From Newsgroup: comp.arch

Back in the 1970s, Signetics put out a joke data sheet for a “Write-Only Memory” chip. Basically any data you sent to it would be simply thrown
away, and attempts to read from the chip would never return anything. They were surprised to get a few serious queries from prospective customers
wanting to make use of this component.

Bitsavers has just included a multi-page ad that the company put in an
issue of “Electronic Design” from 1973, for a competition where entrants would submit a description of the most creative use for a WOM they could
think of, with the winner being featured in upcoming ads. The ad even
included the data sheet.

Even entrants that did not win (a limited number, obviously) would receive
a “WOM Kit” containing a set of Groucho Marx fake glasses, a bumper sticker, a button and a fortune cookie. But no mention of an actual 25120
WOM chip ...
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On 11/20/2024 2:10 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

Back in the 1970s, Signetics put out a joke data sheet for a “Write-Only Memory” chip. Basically any data you sent to it would be simply thrown away,

Why throw the data away? Write it.

and attempts to read from the chip would never return anything.

Right. Cannot read it, but it stores data anyway? lol. ;^D

They
were surprised to get a few serious queries from prospective customers wanting to make use of this component.

Bitsavers has just included a multi-page ad that the company put in an
issue of “Electronic Design” from 1973, for a competition where entrants would submit a description of the most creative use for a WOM they could think of, with the winner being featured in upcoming ads. The ad even included the data sheet.

Even entrants that did not win (a limited number, obviously) would receive
a “WOM Kit” containing a set of Groucho Marx fake glasses, a bumper sticker, a button and a fortune cookie. But no mention of an actual 25120
WOM chip ...

--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On 20 Nov 2024 19:38:44 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:

The requirement for "a six foot fan 1/2 inch from the package" is a
potential downside of the 25120 ...

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 22:10:29 +0000, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

Back in the 1970s, Signetics put out a joke data sheet for a “Write-Only Memory” chip. Basically any data you sent to it would be simply thrown away, and attempts to read from the chip would never return anything.
They
were surprised to get a few serious queries from prospective customers wanting to make use of this component.

Bitsavers has just included a multi-page ad that the company put in an
issue of “Electronic Design” from 1973, for a competition where entrants would submit a description of the most creative use for a WOM they could think of, with the winner being featured in upcoming ads. The ad even included the data sheet.

Even entrants that did not win (a limited number, obviously) would
receive
a “WOM Kit” containing a set of Groucho Marx fake glasses, a bumper sticker, a button and a fortune cookie. But no mention of an actual
25120
WOM chip ...

The best part was the complement chip-destruct pin.

I remember reading this in school n an engineering magazine.
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On 11/20/2024 3:55 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On 20 Nov 2024 19:38:44 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:

The requirement for "a six foot fan 1/2 inch from the package" is a
potential downside of the 25120 ...

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.

Doing nothing makes things hotter? Like a run away thread in a loop
doing nothing by running at full speed?


--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On 11/20/2024 5:04 PM, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:

On 11/20/2024 3:55 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On 20 Nov 2024 19:38:44 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:

The requirement for "a six foot fan 1/2 inch from the package" is a
potential downside of the 25120 ...

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.

Doing nothing makes things hotter? Like a run away thread in a loop
doing nothing by running at full speed?

|memory|


|system|

store to memory = nothing
load from memory = nothing


No way to even reach it.
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:04:28 -0800, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:

On 11/20/2024 3:55 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On 20 Nov 2024 19:38:44 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:

The requirement for "a six foot fan 1/2 inch from the package" is a
potential downside of the 25120 ...

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.

Doing nothing makes things hotter?

Discarding information is not “doing nothing”.

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_computing>
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

Back in the 1970s, Signetics put out a joke data sheet for a “Write-Only Memory” chip. Basically any data you sent to it would be simply thrown away, and attempts to read from the chip would never return anything. They were surprised to get a few serious queries from prospective customers wanting to make use of this component.

i have some vague memory from the period using it (or something similar)
for optimal compression
--
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On 11/20/2024 6:18 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:04:28 -0800, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:

On 11/20/2024 3:55 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On 20 Nov 2024 19:38:44 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:

The requirement for "a six foot fan 1/2 inch from the package" is a
potential downside of the 25120 ...

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.

Doing nothing makes things hotter?

Discarding information is not “doing nothing”.

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_computing>

So, request denied can be plotted?
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On 11/20/2024 7:04 PM, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:

On 11/20/2024 6:18 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:04:28 -0800, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:

On 11/20/2024 3:55 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On 20 Nov 2024 19:38:44 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:

The requirement for "a six foot fan 1/2 inch from the package" is a
potential downside of the 25120 ...

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.

Doing nothing makes things hotter?

Discarding information is not “doing nothing”.

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_computing>

So, request denied can be plotted?

A dynamic heat map of the processor?
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On Thu, 21 Nov 2024 1:05:47 +0000, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:

On 11/20/2024 5:04 PM, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:

On 11/20/2024 3:55 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On 20 Nov 2024 19:38:44 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:

The requirement for "a six foot fan 1/2 inch from the package" is a
potential downside of the 25120 ...

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.

Doing nothing makes things hotter? Like a run away thread in a loop
doing nothing by running at full speed?

|memory|

|system|

store to memory = nothing
load from memory = nothing

How are you getting the 6ft hurricane fan within ½" of the system ??

No way to even reach it.

--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 23:55:39 +0000, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On 20 Nov 2024 19:38:44 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:

The requirement for "a six foot fan 1/2 inch from the package" is a
potential downside of the 25120 ...

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.

Depends on how one chucks it away.

If one chucks it away efficiently, then it wastes no energy.

If one actually tries to write it into a cell that is not there
it definitely wastes energy:: decoder energy, word line energy,
bit line energy, non-addressed cell energy.)
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On 11/20/2024 7:07 PM, MitchAlsup1 wrote:

On Thu, 21 Nov 2024 1:05:47 +0000, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:

On 11/20/2024 5:04 PM, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:

On 11/20/2024 3:55 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On 20 Nov 2024 19:38:44 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:

The requirement for "a six foot fan 1/2 inch from the package" is a
potential downside of the 25120 ...

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.

Doing nothing makes things hotter? Like a run away thread in a loop
doing nothing by running at full speed?

|memory|


|system|

store to memory = nothing
load from memory = nothing

How are you getting the 6ft hurricane fan within ½" of the system ??

Don't know. Shit happens? We have a memory that tosses out all writes,
and reading from from is denied. Like in a dream?

https://youtu.be/S530Vwa33G0

;^o Sorry, but shit happens. Humm...

No way to even reach it.

--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On Thu, 21 Nov 2024 03:07:44 +0000, MitchAlsup1 wrote:

How are you getting the 6ft hurricane fan within ½" of the system ??

Very ... carefully.
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On Thu, 21 Nov 2024 03:06:33 +0000, MitchAlsup1 wrote:

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 23:55:39 +0000, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.

Depends on how one chucks it away.

If one chucks it away efficiently, then it wastes no energy.

But chucking it away means achieving nothing with it, which is always
going to be 0% efficient. QED.
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:02:24 -1000, Lynn Wheeler wrote:

Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

Back in the 1970s, Signetics put out a joke data sheet for a
“Write-Only Memory” chip. Basically any data you sent to it would be
simply thrown away, and attempts to read from the chip would never
return anything. They were surprised to get a few serious queries from
prospective customers wanting to make use of this component.

i have some vague memory from the period using it (or something similar)
for optimal compression

I’m sure it works very well for deleted data.
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On 11/20/2024 8:58 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:02:24 -1000, Lynn Wheeler wrote:

Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

Back in the 1970s, Signetics put out a joke data sheet for a
“Write-Only Memory” chip. Basically any data you sent to it would be >>> simply thrown away, and attempts to read from the chip would never
return anything. They were surprised to get a few serious queries from
prospective customers wanting to make use of this component.

i have some vague memory from the period using it (or something similar)
for optimal compression

I’m sure it works very well for deleted data.

lol.
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On 2024-11-21, Chris M. Thomasson <chris.m.thomasson.1@gmail.com> wrote:

On 11/20/2024 6:18 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:04:28 -0800, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:

On 11/20/2024 3:55 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

On 20 Nov 2024 19:38:44 -0400, Mike Spencer wrote:

The requirement for "a six foot fan 1/2 inch from the package" is a
potential downside of the 25120 ...

Chucking away data does increase entropy. This makes things hotter.

Doing nothing makes things hotter?

Discarding information is not “doing nothing”.

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_computing>

So, request denied can be plotted?

Sure. Check your local government for a file of
Freedom of Information requests.
--
/~\ Charlie Gibbs | Growth for the sake of
\ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | growth is the ideology
X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | of the cancer cell.
/ \ if you read it the right way. | -- Edward Abbey
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114

From Newsgroup: comp.arch

On Thu, 21 Nov 2024 00:03:40 +0000, MitchAlsup1 wrote:

The best part was the complement chip-destruct pin.

Complement, even.

Did they ship pre-destructed from the factory?

I just noticed the little chart of “number of socket insertions”
versus “number of remaining pins” ...

<https://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/magazines/Electronic_Design/Electronic_Design_V21_N13_19730621_WOM.pdf>
--- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114