winscape 2325

On the -10 you could toggle in a retrieval device code that is "bootable"1. The hardware would then do a block transfer of the first n bits from that device into core. The CPU would then execute this block of bits which were carefully chosen instructions that did the preminary work and then loaded another set of bits that was a lot larger than the first set; this was called the monitor.

1Bootable means that the CPU can issued certain IOWD list (IO word lists) that will take the 0-nth bits from a device read head and put them in a specified block of memory. I'm unhappy with this definition. But I can't think of a better way.

The human who is trying to get a blank, dead machine up.

Usually it's a human. IBM codified it.

You are but I'm beginning to think most of the CS world is confused.

The next time you hear one of those discussions try to listen objectively. IOW, don't try to decide who is "right" and "wrong" but try to figure out what the argument is about. I would spend weeks trying to think of exactly the correct word to use to convey a meaning. The computing biz used to be extremely precise about word usage. Nobody had time to ferret out what a technical doc might have meant. We are a technical business. I wish to hell that the word "Science" had been left out of the name. It tends to give its participants inadequate feelings of superiority.

This is one of those things that I know when I see it but can't describe it.

From this description, you only saw .001% of the business. There are all kinds of work flows that have to be done in order to ship one product.