Classics Rock
Examining IT trends from the past live to help IT managers plan for the future.
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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 have lingered forever.
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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.
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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 at the Y2K bug and raise new conspiracy theories.
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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 we'll reminisce about.
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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.
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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.
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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 contributor Michael Banks gives a look back at Prodigy's tortured journey.
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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 submit your old equipment, or pictures of them, to TechRepublic to appear on the site.
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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 across a network. Doing so in Windows presents a challenge.
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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 Holiday Classics.
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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.
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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 Tech Turkey of all time? Place your vote.
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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 clouds in 1983 with his Tandy 100 and CompuServe.
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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 discussed? See if you can guess.
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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 questing games can be traced back to Sierra's King Quest. This video has a run through and here's a look back.
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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, but paved the way for what you're running right now.
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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 recap of Token Ring's advantages, and we ask whether Token Ring is even used anymore.
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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.
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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 at the Y2K bug and raise new conspiracy theories.
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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 Commodore 64 however. Here's how you can surf the Web with a C64.
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New software doesn't always mean better software
New software releases are supposed to make things better. Often, things just get worse. Check out what to do about software bloat and take the poll to see which software has suffered the most from release to release.
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An 80's forerunner of the Mac vs. PC ads
Apple has a pretty long history of PC envy. Even before the Mac, Apple made direct comparisons between itself and the PC. Here's an ad showing why an Apple IIc was a better choice than a PCjr.
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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 Holiday Classics.
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An old Exchange tip highlights feature creep and overlap
As a software vendor revs a product, more features wind up getting added to it. Sometimes these features overlap features in another product sold by the same vendor creating confusion. This Classic Tip examines Exchange Public Folders and their overlap with SharePoint.
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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.
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50MB of Data - For the low low price of $100
One of the drawbacks to having old equipment around is keeping it running and finding parts when things break. The hard drive went out on one of my old Tandy 1000's. It's amazing how much hard drives cost for older PCs, especially compared to what storage costs today. Read on.
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60's style Soviet computer technology
The Univac and IBM 700's weren't the only mainframe computers around in the late 50's and early 60's. Take a look at this video showing the URAL-2 computer from the Soviet Union, circa 1963.
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A 1969 perspective on computers in the future
Remember The Jetsons and how cool 'the future' was supposed to be? This 1969 video shows the convenience of online shopping, banking, and an 'electronic correspondence machine'. It shows a future with a passable resemblance to today.
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A bit of Frost-ing for the iMac's 10th birthday cake
Here's Apple's ad from 1998 debuting the iMac - with a little bit of poetic license at Robert Frost's expense. Check out Steve Job's introduction of the iMac as well.
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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, the actual diversity of software seems to have diminished compared to the 80's. Word Processors are an excellent example.