PRO350, what's it good for, really?

[Teletech]

OK, so it's a desktop PDP-11/23, and that's cool, but if you have, say, a stack of QBUS and UNIBUS machines, what does the PRO do that's really cool and distinct from other 11s?
I imagine it would be either something in the user interface (I'm told there was a GUI option?) or else some "killer app" that would do neat stuff with the bitmapped display perhaps?
I can imagine an interesting CAD program, but it was a pretty closed system, so I'm guessing no good video-heavy games.

On the subject of the 350, RAM: I know there are 128K and 512K daughterboards and also a 256K expansion board. Assuming 2x128, you'd need three of these to fill the backplane. Will, the system support all three? I see several people removed the 64K chips from the daughterboards and installed 256K chips, added a couple jumpers and had the larger daughterboard.
Described here: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/DEC_Professional_(computer)

 

[ClassicHasClass]

I have a 380. I don't use it as a incompatible PDP-11, I use it as a 380. It runs Venix/PRO.

 

[Teletech]

I have a 380. I don't use it as a incompatible PDP-11, I use it as a 380. It runs Venix/PRO.

Fair, what do you do with Venix/PRO that makes it interesting and different and play to the strengths of the PRO?

 

[Hunta]

Real photos. Pro/350 soviet clone - Elektronika-85. OS - PROS (modified P/OS)

1640796534.1559557793.211229183700405.png at Бесплатный хостинг изображений - Красноярский хостинг больших изображений

pic.maxiol.com

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pic.maxiol.com

 

[DDS]

Except in some very restricted cases where a modern host is either not available or not certified by some regulator, these antique machines have been or should be retired.

In their retirement state, their primary function should be to make their new owners happy.

And that is what I tell folks who want me to justify yet another of my hobbies.

 

[Teletech]

Except in some very restricted cases where a modern host is either not available or not certified by some regulator, these antique machines have been or should be retired.

In their retirement state, their primary function should be to make their new owners happy.

And that is what I tell folks who want me to justify yet another of my hobbies.

But it does seem odd that nobody ever seems to look at my Springfield Armory M1A and ask "What is it good for, really?"

https://files.springfield-armory.com/wp-content/uploads/m1a-standard-alt-feature-1600x1200-1-1024x768.png

Maybe they'd rather not know.

It's a question of how best to enjoy them in their retirement rather than any attempt to imply they might or might not have a practical application.
If you haven't been trolled about your M1A being obsolete, you must be avoiding a lot of the firearm forums! I get a lot of grief for not owning an AR and it's true that straight-stock .308s just aren't very competitive or ergonomic by the standards of the day, but I'd say that the M1A is much more of a PDP-11/45 than PRO350.

 

[Teletech]

Real photos. Pro/350 soviet clone - Elektronika-85. OS - PROS (modified P/OS)

1640796534.1559557793.211229183700405.png at Бесплатный хостинг изображений - Красноярский хостинг больших изображений

pic.maxiol.com

1640796564.1559557793.211229183814703.png at Бесплатный хостинг изображений - Красноярский хостинг больших изображений

pic.maxiol.com

1640796582.1559557793.211229184123105.png at Бесплатный хостинг изображений - Красноярский хостинг больших изображений

pic.maxiol.com

1640796606.1559557793.211229185410540.png at Бесплатный хостинг изображений - Красноярский хостинг больших изображений

pic.maxiol.com

1640796883.1559557793.211229182521937.png at Бесплатный хостинг изображений - Красноярский хостинг больших изображений

pic.maxiol.com

OK, so that's pretty cool. Any idea where I can find those games and if they will run on dec P/OS?
It makes a lot of sense that the Russians would have more time to do recreational programming for these machines and clearly that's an area I'd neglected to consider that might make the PRO more fun.

 

[Hunta]

Any idea where I can find those games

Try to search here (but the site is mostly in Russian)

https://zx-pk.ru/threads/21450-vsjo-po-pvk-elektronika-ms-0585-mneniya-foto-voprosy.html

and here

https://zx-pk.ru/threads/24152-pvk-elektronika-ms-0585-cherez-prizmu-tvorchestva-skrinshoty-po.html

and if they will run on dec P/OS?

Who knows? There are chances

 

[DDS]

It's a question of how best to enjoy them in their retirement rather than any attempt to imply they might or might not have a practical application.
If you haven't been trolled about your M1A being obsolete, you must be avoiding a lot of the firearm forums! I get a lot of grief for not owning an AR and it's true that straight-stock .308s just aren't very competitive or ergonomic by the standards of the day, but I'd say that the M1A is much more of a PDP-11/45 than PRO350.

After giving it some thought, I deleted part of that post that referred to one of my other hobbies. Nowadays you can never tell what might "trigger" someone.

Pun intended.

 

[ClassicHasClass]

Fair, what do you do with Venix/PRO that makes it interesting and different and play to the strengths of the PRO?

The fact it runs Venix. The PDP-11 doesn't. Venix is an interesting Unix-like thing, sort of a "personal Unix" before we even had Minix.

 

[Teletech]

The fact it runs Venix. The PDP-11 doesn't. Venix is an interesting Unix-like thing, sort of a "personal Unix" before we even had Minix.

As a Santa Cruz local, I have to root for Xenix despite how awful it is. Hey, remember the unix wars, those were the days.