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Raw Bytes Computer News KPBX FM 91.1 Radio National Public Radio Network Frank Delaney Producer Broadcast on Wednesday Morning 7:35 AM During Morning Edition Support Public Radio ! The Theater Of the Mind |
In computer news this week 08/27/2008 Computer nostalgia
.... In these
lazy days of Summer I was cleaning out one of my closets and came across a
stash of old computers I’d squirreled away. I’m not sure why I
keep these, just nostalgia, but they are still functional, and each one has a
special meaning to me. There’s
the first portable computer I ever owned, a Radio Shack Model 100, which
actually was the size and shape of a true portable – opposed to many of
the early computers that called themselves portables but were in essence
“luggables” ..
I believe at one time our local newspaper had given all their field reporters
one of these computer, as it has a built-in 300 baud modem, and text editing,
scheduling, address book, as well as built-in basic so you could write
programs. It had its own small lcd display so it
truly was self contained, and relatively inexpensive
at $ 600.
It ran
off either battery or regular power, could print to
a serial printer, and you could store programs on a cassette recorder. Pretty
state of the art at the time and a nice little computer. Then
there’s one of the oddest PC’s ever introduced, my Timex Sinclair
1000 that came out in the early 1980’s, an idea of a British inventor,
Sir Clive Sinclair, and it was supposed to be the world’s first $ 100
personal computer.
If the
Radio shack Model 100 was a Cadillac of early pc’s the Timex Sinclair
was the Model T. It seemed the owners spent more time working on it and
trying to get it to work, than actually using it. First of
it, it was tiny, weighing only 12 ounces, and measuring about 5” by
5”, and at the thickest part an inch. You could hook it to a tv with a
special converter, and it used a power supply. You could also hook it to a
cassette recorder via an ear phone jack, and see if you could retrieve a
program you had stored, often a challenge. And if
these 2 computers were in an Indy style race – the starter for the
Timex would say “Gentlemen, start your programs ... “
as it was for programmers. None of the convenience of ready to
use programs like the Radio Shack. The worst part of this little pc, if you
could actually isolate on feature which was worse than the rest of it, was
the membrane keyboard. All keys were multifunctional and pressing different
combinations could produce up to 4 different results. If
you’re familiar with ultra-lite bass fishing
where guys go out with 1 pound test line and tiny little fishing rods trying
to catch big lunkers, this was truly ultra lite computing. And then
under these, in the back of my closet, I see my Compaq portable in a
box; the first 100% compatible
IBM computer clone, which
came out in November of 1982, just a few months after the IBM PC.
This was
a complete computer with its own display, floppy disk drives, printer port , power supply – ready to plug in and use
anywhere. But it cost almost $ 4000 !!! You could
snap it all together in a carrying package, and it even had its own handle.
And this is staying in my closet today, because I know I’d throw my
back out if I attempt to pull it out, at its luggable weight of over 30 pounds. |
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For Raw Bytes This is Frank Delaney (C) 2008 MTA Micro
Technology Associates http://www.mtamicro.com/kpbx.html PO Box 31522 Spokane, Wa 99223-1522 (509)624-7230 |
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