Retro Computing Roundtable

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Blake Patterson, and Carrington Vanston Topic: Poolside computing arrives We look back on a few highlights of 1965, including the Programma 101, the PDP-8, Moore’s Law. We talk analog computers, Visual BASIC, sticky mice, and more. Topic/Feedback links: Moore’s Law (Wikipedia) Moore’s Law (NYT) PDP-8 The incredible story of the fir...

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, and Carrington Vanston Topic: Double bucky, you’re the one We look back on a few highlights of 1964, including the double bucky, SABRE, and BASIC. Topic/Feedback links: The term “double bucky” is coined The double bucky song BASIC is introduced (successor to DARSIMCO and DOPE) IBM introduces SABRE CDC 6600 supercomputer ASR-33 Pico...

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Earl Evans, Michael Mulhern, and Carrington Vanston Topic: The year of the gopher We begin 2023 with a shift to new hosting providers, that require encrypted communication. How/should we access the modern web from old computers? Topic/Feedback links: Building a new C64 (Retro Recipes) LinuxJedi’s GoFloppy Gameboy Tetris ported to the Apple II...

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Earl Evans, and Michael Mulhern Topic: 60 years between Bell 103 and today” s InterNet In 1962, the world gained Spacewar! and the Bell 103 modem. Topic/Feedback links: Spacewar at masswerk.at Spacewar! History of Spacewar! Computer Space Bell 103 NCR CRAM NCR CRAM product brochure. BBC archive, speaking with Douglas Adams about the HHGTTG gam...

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, and Carrington Vanston Topic: Cause the Commodordian Is Keeping Up With You 1961 was all fine and good, but someone has made an accordion out of two Commodore 64s and a bunch of floppy disks. Topic/Feedback links: Neural net on a C64. Minus zero at fourmilab OS 2200 Unisys 2200 Series architecture BBC archive on Infocom 1985 Floppy disk supplier say...

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Earl Evans, and Blake Patterson Topic: Recommended Standard 232 and Programmed Data Processor-1 1960 brought us RS-232 and the PDP-1, more COBOL, and curly braces. Topic/Feedback links: Recommended Standard 232 A proposal for character code compatibility. The great curly brace trace Demo of the Digirule 2A Digirule 2U Legacy OS 2200 Floppy disk asse...