Found a load of old computer mags.

[UTMonkey]

At work we have done a tidy up and have found about 12 editions of "Practical Computing" going back to 1981!

There is some excellent stuff in this periodical, for instance I am amazed at the amount of computer systems that were available in the UK market.

SystemZero
ITT220
Gemini
The SuperBrain
VideoGenie
TRS80
Altos
The Adler Alphatronic
Hewlett Packard
MZ80
Acorn Atom
Commodore Pet
Commodore VIC 20 (due out in december 1981!!)
Apple
Rair
NorthStar Horizon
Onyx C8000
ZX80 (and 81)
Sharp PC-3201
Almarc Vector 3
Transdata Cx500
PM1000
Atari 800
Nascom-1

And all that is in one edition! what is particularly suprising is that the adverts for this kit also includes a price list for the "memory chips" and internal bits to upgrade them, can you imagine that now?

Here are a couple of adverts that made me smile.

1. One for a dot matrix printer, "60 characters on 0-60 seconds!"
2. A nine inch monitor "Red or green, the choice is yours!"

All the software appears to be mail order as well.

I wish I could scan this stuff to show you, it is a real eye-opener.

Ahh, happy days!

Mark

 

[0x00x0]

Nice score!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

You missed out "Microtan 65", one of which I still have, and was commonly mentioned in the magazines.

Videogenie by the way was a TRS80 clone, imported (and perhaps designed?) by Lowe Electronics of Matlock (not far from you).

 

[arrie]

Fond memories.
If I remember correctly I had a commodore Vic 20 and it's bigger brother Commodore 64.
Nice machines. Wonder what happened to commodore, never really followed up. The amiga range was quite strong though.
Ahhh the Z80, if I remember right, it was this little processor were I first met assembler programming. You would do your program on paper, get the equivalent hex codes and using some kit program your cpu, then hope for the best.
Wow, that was so cool, now we have these major complex dev tools. Even more fun.

 

[ericgibbs]

hi,
My first computer was a Sharp MZ80K.
2MHz clock, 48K volatile RAM, Tape cassette.

Upgraded it to 4MHz, UART, EPrommer and Interface.
Added an external colour monitor, 16 colours.!

Still have 3 or 4 MZ80K's in the loft, in working order.

 

[arrie]

The oldest PC's I have otherwise was one 80-086 and a 80-286. Except for the two commodores.
I eventually chucked them out, only taking up space.
I still have a string of Pentium classics, AMD's from K5 and K6 fame and even some running those dreaded cyrix chips.
My two main PC's are both from AMD though. One S462 Barton core and one S939 Venice core.
I'm still happy with these, until AMD decide to make a processor again, that is.

 

[Hero999]

I wonder how much your magazine collection will get on eBay?

 

[Mikebits]

I had the Timex Sinclair. ZX81 based I think. 2K ram upgraded to 16K for $100. It's OS was basic and programs were stored on cassette tape and loaded into the cpu ram via audio connection. Always had to mess with getting the exact start point on the tape.
Those were the good ol days.

 

[arrie]

If I remember right, the vic20 also used tape drive, the c-64 could handle both tape and floppy.
The tape drive usually developed a head alignment problem, and required constant adjustment.
I also have a load of pc mags, mostly sa computer magazine, bur lately I've switched to PC Format, better content.
These are not quite as big as my car magazine collection, think I have every single monthly edition of car magazine since 1987. That excludes all the others I buy from time to time.

 

[UTMonkey]

Videogenie by the way was a TRS80 clone, imported (and perhaps designed?) by Lowe Electronics of Matlock (not far from you).

But I think thats what is so incredible about this, the market back then was such that it appears anyone with some electronics "nous" could develop a computer, albeit perhaps based on clones, it's like me designing a computer in my bedroom in my mum and dads house!

Mark

 

[Mikebits]

But I think thats what is so incredible about this, the market back then was such that it appears anyone with some electronics "nous" could develop a computer, albeit perhaps based on clones, it's like me designing a computer in my bedroom in my mum and dads house!

Mark

The trick was developing a operating system.

 

[UTMonkey]

The trick was developing a operating system.

And thats when it all changed.......

 

[arrie]

Yip, it was one hell of a roller-coaster ride.

 

[davidbball13]

the first computer i rember using was a compaq..............running windows 98'. yeah im only 14 so i was very young. i used the computer when we first got it.

 

[arrie]

Well david, at least you missed the disaster called Win95, 98 to my opinion was slightly better. Then Microsoft launched ME.
And we all cried.

 

[Mikebits]

Well david, at least you missed the disaster called Win95, 98 to my opinion was slightly better. Then Microsoft launched ME.
And we all cried.

And now we have Vista

 

[Hero999]

What Windows Mistake Edition? I don't know why they even considered releasing that crap.

 

[Space Varmint]

DOS Power Tools

Remember that one? It had a collection of the best articles from PC Magazine.

Everybody freaked out when Side Kick came out. Then they covered how to do memory resident pop-up programs.

 

[ericgibbs]

And now we have Vista

hi Mike,
Reminds me of that very old joke:

"It wasn't an alien space ship that crashed at Roswell,, it was an early version of Microsoft Windows."

 

[arrie]

haha
good one eric.

mikebits, you've drawn a parallel.
Vista is based on the old ME engine.