# Pre-PC: When's the last time you saw greenbar?



## ZZZZZ (Oct 1, 2014)

Most people under 30 don't even know what greenbar or dot matrix are. :biggrin2:

I bought something online from Ace Hardware. When I picked it up at the store, the receipt was printed with a dot matrix printer, on 8 1/2" x 14" tractor-fed greenbar.

I bet back at home office, Ace is still using a garage-sized IBM mainframe with punch cards.:biggrin2:
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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

My HP all in one printer scanner fax has tractor feed on it, I have White tractor feed loaded, don't use it much, usually use a 8.5X 10 loose sheet.

But the answer about greenbar, in the early 90's I believe. 


ED


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## stick\shift (Mar 23, 2015)

Left my last job in 2013 working on a Unix/Unidata program, haven't seen green since then.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

I cut my computer teeth on a PDP11 using punch cards

I still know how to use a slide rule.


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## jimn (Nov 13, 2010)

First program I wrote was in BASIC on teletype terminal wit paper punch tape , I too can use a slide rule .


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## ZZZZZ (Oct 1, 2014)

Punch cards... paper tape...foot-high stacks of greenbar... those were the days.


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## partner (Mar 26, 2015)

ZZZZZ said:


> Most people under 30 don't even know what greenbar or dot matrix are. :biggrin2:
> 
> I bought something online from Ace Hardware. When I picked it up at the store, the receipt was printed with a dot matrix printer, on 8 1/2" x 14" tractor-fed greenbar.
> 
> ...


I don't remember ever calling it greenbar. I think we used to call it screen line if I remember correctly. 
I cut my teeth on a decollator and burster. Anybody remember those?
Early 60s.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

I actually still see d/m tractor feed printers in a number of business. I guess they still do the trick if they need to produce multi-page snapsets, like lumber yards.

While I'm not a techy, several years ago, I had the opportunity to tour the NORAD sector control site in North Bay Ontario. It was 600' underground (before Cheyenne Mt. in Colorado) and used 2 vacuum tube SAGE computers. Combined they weighed 275 tons, took up almost 12,000 sq ft. and had a memory capacity of 256K! They produced so much heat that they used them to heat the place.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

I had the blue sword used to separate it at my desk until I retire two years ago. There were a few people who knew what it was when I showed them.


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