Discussion:
[rescue] Aviator
john
2017-11-27 13:56:37 UTC
Permalink
I found 3 cd's containing Aviator. I tried version 1.5.1 on a sparc 10
with cgsix frame buffer,B SunOs 4.1.4 and it ran.B the software has one
of those authorization schemes where you run a password generator, send
the results to California with money and they send you a license key.B
If you don't do this, it will run in demo mode for 60 seconds at a
time.B We were Sun VARS so it may have been possible to bypass the
license key, but if there is, I can't begin to remember how.B I do
remember that we used to have dogfights with F-18s across the network
with two of the other ex-pilots on the staff.B Kids would likely have
been better at it.

I also have a manual, which is some 160 5.5x8.5 pages, all the better to
scan two pages at a time.

I ftp'd a tar file of this to one of our colleagues but haven't heard
what his experience was.B I think he was trying to gin up a system old
enough to run it.

I'm old and retired and have no (NO, AS in NOT ANY) time to fool with
this.B I would be delighted if someone wanting this would accept a mail
shipment of a disk and the manual and would promise to scan it, make a
pdf and share it with anyone else who's interested.

Whatever you do, DO NOT send me an email with a locked-out return.B I've
had a public email address since 1983 and it's true, I get some spam,
and the occasional phishing expedition.B The guys in Afrika who used to
send me letters offering to share some prince's estate with me if only
I'd send them the numbers for one of my charge cards seem to have gone
on to greener pastures.

So I feel if I don't need a wall around my email account, you probably
don't either so why should I waste any time trying to get back to you.

If someone wants to take this on, send me a real name, a real address,
and maybe a phone number and I'll try to get a cd and the manual to
you.B But you have to promise to scan the manual, make a pdf and SHARE it.

BTW, it's perfectly possible that the guys who published this are still
around. One of them has an unusual name. I think they did this as a
moonlight project while employed at Sun.

john
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rescue list - http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
Mouse
2017-11-27 15:17:20 UTC
Permalink
> I ftp'd a tar file of this to one of our colleagues but haven't heard
> what his experience was.B I think he was trying to gin up a system
> old enough to run it.

That was me. My apologies for not reporting my results, as meagre as
they are.

I tried to run it under NetBSD's SunOS compatability mode. It started
and promptly crashed with a memory error; the machine with the data on
it is turned off right now and I'm across the city from it (at work),
so I can't give exact details, but from memory gdb told me the
instruction stream looked something like

ld [%l1], %o0
ld [%l1+1], %o1

which cannot possibly ever work unless kernel alignment fixups are on.
So either (a) it's expecting kernel alignment fixups but not requesting
them in any way NetBSD recognizes, (b) the code is somehow corrupted,
(c) this is code that shouldn't be executed at all but somehow is, (d)
I misread or am misremembering, or ... well, I haven't come up with any
other possibilities yet.

I'm fairly sure I have a SunOS 4.x distribution CD somewhere, but after
having moved repeatedly over the last few years, I no longer know where
it is to any useful degree of precision. I've been considering
possibilities like arranging for kernel alignment fixups, or running it
under emulation and getting an instruction-level trace which I can
examine to see if it makes sense (of course, that may well produce too
voluminous a trace to be useful - it crashed fast on human timescales,
but that could well be many millions of instructions).

Between work and family issues, I haven't had the leisure yet to dig
into this as far as I'd like. It's well up there on my list, though,
and I would love to hear from anyone else who does anything with this
stuff.

/~\ The ASCII Mouse
\ / Ribbon Campaign
X Against HTML ***@rodents-montreal.org
/ \ Email! 7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39 4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B
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Mike Spooner
2017-11-28 18:55:13 UTC
Permalink
On 27 Nov 2017 at 08:56:37 -0500, john wrote:
>
> I found 3 cd's containing Aviator. I tried version 1.5.1 on a sparc 10
> with cgsix frame buffer,B SunOs 4.1.4 and it ran.B the software has one
> of those authorization schemes where you run a password generator, send
> the results to California with money and they send you a license key.B
> If you don't do this, it will run in demo mode for 60 seconds at a
> time.B We were Sun VARS so it may have been possible to bypass the
> license key, but if there is, I can't begin to remember how.B I do
> remember that we used to have dogfights with F-18s across the network
> with two of the other ex-pilots on the staff.B Kids would likely have
> been better at it.
>
> I also have a manual, which is some 160 5.5x8.5 pages, all the better to
> scan two pages at a time.
>
> I ftp'd a tar file of this to one of our colleagues but haven't heard
> what his experience was.B I think he was trying to gin up a system old
> enough to run it.
>
> I'm old and retired and have no (NO, AS in NOT ANY) time to fool with
> this.B I would be delighted if someone wanting this would accept a mail
> shipment of a disk and the manual and would promise to scan it, make a
> pdf and share it with anyone else who's interested.
>
> Whatever you do, DO NOT send me an email with a locked-out return.B I've
> had a public email address since 1983 and it's true, I get some spam,
> and the occasional phishing expedition.B The guys in Afrika who used to
> send me letters offering to share some prince's estate with me if only
> I'd send them the numbers for one of my charge cards seem to have gone
> on to greener pastures.
>
> So I feel if I don't need a wall around my email account, you probably
> don't either so why should I waste any time trying to get back to you.
>


> If someone wants to take this on, send me a real name, a real address,
> and maybe a phone number and I'll try to get a cd and the manual to
> you.B But you have to promise to scan the manual, make a pdf and SHARE it.
>
> BTW, it's perfectly possible that the guys who published this are still
> around. One of them has an unusual name. I think they did this as a
> moonlight project while employed at Sun.
>
> john
>

I have a pair of complete SS10s, a trio of TGX cards, a small mountain of
different MBus CPU modules, and have access to a Kodak i2900 heavy-duty
double-siding scanner.

Thus if no-one else steps forward, I could make the s/w and PDFed-manual
available online, and actually have a go at getting the s/w to run and work
on working round the password/timelimit.

However, I do not have SunOS 4.1.4, the closest I have is 4.1.3u1.
I can get the s/w and manual safely online quickly, but working on getting
the software fully working might have to wait a few months due to work
commitments.

Regards,
Mike Spooner
http://mbus.sunhelp.org
_______________________________________________
rescue list - http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
CLIFFORD HAIGHT
2017-11-28 19:04:36 UTC
Permalink
I regularly run SunOS 4.1.4 but am not sure would be able to figure out how to
get around the licensing scheme. I also don't have the ability to scan the
manual


________________________________
From: rescue <rescue-***@sunhelp.org> on behalf of Mike Spooner
<***@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 10:55 AM
To: ***@sunhelp.org
Subject: Re: [rescue] Aviator

On 27 Nov 2017 at 08:56:37 -0500, john wrote:
>
> I found 3 cd's containing Aviator. I tried version 1.5.1 on a sparc 10
> with cgsix frame buffer,B SunOs 4.1.4 and it ran.B the software has one
> of those authorization schemes where you run a password generator, send
> the results to California with money and they send you a license key.B
> If you don't do this, it will run in demo mode for 60 seconds at a
> time.B We were Sun VARS so it may have been possible to bypass the
> license key, but if there is, I can't begin to remember how.B I do
> remember that we used to have dogfights with F-18s across the network
> with two of the other ex-pilots on the staff.B Kids would likely have
> been better at it.
>
> I also have a manual, which is some 160 5.5x8.5 pages, all the better to
> scan two pages at a time.
>
> I ftp'd a tar file of this to one of our colleagues but haven't heard
> what his experience was.B I think he was trying to gin up a system old
> enough to run it.
>
> I'm old and retired and have no (NO, AS in NOT ANY) time to fool with
> this.B I would be delighted if someone wanting this would accept a mail
> shipment of a disk and the manual and would promise to scan it, make a
> pdf and share it with anyone else who's interested.
>
> Whatever you do, DO NOT send me an email with a locked-out return.B I've
> had a public email address since 1983 and it's true, I get some spam,
> and the occasional phishing expedition.B The guys in Afrika who used to
> send me letters offering to share some prince's estate with me if only
> I'd send them the numbers for one of my charge cards seem to have gone
> on to greener pastures.
>
> So I feel if I don't need a wall around my email account, you probably
> don't either so why should I waste any time trying to get back to you.
>


> If someone wants to take this on, send me a real name, a real address,
> and maybe a phone number and I'll try to get a cd and the manual to
> you.B But you have to promise to scan the manual, make a pdf and SHARE it.
>
> BTW, it's perfectly possible that the guys who published this are still
> around. One of them has an unusual name. I think they did this as a
> moonlight project while employed at Sun.
>
> john
>

I have a pair of complete SS10s, a trio of TGX cards, a small mountain of
different MBus CPU modules, and have access to a Kodak i2900 heavy-duty
double-siding scanner.

Thus if no-one else steps forward, I could make the s/w and PDFed-manual
available online, and actually have a go at getting the s/w to run and work
on working round the password/timelimit.

However, I do not have SunOS 4.1.4, the closest I have is 4.1.3u1.
I can get the s/w and manual safely online quickly, but working on getting
the software fully working might have to wait a few months due to work
commitments.

Regards,
Mike Spooner
http://mbus.sunhelp.org
The Rough Guide to MBus Modules<http://mbus.sunhelp.org/>
mbus.sunhelp.org
This site is a reference-guide to CPU configuration of MBus-based computers,
and a reference-guide to the available MBus modules. This is not a general
guide for the ...


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Discussion about the rescue, restoration, and upkeep of old computing
hardware. This list was formerly dedicated to Sun equipment, but now
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Mouse
2017-11-28 19:21:52 UTC
Permalink
> I regularly run SunOS 4.1.4 but am not sure would be able to figure
> out how to get around the licensing scheme.

I suspect I could crack the licensing code, but (a) I also suspect
Sun's successor-in-interest would take a rather dim view of such
activities, (b) I doubt I have the leisure to anyway, and (c) for my
purposes, running for 60 seconds is quite enough.

I really need to do enough digging to find my SunOS 4 install CDs.

/~\ The ASCII Mouse
\ / Ribbon Campaign
X Against HTML ***@rodents-montreal.org
/ \ Email! 7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39 4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B
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Peter Stokes
2017-11-28 20:18:47 UTC
Permalink
Hi

I have the 4.1.4 ISO if anyone wants to download it.

Peter

Sent from my iPad

On 28 Nov 2017, at 19:21, Mouse <***@Rodents-Montreal.ORG> wrote:

>> I regularly run SunOS 4.1.4 but am not sure would be able to figure
>> out how to get around the licensing scheme.
>
> I suspect I could crack the licensing code, but (a) I also suspect
> Sun's successor-in-interest would take a rather dim view of such
> activities, (b) I doubt I have the leisure to anyway, and (c) for my
> purposes, running for 60 seconds is quite enough.
>
> I really need to do enough digging to find my SunOS 4 install CDs.
>
> /~\ The ASCII Mouse
> \ / Ribbon Campaign
> X Against HTML ***@rodents-montreal.org
> / \ Email! 7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39 4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B
> _______________________________________________
> rescue list - http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
_______________________________________________
rescue list - http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
CLIFFORD HAIGHT
2017-11-29 00:32:29 UTC
Permalink
I version is a single CD, did you have more than one disc? At this point
the CD is actually label Solaris 1.1.2 and I have a older CD that says 1.1.1B
I believe. Who owns this software anymore, do we know? From what
understood the OP tried to see if they could register it without much avail.


________________________________
From: rescue <rescue-***@sunhelp.org> on behalf of Mouse
<***@Rodents-Montreal.ORG>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 11:21 AM
To: The Rescue List
Subject: Re: [rescue] Aviator

> I regularly run SunOS 4.1.4 but am not sure would be able to figure
> out how to get around the licensing scheme.

I suspect I could crack the licensing code, but (a) I also suspect
Sun's successor-in-interest would take a rather dim view of such
activities, (b) I doubt I have the leisure to anyway, and (c) for my
purposes, running for 60 seconds is quite enough.

I really need to do enough digging to find my SunOS 4 install CDs.

/~\ The ASCII Mouse
\ / Ribbon Campaign
X Against HTML ***@rodents-montreal.org
/ \ Email! 7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39 4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B
_______________________________________________
rescue list - http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
rescue -- The Rescue List -
SunHELP<http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue>
www.sunhelp.org
Discussion about the rescue, restoration, and upkeep of old computing
hardware. This list was formerly dedicated to Sun equipment, but now
discussion on any old ...
_______________________________________________
rescue list - http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
Alex D
2017-11-28 20:03:40 UTC
Permalink
On November 28, 2017 10:55:13 AM PST, Mike Spooner <***@gmail.com>
wrote:
>However, I do not have SunOS 4.1.4, the closest I have is 4.1.3u1.
>I can get the s/w and manual safely online quickly, but working on
>getting
>the software fully working might have to wait a few months due to work
commitments

I have an ipx running 4.1.4 and tgx i f you want me to try it..

--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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rescue list - http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
john
2017-11-29 01:42:26 UTC
Permalink
It should run fine on 4.1.3. I think we ran it on IPX's, and SPARC2s.B
I'm offline, but if the guy who already has a manual will email me name
and address, I'll send him one of the cd's.

john
_______________________________________________
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