Current Symbolics Goals

Updated as of June 23, 2016

My Symbolics goals:

  • Get an entirely clean, hard-drive based Genera 8.3 install running on the XL1201
  • Get the MacIvory III running 8.3 as well (which it already is)
  • Set up a new Site with both these computers, networked using CHAOS
    • Site name: Element
    • Symbolics computers named after noble gasses
    • File transfers/servers enabled
    • Remote login enabled
    • Time server/setting enabled
  • Set up TCP/IP networking on both computers
  • Set up an NFS server on my SCSI Linux host and get the Symbolics computers able to store and back up files to it

For maintenance, I need to:

  • Recap the console
  • Recap the XL1201 (Cap list)
  • Fully tune the console so the picture is as good as it can be (and [document how this is done]

Things to learn:

  • Figure out how to copy an LMFS from one FEP to another (it shows up as 0 bytes)
  • Figure out the maximum drive size of a SCSI drive on the XL1201 that can host an FEP filesystem
  • Figure out how to install Genera 8.3 from CD-ROM without anything else on it (if possible, may need a Genera bootstrap/disk format)

As for acquisitions, I would like to get these things:

  • A Symbolics ADB adapter
  • A new-style Symbolics keyboard
  • An XL1200 with full set of graphics cards
  • A color console for the XL1200
  • Get a 1x SCSI CD-ROM drive like the AppleCD 150
  • Get Mac OS 8 drivers for the 3-button Logitech ADB mouse
  • Xerox 3-button optical mouse (and then make an adapter to Symbolics mouse)

Miscellaneous:

  • Buy/make custom keycaps for Apple Design Keyboard for Genera
  • Build a Symbolics keyboard to USB keyboard converter
  • Build a USB mouse to Symbolics mouse converter (to use a modern optical 3-button mouse)

Content goals:

  • Document all capacitors in the Console
  • Finish documenting all capacitors in the XL1201
  • Make a video of using the MacIvory and XL1201

Software engineering goals:

  • (Have lots of ideas for things I want to write)
  • Build a Z-machine interpreter and port some classic games (port this?)
  • Build a roguelike
  • Run a web server and site on the computer
  • Build an SSH client and/or server
  • "Here's another Symbolics project for you: A cl-ssl workalike for Genera that trampolines through a little server on another device, so your bolix doesn't waste its time doing crypto very very slowly." (suggested by eschatologist)
  • Other projects from CLiki

Blog goals:

  • Configure Twitter to look Symbolicsish
  • Configure YouTube to look Symbolicsish
  • Configure GitHub to look Symbolicsish
  • Modify Ghost theme to show the console content wider
  • Modify Ghost theme to include Symbolics pictures
    • DONE - Made a Keyboard banner image
    • DONE - Made Meta-Key Favicon for this and Koken

Douglas Fields

Writing LISP and Haskell since 1990