ACM announces FREE downloads from Digital Library

[Tom.G]

I received an email notice a few days ago from ACM (Association of Computing Machinery) that their Digital Library will be free thru June 30, 2020.

We believe that ACM can help support research, discovery and learning during this time of crisis by opening the ACM Digital Library (ACM DL, https://dl.acm.org) to all. For the next three months, there will be no fees assessed for accessing or downloading work published by ACM.

Sounds like a deal to me!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[jedishrfu]

Thanks for sharing!

Any recommendations to download first?

 

[Tom.G]

Any recommendations to download first?

When I first joined ACM, around the time I got an Altair computer (1975-76), I got the first two hardcopy volumes of their library. What a treasure of algorithms and languages that was for an early adopter of the technology!

Since I deviated from ACM's later concentration on high-level scientific computing, to things like FAX machine hardware/firmware and Industrial Control, I have rarely investigated the library since. They do cover a wide range of interests though, so spend some time exploring what's there for you.

Have Fun!
Tom

 

[jedishrfu]

I too had an Altair, the 6800 model, and the associated tech manuals. I'll have to check your tip out. I still have the 6800 and it seems that it still works.

At the time, I got it, I realized the investment was getting a bit out of hand as the cheapest terminal was the Televideo and it was in the range of $600 to $800 and so I decided to instead get a Radio Shack Model 1 (aka the Trash 80). I did program the 6800 using the switch front but that got tedious real fast especially when debugging through the front panel was insane.

 

[chemisttree]

I did program the 6800 using the switch front but that got tedious real fast especially when debugging through the front panel was insane.

Wow that brings back some memories. My first NMR was a JEOL FX90Q and I booted it up using a series of switches on a panel. Set switches, toggle “LOAD”, wait for a particular light to come on, set switches again, toggle “LOAD”, wait for a particular light to come on, set switches again, toggle “LOAD”, Voila! The oscilloscope display came on and I moved through the operating system with a light pen.
I used to think, “I must be a scientist if I can make this thing work!”

 

[jedishrfu]

After I got the SWTP Altair 6800, I regretted not getting the KIM-1 board computer with hex input and some simple games on the digit LED display.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KIM-1

It was cheaper and required less extra equipment. I was happy with the Radio Shack and its cassette tape input and learned a lot. I had gotten a line printer that was terrible at printing. It had a wavy column 1 because it couldn't return back faster enough on longer lines. I applied a custom software fix to pad all lines with spaces at the cost of slowing the printer down.

Maybe the ACM has some KIM-1 or Raspberry-PI stuff too.