Procedure For Connecting To The 'net Circa 1978

[Vintage Computer Festival]

Man, that's a lot of work.  I would instead just go out in the backyard
and build a fort or a go-kart or something :)

On Tue, 14 Jun 2005, Bill Sudbrink wrote:

> That last exchange of messages has me reminiscing so
> (with a little tongue in cheek)...
>
> Procedure For Connecting To The 'net Circa 1978
>
> (That's the ARPANET for all you young whipper-snappers.
> What we called the internet before they let all of the
> riff-raff in.)
>
> Initial notes:
> Do not begin this procedure before 11PM.  This avoids
> conflicts over telephone usage with your parents.  Net
> resources are generally not available to "tourists" before
> this time anyway.  Resource availability is generally best
> on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and holidays.
>
> Keep an ear open for police sirens.  Rumor has it that the
> FCC will come and arrest you (and/or your parents) if it
> detects illegal equipment attached to the telephone system.
> Another reason to operate late at night, they probably aren't
> watching.
>
> 1) Move your computer from your bedroom to the kitchen
>    table (that's where the phone is!).  Don't connect power
>    to the modem yet, it produces a carrier whenever it is
>    powered and you need to be able to hear the far end of
>    the telephone connection when you first dial.  Also, you
>    want it to be cool when you initiate the connection.
>
> 2) Take the handset off of the hook and replace it with the
>    piece of broomstick that you fashioned for that purpose.
>
> 3) Get a big towel from the linen closet.  Fold it into
>    quarters and put the handset on it.  Attach the speaker
>    and microphone to the handset with wide rubber bands.
>    Fold the towel over the handset.  This will prevent
>    various ambient sounds (like the sound of typing) from
>    introducing noise on the line.
>
> 4) Being sure that the cassette/modem switch (a DPDT switch
>    that connects the transmit and receive pins of the USART
>    to either the cassette interface or the modem) is in the
>    cassette position, load the terminal program.  Run the
>    program.  You are greeted with a blank screen (this is
>    normal but you can't be 100% sure that it loaded correctly
>    until you have connected).  Switch the cassette/modem switch
>    to modem.  You may see a few garbage characters on the
>    screen (that's a good sign).
>
> 5) Get an ice cube from the freezer, put it in a sandwich bag
>    and put it on the towel next to the modem.
>
> 6) Remove the broom stick from the telephone hook and dial the
>    NBS (National Bureau of Standards) TIP (Terminal Interface
>    Processor).  Listen for the call to be answered and for the
>    carrier on the far end.  Sometimes the TIP is down and won't
>    answer, sometimes it is down and will answer but won't give
>    a carrier.  If it's down, wait an hour and try again.
>
> 7) If you get a carrier, apply power to the modem.  Start
>    pressing the @ (at) key once a second until it is echoed
>    on your screen.  Listen for the chirp when you press the
>    key.  If you don't hear it, the terminal program isn't running
>    correctly, hang up, unpower the modem, reset the computer and
>    go back to step 4.
>
> 8) Once the @ character is echoed, press enter.  You should get
>    an error message (I no longer remember the text).  Now type
>    "@O 77<return>".  This instructs the TIP to connect you to the
>    MIT-DM (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dynamic Modeling)
>    computer.
>
> 9) Start pressing the return key once a second until you get a
>    logon prompt (I no longer remember the prompt text).  The user
>    name and password are GUEST.
>
> 10) Once logged on, wait for a minute or two, pressing enter every
>     ten seconds or so.  This gives the operator a chance to notice
>     you and kick you off if the system is busy.  If he's in a chatty
>     mood, you'll get a message like "The system's busy, get lost!".
>     If not, your connection will just die.  If the system is busy,
>     try again in an hour or so.
>
> 11) I no longer remember how to start up Zork or some of the other
>     programs... anyone feel free to provide details I'm missing.
>     Keep an ear on the connection.  If the carrier starts to change
>     pitch, wipe any condensation off the ice cube bag on the towel
>     and then apply to the smaller chip on the right on the modem
>     board.
>

-- 

Sellam Ismail                                        Vintage Computer Festival
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