This
episode of the Retrobits Podcast is a grab bag. There are several things I
wanted to talk about, none of which would make up a central theme, so this show
is "potpourri". Here are the URLs referenced in the show:
The
Denial website/forum focuses on the VIC-20. Missed
this one during the VIC-20 show (#001). Thanks to folks for pointing out this
great resource!
Computer Chronicles, a television program that ran
from the 80s until the late nineties, is available for download and/or viewing
at the
archive.org website. It is really fun to watch these
shows in our modern day context...
BBSMates is a website dedicated to online bulletin
board systems (BBSes). It has a searchable database of over 75,000 systems,
from the 80s to modern day!
Classic Gaming Expo is an event dedicated to "the
people, systems and games of yesteryear".
DigitalPress covers a wide spectrum of retro gaming.
The UCSD P-System is a computing environment from days
gone by. It's most famous component was the Pascal compiler.
There was a reunion of some of the original folks that
developed it, and they made videos, which are available for download and
viewing.
Fire In the Valley is a must-read book for those
interested in the history of personal computing. I will do a full book review
in a subsequent Podcast. For now, if you've got some reading time to kill, run,
don't walk, to buy this book. I have read it twice, and will be reading it
again soon. You can get it on
Amazon, among other places.
Also coming soon,
a book on the rise and fall of Commodore. I've
noticed this book actively promoted in vintage computer settings, like the
USENET groups. It's not out yet, expected to go to press pretty soon. Some
impromptu reviews from some famous names in the Commodore fan realm have seen
chapters, and they stated they like what they saw. Even though it's kind of
pricey for a casual read, I'll probably get it, given my long-term interest in
Commodore, and the lack of historical information about the company.
Philadelphia City
Paper, November 17-23, 2005
...fascinating and improbably hilarious...Bagnall keeps the book from
becoming circuit porn for Byte! buffs by focusing on characters.
"On the Edge"
Book Description
Filled with first-hand accounts of
ambition, greed, and inspired engineering, this history of the
personal computer revolution takes readers inside the cutthroat world
of Commodore. Before Apple, IBM, or Dell, Commodore was the first
computer maker to market its machines to the public, selling an
estimated 22 million Commodore 64s. These halcyon days were
tumultuous, however, owing to the expectations and unsparing tactics
of founder Jack Tramiel. Engineers and managers with the company
between 1976 and 1994 share their experiences of the groundbreaking
moments, soaring business highs, and stunning employee turnover that
came along with being on top of the PC world in the early days.
