indication of the active fanbase out there is the yearly gathering known as the Vintage Computer Festival. As they, themselves, describe it:

    “The Vintage Computer Festival is an international event that celebrates the history of computing.

    The mission of the Vintage Computer Festival is to promote the preservation of “obsolete” computers by offering people a chance to experience the technologies, people and stories that embody the remarkable tale of the computer revolution.

    Through our event and the Vintage Computer Festival Archives…

Posted in Multi-Platform | Leave a comment

The Commodore One ( C-One )

Posted on January 24, 2005 by Blake Patterson

As far as 8-bit computers go, I’ve always been an Apple II guy. I’ve owned 8-bit Commodores and Ataris, but they were never my “primary machines.” Despite this fact, I was impressed when, four years ago, I first heard of the Commodore One or C-One (or C1). In one respect, it’s sort of a “super” Commodore 64, but really it’s much, much more. At a glance, it’s a ~20MHz 65C816-based motherboard that uses CompactFlash as primary storage, has a PCI slot, a C64 cartridge slot, various C64 peripheral interfaces, a VGA connector, and two FPGAs that make it the distinctive “reconfigurable” computer that it is.

Just what is a reconfigurable computer? It works like this: a “core” file is uploaded into the FPGAs from a boot menu, at which point the FPGAs configure themselves to “become” the hardware described by the core. It’s like emulation—but in hardware, and the resultant machine is a clock-perfect replica of the target machine, unlike a traditional software emulator where there are unavoidable latencies inherent to the system. Currently there are three cores available for the C-One: Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC 464, and Amstrad CPC 6128. Many other cores can and will be developed for the platform. An Apple IIgs core is tentatively planned and, in time, a “native” core that will bring the C-One forth as a powerful, new 65C816-based computer will emerge.

At any rate, after being intrigued initially with the C-One, I didn’t think much more about it (not being an 8-bit Commodore guy) until I read a recent Slashdot article about Jeri Ellsworth [ pics: 1 2 3 ] and her work on the popular C64-DTV, a Commodore 64 in a joystick. Jeri is also the designer of the C-One. The article got me once again fired up about the unique computing scene that is the C-One and this time I had to get on-board….

Just a few weeks ago I received my shiny new C-One motherboard (plus SilverSurfer serial module) from Germany and the best clear ATX case I could find (from Canada) and put them all together in what is perhaps my most unique setup to date (pics). As can be seen from the photos, all is functional and I have been busying myself with writing out disk images with the help of Star Commander and have begun setting up an actual C64 system in order to have a basis of comparison for the C-One’s emulation of the 8-bit Commodore platform.

The C-One has only been publicly avaialble for a short time, and as more units find their way into the hands of 8-bit afficionados, software that takes advantage of the C-One’s ability to stretch beyond the limitations of the target platforms will begin to emerge. How about a game that is in all ways a C64 application—but for its use of 256 onscreen colors? Or an application that makes use of the dual SID sockets on-board to output stereo retro audio goodness that rivals modern synthesizers? Other than faithful reproduction of beloved platforms, it is early to say in what ways the C-One will amaze. One thing is for certain, however: this is definitely one of the most intriguing computing platforms out there today. I will be verbose with all that I encounter as I head down this road with my new C-One computer.

Posted in Commodore 64/128 | 7 Comments

Leander Kahney’s The Cult of Mac

Posted on December 20, 2004 by Blake Patterson

Any true Apple loyalist will want to run right out and pick up Wired writer Leander Kahney’s new book of the Macintosh phenomenon, The Cult of Mac. Within, the author explores the great many ways that the Apple faithful tend to march to the beat of a different drummer. That drummer being, of course, Apple Computer, Inc. It’s a great “coffee table book” full of countless tidbits of colorful Mac, iPod, and Newton goodness. And I am proud to say…I am part of that goodness.

To quote the 3rd paragraph, page 238 of the hardback:

    The hacks provide clues to the future direction of the iPod. VersionTracker, a popular software-download Web site, lists more than several dozen different hacks for the iPod. “No doubt Apple is taking its cue from some of these hacks,” said Blake Patterson, who runs the iPodHacks website. “Apple is seeing that a lot of users want these kind of organizer functions.” Apple didn’t respond to requests for comments.

I suppose that’s at least a portion of my alotted 15 minutes…. . .

Posted in Macintosh | 1 Comment

End of a Legacy: IBM Leaves the PC Market

Posted on December 5, 2004 by Blake Patterson

I never thought I would see the day. All said and done, it seem just sad and wrong. After legitimizing the use of the personal computer in the business world with the introduction of the IBM PC over 23 years ago, back in August, 1981, IBM is pulling out of the PC market. The end of an era, to say the least. Still, business is business—PC sales accounted for only 12% of revenue for IBM last year. It appears that, at present, China’s largest PC maker, Lenovo, is currently in talks to buy IBM’s PC business.

In the memorable days of my home computer use in the early 80’s it was a heated Apple II vs. IBM PC battle. So now there’s no more PCs from IBM and the dual 2.5GHz 64-bit CPUs at the heart of my Macintosh are made by IBM. It’s a crazy world, folks.

Posted in Other Platform | Leave a comment

Back To The Newton

Posted on December 1, 2004 by Blake Patterson

Well…my recent “Long Live The Newton” post got me to thinking about the best handheld that has ever seen the light of day, Apple’s Newton, which has been out of production for over six years now. When I get to thinking about innovative hardware with eBay just around the corner, it can be a nightmare…. So I’ve gotten back on the bandwagon. I grabbed an excellent condition MessagePad 2100 and a new-in-box eMate 300 off eBay in the past month or so. Not only have I put the MP2100 to daily use at the office, but I’ve installed the Newton Toolkit developer setup under Classic on my G5 and iBook and am nearly finished with my first NewtonScript application. I picked up a Citizen PN60i portable, thermal, laser quality printer (mistakenly) thinking it could print via IR from the Newton, but as it turns out I need a cable to make that happen (searching).

Good to be back. It’s still the best handheld out there with more capabilities than you can shake a stick at.

I’ll really have to make it to one of the DC Metro Meetup Group meetings.

Posted in Handhelds | 2 Comments

Gordon Laing’s Digital Retro

Posted on November 14, 2004 by Blake Patterson

I recall rather vividly the moment that I was first made aware of its existence. A co-workers sent me alink to a pre-publication review of it from The Register one morning a couple of months ago. What item of mystery could I be speaking of? Gordon Laing’s Digital Retro, a 192-page “coffee table book” of retro computing goodness, and one of the best finds I’ve come across in years. Within, the author takes a detailed look at 40 personal computers introduced across the 80’s, accounting the stories of the people behind them, the details of their creation, and…in most cases…the reasons for their demise. Each profile contains a number of vivid, color photographs of the machine in question as well as interesting, little known trivia gems. From the back cover:

    Compatibility? Forget it! Each of these computers was its own machine and had no intention of talking to anything else. The same could be said of their owners, in fact, who passionately defended their machines with a belief that verged on the religious.

    This book tells the story behind 40 classic home computers of an infamous decade, from the dreams and inspiration, through passionate inventors and corporate power struggles, to their final inevitable demise. It takes a detailed look at every important computer from the start of the home computer revolution with the MITS Altair, to the NeXT cube, pehaps the last serious challenger in the personal computer marketplace. In the thirteen years between the launch of those systems, there has never been a more frenetic period of technical advance, refinement, and marketing, and this book covers all the important steps made on both sides of the Atlantic. Whether it’s the miniaturization of the Sinclair machines, the gaming prowess of the Amiga, or the fermenting war between Apple Computer, “Big Blue,” and “the cloners,” we’ve got it covered. Digital Retro is an essential read for anyone who owned a home computer in the Eighties.

And how! Being a retro computing nut, this book is truly a “too good to be true” item for me and I really can’t recommend it enough. If you ever felt the pain of sore palms from over-using your 5.25″ disk notcher, or sprained your index finger from Speccy home-taping, you’ve got to grab a copy of this book.

Posted in Multi-Platform | 1 Comment

“Hey Hey 16K”

Posted on November 2, 2004 by Blake Patterson

Last night I happened across quite the piece of nostalgic computing goodness. Over at b3ta.com, MJ Hibbert and Rob Manuel have put together a flash-based music video entitled “Hey Hey 16K”, which is a surprisingly catchy tribute to the yesteryear gaming scene of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. The Spectrum was one of the most popular European home computers of the ’80s. Likely most Americans are almost entirely unfamiliar with the platform—almost everything I know about the ZX Spectrum has come from Retro Gaming magazine, wherein the Spectrum is the main platform focus. (In fact, a reader recently (and justifiably) called me on my apparent lack of Spectrum appreciation, and I am trying hard to turn that around.)

Very amusing stuff. Have a listen.

Hey, hey, 16K

What does that get you today?

You need more than that for a letter

Old skool rampaks are much better…

Posted in ZX Spectrum | Leave a comment