Search Results
Computer Files
The Computer Files series is comprised of digital material containing administrative documents, run data from MTS, and additional materials. The series also includes sample printouts.
MTS (Michigan Terminal System), 1968-1996
The MTS (Michigan Terminal System) series (13.5 linear ft., 1968-1996) is comprised of three subseries: Distributions, Topical Files, and Workshops. The heart of the series is the distribution documentation (as the term documentation is used in the computing world) for the highly regarded operating system developed at the University of Michigan. The material is arranged chronologically by version, beginning with version 1.0 in 1968 and concluding with 6.0 in 1988. Each distribution typically includes computer printouts that carry instruction for technical installation and instruction for operating the system. For some versions, the record group includes master magnetic tapes. Material is housed by size and format, and documentation for a single version may be found in more than one box. Workshop files are an important complement to distribution data, documenting the cooperative nature of MTS, which was one of the first networked development efforts ever undertaken. Workshops were held annually for administrators and programmers from eight universities in three countries to share information about MTS development and to jointly analyze new features. The files include papers, presentations, agendas and schedules. Also of note is a 1990 MTS user study. Its goal was to define the system not only in terms of CPU, disk storage, etc., but by how the community was actually using the system. The series also includes programming staff memoranda, draft manuals, and a 1991 document on the future of MTS. The later details requirements for moving into distributed computing and requirements for the transfer and migration of current services to new ones.