This book is about the PiDP-10 kit and the three operating systems that you can run on it. You can learn what it was like to operate a terminal, control the computer, write programs in computer languages such as LISP, FORTRAN, COBOL, ALGOL, or BASIC, and, of course, play some of the computer games that became the classics, which spawned the games we play today. The book is intended for beginners, like me. I went from looking at the Blinkin Lights display with no idea what to do next, to information overload from all of the available documents, websites, and videos. Nothing is stopping you from downloading the software to your trusty Raspberry Pi and using the software. It is fully functional without the PiDP-10 hardware.
Retro computing is driven by a sense of nostalgia and a strong desire to preserve the computing achievements that led to the technical world we live in today. Very few people have the room, the money, or the time to restore a full-size PDP-10. They were large installations that required a big climate-controlled room. However, due to the work by Richard Cornwell, the developer of the Simh emulator, we can run an accurate simulation of the DEC PDP-10 system.
I am standing on the shoulders of giants. All the hard work has been done by Oscar Vermeulen, the creator of the PiDP-10 kit, and Richard Cornwell, the developer of the PDP-10 KA10 emulator. Lars Brinkhoff has contributed a huge amount to the ITS reconstruction project and PDP-10 restoration projects. I am indebted to him and several members of the PiDP-10 forum who helped me when I was stuck.
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