- Follow this blog:
- RSS
- Email Alert
Classics Rock
-
Name that CPU
We've played Guess The OS a few times before. This time let's see if you can figure out what CPU is being talked about in this article. Look back and see how arguments about computer performance...
Posted by Administrator | January 8, 2009, 5:19 PM PST
-
Classic Tip: Control how programs start with batch files
When using batch files, you sometimes may want a program to start minimized or full screen. This classic tip from 2000 shows how you used to do it in Windows 9x and how little things have changed.
Posted by John Sheesley | January 7, 2009, 8:21 AM PST
-
Y2K: The New Year's disaster that never happened
Another New Years goes by in the 21st Century and we're still using computers. If you believed all the hype from 90's, we'd be living in the Stone Age by now. Here's a set of videos that look back...
Posted by John Sheesley | January 2, 2009, 3:15 PM PST
-
Five 2008 cutting-edge technlogies that will look quaint in the future
Like every year, 2008 introduced to dozens of new technologies and IT products. Shiny and new now, these things will look quaint in just a few years. Here are some of the new things for 2008 that...
Posted by John Sheesley | December 29, 2008, 2:44 PM PST
-
Classic Tip: A Notepad trick from 1999 that works in Vista
Even though Microsoft makes major changes to Windows through the years, some things stay the same. This Notepad trick for Windows 98 that was featured in our 1999 Windows TechMail is a prime example.
Posted by John Sheesley | December 26, 2008, 2:37 PM PST
-
Recapping classic Classic Rock posts for 2008
We started Classics Rock in March 2008. Here's a recap of some of the posts that drew the most discussions for the year.
Posted by John Sheesley | December 22, 2008, 11:44 AM PST
-
Prodigy: The pre-Internet online service that didn’t live up to its name
One of the early online destinations before the Internet was Prodigy. Like many child prodigies that share the name, Prodigy started off with lots of promise, only to wind up a disaster. Guest...
Posted by Michael Banks | December 18, 2008, 8:36 AM PST
-
Bring out your dead!
Calling all TR Members. Do you have any old equipment laying around that you'd like to get rid of and have featured in our Cracking Open series? Now's your chance. Read on to find out how to...
Posted by John Sheesley | December 15, 2008, 12:10 PM PST
-
Classic Tip: Prevent your users from talking to each other
Networks are supposed to foster communication, but sometimes you don't want users communicating TOO much. Here's a classic tip about how to stop NetWare users from messaging each other directly...
Posted by John Sheesley | December 12, 2008, 7:43 AM PST
-
An annual holiday tradition: Computer commercials
Christmas, Hannukah, and all of the other traditional winter holidays are around the corner. That means its the time of year for lots of commercials, including ones for computers. Here are some...
Posted by John Sheesley | December 10, 2008, 2:13 PM PST
-
1950's IT without tailfins and leather jackets
Usually when talking computer classics, I stick to computers from the 70's, 80's and 90's. This video from IBM shows a state of the art accounting computer from the 1950's. See how far we've come.
Posted by John Sheesley | December 3, 2008, 4:58 PM PST
-
What's the biggest tech turkey of all time?
This time of year, we're supposed to give thanks for our blessings. Sometimes one of the things we're thankful for is the technology nightmares we no longer have to deal with. What's the biggest...
Posted by John Sheesley | November 25, 2008, 9:02 PM PST
-
Cloud computing? Been there. Done that.
Cloud computing is nothing new. It's just a fancy name for technology that's been around since the 1980's and before. Classics Rock Guest Columnist Michael Banks talks about computing in the...
Posted by Michael Banks | November 24, 2008, 9:23 AM PST
-
Guess the OS (Office Suite edition)
Usually when we play Guess The OS, we're talking about classic operating systems. This time OS refers to office suites. Here's an article from Home Office Computing. What office suite is being...
Posted by John Sheesley | November 21, 2008, 12:37 PM PST
-
Questing before the age of WoW
World Of Warcraft is the top online destination for questing today, but long before Kil'jaeden the Deceiver ever dreamed up the Lich King, there was another quest to be had. Almost all modern...
Posted by John Sheesley | November 20, 2008, 2:58 PM PST
-
Revisiting the great-grandfather to the iPhone: The Apple Newton
Long before it produced the iPod, iPod Touch, or the iPhone, Apple introduced a revolutionary hand-held device called the Newton. It was the first commercially successful PDA. Here's a look back.
Posted by John Sheesley | November 17, 2008, 1:40 PM PST
-
Classic Windows NT Tip: Dump Registry to text files for tracking
Figuring out what changes occur to the Windows registry is difficult. This Classic Tip shows how you could do so in Windows NT by exporting to text files. It worked in 1999 and it works today.
Posted by John Sheesley | November 12, 2008, 11:30 AM PST
-
Five of the best celebrity computer salesmen in the 80s
Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld tried their hands at selling Vista. John Hodgman and Justin Long have made mini-careers out of pitching Apples. Here are of some of the celebrity spokesmen that...
Posted by John Sheesley | November 11, 2008, 11:43 AM PST
-
Guess the OS 3
On November 1, 2008, Microsoft stopped licensing one of its most popular operating systems. Can you identify which one it is?
Posted by John Sheesley | November 7, 2008, 9:22 AM PST
-
Using an Atari for something other than games
As I mentioned before, there were a plethora of word processors available for PCs in the 1980's beyond the basic Microsoft Word we've all come to know. You didn't have to just stick with a PC...
Posted by John Sheesley | November 5, 2008, 2:29 PM PST
-
5 of the best desktop operating systems you never used
Chances are, you're reading this blog entry on a Windows machine. If not, you're probably running a Mac or Linux. Here are five of the best desktop operating systems that you probably never used,...
Posted by John Sheesley | March 19, 2008, 9:38 AM PDT
-
Does anyone actually still USE Token Ring?
One of the big technology battles of the 80's and 90's was Token Ring vs. Ethernet. Even though it was technically superior, Token Ring was overpriced and ultimately fell by the wayside. Here's a...
Posted by John Sheesley | April 2, 2008, 1:03 PM PDT
-
Play Nintendo classics on your PC
Who needs the Wii? You can play original Nintendo NES games right on your PC. All it takes is a trip to vNES.
Posted by John Sheesley | October 24, 2008, 11:39 AM PDT
-
Prodigy: The pre-Internet online service that didn’t live up to its name
One of the early online destinations before the Internet was Prodigy. Like many child prodigies that share the name, Prodigy started off with lots of promise, only to wind up a disaster. Guest...
Posted by Michael Banks | December 18, 2008, 8:36 AM PST
-
Surf the Web on your Commodore 64
One of the things that usually keeps old machines from being useful in today's world is the fact that modern necessities like network and Internet connection are missing. Not with a 1980's...
Posted by John Sheesley | September 26, 2008, 11:15 AM PDT
-
Y2K: The New Year's disaster that never happened
Another New Years goes by in the 21st Century and we're still using computers. If you believed all the hype from 90's, we'd be living in the Stone Age by now. Here's a set of videos that look back...
Posted by John Sheesley | January 2, 2009, 3:15 PM PST
-
Windows 3.1 experiment hits a wall
My experiment to see if you can still run Windows 3.1 in a business environment hits an early major setback as networking problems immediately appear. Read on to see what went wrong and where...
Posted by John Sheesley | July 30, 2008, 1:08 PM PDT
-
Windows 2000 Pro: Microsoft's best desktop OS ever?
What was the best operating system Microsoft ever produced? Windows 98? Windows XP? MS-DOS 5.0? After doing some thinking and some looking back, Microsoft's best desktop operating system just...
Posted by John Sheesley | March 12, 2008, 3:02 PM PDT
-
The 80's supercomputer that's sitting in your lap
By now we're all used to the idea that each generation of CPU is faster and does more than the last, but just how fast? The computer you're probably using to read this blog on is faster than an...
Posted by John Sheesley | October 13, 2008, 3:47 PM PDT
-
Has Lenovo ruined the ThinkPad?
When IBM created the ThinkPad line in the 90s, they set the gold standard for quality in notebook computers. In 2005, IBM exited the PC business and sold off its desktop and laptop lines to...
Posted by John Sheesley | September 18, 2008, 1:45 PM PDT
-
The eternal question: Why doesn't Administrative Tools appear on the Start Menu?
Administrative Tools is one of those little shortcuts on the Start Menu that IT people use all the time, but would prefer to have hidden from users. Here's a Windows 2000 Classic tip that still...
Posted by John Sheesley | March 31, 2008, 12:37 PM PDT
-
Classic Tip: Control how programs start with batch files
When using batch files, you sometimes may want a program to start minimized or full screen. This classic tip from 2000 shows how you used to do it in Windows 9x and how little things have changed.
Posted by John Sheesley | January 7, 2009, 8:21 AM PST
-
Is Windows 98 still an option?
Windows XP may rule the desktop now, but until about 2002, the main desktop operating system of choice for many businesses was Windows 98. Is a 10 year old operating system good for anything,...
Posted by John Sheesley | March 5, 2008, 12:11 PM PST
-
Replay the Cold War with Balance of Power
An energy crisis. An unpopular American war. The USSR ...er... Russia invading small countries. It's almost like the Cold War all over again. Here's a game from the 80's where you could actually...
Posted by John Sheesley | August 12, 2008, 1:51 PM PDT
-
Play Atari classics on your PC
Before the Wii, Xbox, and PS3 was the Atari 2600. It defined the home gaming console. Now you can play some of the classic Atari games right on your PC.
Posted by John Sheesley | October 3, 2008, 1:05 PM PDT
-
Cracking open the IBM ThinkPad 701c
IBM's ThinkPad 701c's unique butterfly keyboard rocked the laptop world when it debuted in 1995. This video shows it in action and you can see more in our Cracking Open photo gallery.
Posted by John Sheesley | September 16, 2008, 7:45 PM PDT
-
Looking back at the IBM PS/2
If there was ever an Edsel of the PC industry, it was the IBM PS/2 line. Originally designed to destroy the clone business, the PS/2 wound up derailing IBM instead. Here's a look back.
Posted by John Sheesley | September 4, 2008, 1:46 PM PDT
-
My DOS version can beat up your DOS version
Which version of DOS was the best? Before people argued the technical merits of Linux, they argued the technical merits of DOS. Look back and see the differences between the old DOS distros and...
Posted by John Sheesley | April 9, 2008, 1:03 PM PDT
-
Ancient word processors highlight the lack of modern software diversity
One of the claims of superiority that Microsoft claims with Windows over the Mac is the amount of software that's made to run under Windows. Even though there are thousands of programs available,...
Posted by John Sheesley | October 29, 2008, 2:10 PM PDT
-
Classic Windows NT Tip: Dump Registry to text files for tracking
Figuring out what changes occur to the Windows registry is difficult. This Classic Tip shows how you could do so in Windows NT by exporting to text files. It worked in 1999 and it works today.
Posted by John Sheesley | November 12, 2008, 11:30 AM PST
