ETOS: multi-lingual time sharing system for the PDP8

EDUCOMP's Time-shared Operating System (ETOS) is an integrated package of hardware and software designed for maximum utility of a PDP8 computer. ETOS supports up to 16 users, with each user able to use the system as if he were operating on a stand-alone PDP8 with 64K bytes of memory.This paper will contrast the various modes of computer operation and illustrate how the combination of batch, real-time, and interactive usage results in the optimum fulfillment of the all-important criterion of price/performance.Emphasis is placed on the maintenance of continuous system performance. This is especially important to the educational user. In many situations, if the machine must be shut down for one type of user, the educational user is the first one to be sacrificed. Computer assisted instruction, drills, simulations, and general student motivation are somehow viewed as less important than the use of the computer to collect taxes. ETOS is EDUCOMP's solution to this misguided allocation of resources.ETOS requires a 16K omnibus PDP8, clock, an RK8e controller with an RK05 drive, a backup peripheral for the RK05 drive, and a Time Share Control Module.