I wonder is this the same Ralph Lipe?
http://www.spoke.com/info/p2rOKej/RalphLipe
Looks like he kept in the loop.
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Probably so, the dates work out.
His linkedin.com profile shows him as going to UT Austin from '82-'87 and worked at Microsoft from '87 to '05 and now retired. (I hope he did well and is happily so...)
His linkedin.com profile shows him as going to UT Austin from '82-'87 and worked at Microsoft from '87 to '05 and now retired. (I hope he did well and is happily so...)
how many younger people will recognize that a pc is a Micro Computer?
and the much beloved Mac of people, hmm, when you think about the early dominance and impact Apple had on the PC market, that they LOST at introducing the Mac [ well the Lisa, the Mac's direct ancestor ], makes you wonder why people buy it.
It also, rll drive interface ring any bells for anyone? The one used by every company originally for hard drives, until the newer scsi offered an option.
and the much beloved Mac of people, hmm, when you think about the early dominance and impact Apple had on the PC market, that they LOST at introducing the Mac [ well the Lisa, the Mac's direct ancestor ], makes you wonder why people buy it.
It also, rll drive interface ring any bells for anyone? The one used by every company originally for hard drives, until the newer scsi offered an option.
Although Apple certainly made some miss-steps, their ultimate downfall was the fact that they kept their system closed. Cheap, IBM clones solidified the type of PC market we have today.
Of course, you could argue that Apple's closed system ultimately did them well -- they are dominating the market again with a closed series of products from computers to phones to iPods/iPads, etc. -- that's a pretty long timeline to be planning!
IMHO,
~Graham
Of course, you could argue that Apple's closed system ultimately did them well -- they are dominating the market again with a closed series of products from computers to phones to iPods/iPads, etc. -- that's a pretty long timeline to be planning!
IMHO,
~Graham
VHS won out over Beta because it had about twice the tape capacity (cheap) and even though Beta had the better picture quality (quality). Cheap meant more to the public than quality then and in the consumer video world. The dominance of Apple today seems to me to be the vindication of all of us who said WTF when Beta died. Apple is selling so many Macs, iPods, iPhones, and iPads because they just work. They do what they are supposed to do and the user experience has been engineered to be simple, elegant, and efficient and they are elegant looking too. Yes, they cost more, the Apple tax if you will, but apparently now, the greater cost is worth it. Yay!
Dix Moser
dvmoser@hotmail.com
Dix Moser
dvmoser@hotmail.com
"We'll deliver a PDP-9 computer in 90 days. Seriously."
8K core memory, 1usec, expandable to 32K. 18 bit word. 200 nanosec adder. High Speed control memory. Real time clock. . . ..
No price given unfortunately, but there was a phone number for Digital and I'm sure they would hook you up with that.
I have this on my office wall - it was a choice find.
8K core memory, 1usec, expandable to 32K. 18 bit word. 200 nanosec adder. High Speed control memory. Real time clock. . . ..
No price given unfortunately, but there was a phone number for Digital and I'm sure they would hook you up with that.
I have this on my office wall - it was a choice find.
My first two computers: a "Trash-180" [TRS-180], and an Apple IIc. Also used to have a subscription to Byte.
Where would we be had it not been for that fabulous technology and the fanboys (& -girls) that have tirelessly promoted their virtues?
Where would we be had it not been for that fabulous technology and the fanboys (& -girls) that have tirelessly promoted their virtues?
I'll bet this was just a scratch of the surface of what was in the magazine.
I remember visiting the library to read Byte, couldn't afford a subscription.
Interesting fact for Radio Shack: It wasn't until the Model 3 came out, that they began actually using them in their day to day business operations.
I also remember the ComputerLand store in our area.
I remember visiting the library to read Byte, couldn't afford a subscription.
Interesting fact for Radio Shack: It wasn't until the Model 3 came out, that they began actually using them in their day to day business operations.
I also remember the ComputerLand store in our area.
Not true. As the person who developed the last software for the Model I that Tandy Corp. sold, I can confirm that we used the Model II to develop applications in 1981.
Remember that when Tandy first introduced the Model I, they only made about 500 of them. The plan was if they didn't sell, they would use it at each store to keep track of inventory.
Remember that when Tandy first introduced the Model I, they only made about 500 of them. The plan was if they didn't sell, they would use it at each store to keep track of inventory.
Then I see a comment I made over a year ago.
@Larry I won't argue with your knowledge and it makes sense that the greater Detroit area stores may not have used computers in the daily operations (daily sales sheets, etc..) until the Model III. It may be that I'm another year closer to "the days of old" but your mention of the Model II does stir memories of the manager keying weekly and monthly reports; as I recall weekly reports transmitted to the regional office and monthlys to the national office.
@Larry I won't argue with your knowledge and it makes sense that the greater Detroit area stores may not have used computers in the daily operations (daily sales sheets, etc..) until the Model III. It may be that I'm another year closer to "the days of old" but your mention of the Model II does stir memories of the manager keying weekly and monthly reports; as I recall weekly reports transmitted to the regional office and monthlys to the national office.
Imagine your interested in a computer, so you mailed a postcard to Apple, or IBM.
We did!
We did!
...Email and Web site addresses really struck me too!
Funny how we've forgotten what it was like in the pre-Internet times, huh?
Funny how we've forgotten what it was like in the pre-Internet times, huh?
I have a small number of UK computer magazines from the late 70s and early 90s (inc a "rare" 1978 PCW). Would you be interested in doing a follow-up from the perspective of this side of the Atlantic?
But thinking about the absence of email/web urls, the same is happening again over here in the UK - many print/TV adverts no longer carry a web URL, but have moved to a facebook page.... please, no "advertising 2.0" comments!
But thinking about the absence of email/web urls, the same is happening again over here in the UK - many print/TV adverts no longer carry a web URL, but have moved to a facebook page.... please, no "advertising 2.0" comments!
I have quite a few computer magazines and books from this era, mid to late 70's and I should post my gems. I remember as a child in the late 70's seeing an ad for the Franklin and Apple clone of sorts and just wanting one real bad. I ended up getting a Commodore64 a few years later, no regrets.
I got my first job at McD's as a teen so i could buy a C64. Great system for it's day. I just think that it is funny that i now have a program that can emulate a C64 on my android phone...how times have changed hehehe
If you were one of those who received a Commodore64 instead of a Vic20 you were one of the cool kids. 
Edit- messed this up. It's supposed to be a reply to jaqui
(None of this matters, but you're the one who started this particular trip into the wayback machine)
The early 5 1/4" hard drives were MFM encoded. They were the ones that required you to manually enter the bad sector table prior to doing a low-level format (actually defining the sectors on each track) so you could then high-level format (create the file system structure). It's the basis for the antiquated C/H/S concept still being enforced on modern drives.
It was the advent of RLL encoding coupled with the more-or-less concurrent ZBR (zone-bit recording) that created a need to integrate the low-level formatting control into the drive electronics; first in SCSI drives and then in ATA drives.
All of this technology came into play in the 80's. For something that relates more to the 70's, how many of you remember hard-sectored vs. soft-sectored floppies?
ron
(None of this matters, but you're the one who started this particular trip into the wayback machine)
The early 5 1/4" hard drives were MFM encoded. They were the ones that required you to manually enter the bad sector table prior to doing a low-level format (actually defining the sectors on each track) so you could then high-level format (create the file system structure). It's the basis for the antiquated C/H/S concept still being enforced on modern drives.
It was the advent of RLL encoding coupled with the more-or-less concurrent ZBR (zone-bit recording) that created a need to integrate the low-level formatting control into the drive electronics; first in SCSI drives and then in ATA drives.
All of this technology came into play in the 80's. For something that relates more to the 70's, how many of you remember hard-sectored vs. soft-sectored floppies?
ron
The Sol20 built by Processor Technology was probably the first PC to incorporate a keyboard , cassette recorder storage, and a b/w monitor with an 8080A chip, 64KRAM and 8K memory boards on the S100 buss in 1976. The ROM "personality modules" enabled start-up when powered on (previous computers had toggle switches or paper tape).
I have all issues of Personal Computing magazine from September 1977, a real source of pioneer home computer history.
I have all issues of Personal Computing magazine from September 1977, a real source of pioneer home computer history.
When considering buying a personal computer in 1978 i iterated down to the Sol 20 and the Apple ][. I decided to buy the Sol 20 because I thought it looked and sounded more solid and I considered the Apple ][ a toy. Boy was I wrong! Processor Technology (who produced the Sol 20) died a quiet death the next year and the history of Apple is legend. Doh! That said, I learned a lot with my Sol 20: Basic (multiple flavors), Fortran, graphics, etc. I enhanced it by adding dual floppy disk drives, albeit the operating system would only handle writing to it from memory. I could boot from it, but I couldn't read/write with it in the traditional sense as a standard I/O device. It was basically a large capacity fast cassette storage device. By the time I was tackling solving these problems the IBM Personal Computer was coming out and I ordered and acquired one in the Fall they came out. I learned a great deal more about Basic and graphics, writing countless programs. I was hooked! My passion for computing never flagged and I wrote programs to do tasks at the television station I worked at (rudimentary data entry and database programs). As time went on and the station functions were more and more computerized, my affinity for computing kept me in the job, which I kept for 27 years until I was 'automated' out of a job by technology which made it possible for a central control point to control our station and several others. I still have the Sol 20 and several others (Atari, Mac, some PC clones, I even had a Kaypro luggable all in one with a 9 inch screen incorporated) in my basement. Some day I'll resurrect them into a computer museum, but for now, they gather dust. Anyway, Ron, I relate.
Dix Moser
dvmoser@hotmail.com
Dix Moser
dvmoser@hotmail.com
Dear Ron Whittaker,
You wrote on TechRepublic.com:
"I have all issues of Personal Computing magazine from September 1977, a real source of pioneer home computer history. "
I was the editor-in-chief of Personal Computing magazine in 1982 and 1983. All my issues during my tenure were lost during an interstate move. In an early 1983 issue, I think it was, my editor's memo put forward the idea that personal computers would personalize the cognitive revolution in the same way that the internal combustion engine personalized the industrial revolution.
If you could locate that page in your store of issues and send me a copy in some way I would be most grateful. Scan and e-mail perhaps or photocopy and snail mail, whatever is easiest. I'll reimburse you, of course, for any costs.
This 84-y-o guy has fond memories of those pioneer days of personal computing and brush-ups with such characters as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
Paul Kellam
kellam@digital.net
820 Renner Ave.
Melbourne, FL 32935-3048
You wrote on TechRepublic.com:
"I have all issues of Personal Computing magazine from September 1977, a real source of pioneer home computer history. "
I was the editor-in-chief of Personal Computing magazine in 1982 and 1983. All my issues during my tenure were lost during an interstate move. In an early 1983 issue, I think it was, my editor's memo put forward the idea that personal computers would personalize the cognitive revolution in the same way that the internal combustion engine personalized the industrial revolution.
If you could locate that page in your store of issues and send me a copy in some way I would be most grateful. Scan and e-mail perhaps or photocopy and snail mail, whatever is easiest. I'll reimburse you, of course, for any costs.
This 84-y-o guy has fond memories of those pioneer days of personal computing and brush-ups with such characters as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
Paul Kellam
kellam@digital.net
820 Renner Ave.
Melbourne, FL 32935-3048
Paul, I've just now seen your note......
I now have the boxes from storage into my basement. If you are still interested, I will chase after the 'issue' in the next few days.
Regards, Ron
I now have the boxes from storage into my basement. If you are still interested, I will chase after the 'issue' in the next few days.
Regards, Ron
I was impressed with these adds, but uinfortunately I remember a lot of them!!
Is there any way that I can get a copy of the pictures for these adds?
They are great?
Is there any way that I can get a copy of the pictures for these adds?
They are great?
My first experience with a computer was with a Commodore PET that had a color screen and a drawing/paint program. I thought it was the most amazing thing I had seen or used.
You must be confusing the PET with one of the later 
models; neither the PET nor the later CBM had a colour screen, they were mono only. Even hooking the system to an external screen produced only a B&W image. In 1983 I'd suggest it was a Vic-20 or early C64.
models; neither the PET nor the later CBM had a colour screen, they were mono only. Even hooking the system to an external screen produced only a B&W image. In 1983 I'd suggest it was a Vic-20 or early C64. 
Yeah, the Commodore 64 had 64K of ram, for OS, graphics and programs... how?? I mean, 64K is a FONT now!
Heck, even the mouse pointer icon itself probably takes up as much RAM as the C64 had! I remember having to go back and delete space in my code because I ran out of memory.
Nitr0,
I first used a Commodore PET as well. It belonged to a friend of mine who lived in an apartment upstairs from mine. One time I got started copying a Basic version of Wumpus from a book and I didn't want to stop for fear I would have to give up the project for not having access to the machine. I spent about 30 hours typing it in a debugging it, but I got it to run. The PET I learned on only had a black and white screen, but I still thought it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen since my only other experience with computing was submitting a program to the data center to run on the mainframe computer and the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Time would pass, my program would come up in the queue, run, and I would evaluate the result, alter it, and resubmit it. Boy was that tedious, compared to even programming on the PET!
Dix Moser
dvmoser@hotmail.com
I first used a Commodore PET as well. It belonged to a friend of mine who lived in an apartment upstairs from mine. One time I got started copying a Basic version of Wumpus from a book and I didn't want to stop for fear I would have to give up the project for not having access to the machine. I spent about 30 hours typing it in a debugging it, but I got it to run. The PET I learned on only had a black and white screen, but I still thought it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen since my only other experience with computing was submitting a program to the data center to run on the mainframe computer and the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Time would pass, my program would come up in the queue, run, and I would evaluate the result, alter it, and resubmit it. Boy was that tedious, compared to even programming on the PET!
Dix Moser
dvmoser@hotmail.com
Here, I know it's not a "true" computer magazine, but it has scads of great ads from 50's - 2000's. You can browse each years "complete" catalog from front to back. Enjoy
http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/
http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/
I throughly enjoyed going through those catalogs especially the ones from when I was a kid and drooled over them like many others, being that back then there was always a big stack free on the counter to take home. I was and still am amazed how many specialty items they carried.
Brought back some great memories. Thanks, Greg. Here in the UK I was Failing with Fortran!
I have a few more online, these are brochures though :
http://www.oldcomputercollection.com/index.htm (go to Brochures on the left)
There's quite a few more but I just need to scan them some time.
http://www.oldcomputercollection.com/index.htm (go to Brochures on the left)
There's quite a few more but I just need to scan them some time.
Who can forget Compaq's first 'portable' computer ad with the lady effortlessly carrying the PC (that must have weighed at least 25kg) in mini skirt and impossable heels
Love the posters but can you buy copies anywhere?
Oct 14th, 1981. I look at it occasionally to remind myself of the fun we had then. Opening it now to a TI Bubble memory data terminal!
I love this start to an article " Imagine this: the year is 2006. You speak, and the machine across the room picks up your voice... and responds"
The rate of change of technology is so much faster now than then though. Windows 8 on the cards before Windows 7 is mature, IPad 2 out so soon after IPad, etc.
I love this start to an article " Imagine this: the year is 2006. You speak, and the machine across the room picks up your voice... and responds"
The rate of change of technology is so much faster now than then though. Windows 8 on the cards before Windows 7 is mature, IPad 2 out so soon after IPad, etc.
I am currently working on a Texas Instruments 961 21Trk, reel to reel tape drive, circa 1974! Value today approx. 10K! and takes several days to fix. Requires scope, meter and soldering iron to fix. Thank goodness for progress!
I laughed at the fact that it was a unique selling point to have a 232 page manual... Great stuff!
Don't laugh.. (Or, don't stop laughing!) Have you reviewed the Library of books that came with MS Office 97?
I starterd in IT in 1966. Thats 44 years ago so am very familiar with these ads from the 70s. Today's ads will look the same way in the next 40 years. Not so?
I am also one of the older people, who actually worked & developed systems, using the BOS operating system. developed on Xerox with twin 8" diskettes, tested on Panasonic (also 8" diskettes). how different now!
*Sigh* There are times I really miss my Xerox 820 model 2. It was amazing what you could do with 64k and a little imagination... I wrote a muti-user, shared database system with email... in BASIC, that ran on two 5 1/4" floppies (and it had remote, dial-in access!) It was fun!
I wonder if Apple's "Closed systems" are working now because of the "open network"... the device is no longer the thing that needs to be open - now it is the connection to data - which all devices have open access to.
For the most part, Apple is as open to information from sources as anybody else, but they still take heat when their closed systems block that open flow - case in point is flash on the iPad.
For the most part, Apple is as open to information from sources as anybody else, but they still take heat when their closed systems block that open flow - case in point is flash on the iPad.
The 2 Page Apple II add touts its Fully Socketed Motherboard. That was the ticket for me getting my Apple II. I worked at an Apple retailer in Denver (CW Electronics) and I worked in the repair shop which serviced the Apple II products that we sold.
Some home brewer had connected an external floppy disk drive to a defective power supply that put line voltage on the +5V buss of the Apple motherboard; effectively frying every chip on it. It even blew a couple of the foil traces off near the PS.
When I described the damage to Apple, they instructed me to ditch the motherboard & they sent us a new one. However because the Apple motherboard was "Fully Socketed" I was able to repair the board, pop the defective chips, and a buy all of the replacement parts at Poly-Packs & Digikey. I mounted the motherboard in an aluminum chassis and home brewed and Analog PS. I was then the proud owner of an Apple II (INIT HELLO) (SN# 12XX)
Regards,
Scott
Some home brewer had connected an external floppy disk drive to a defective power supply that put line voltage on the +5V buss of the Apple motherboard; effectively frying every chip on it. It even blew a couple of the foil traces off near the PS.
When I described the damage to Apple, they instructed me to ditch the motherboard & they sent us a new one. However because the Apple motherboard was "Fully Socketed" I was able to repair the board, pop the defective chips, and a buy all of the replacement parts at Poly-Packs & Digikey. I mounted the motherboard in an aluminum chassis and home brewed and Analog PS. I was then the proud owner of an Apple II (INIT HELLO) (SN# 12XX)
Regards,
Scott
That was fun to remember. I still have my original 1984 Drexel University Macintosh and its owners manual.
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