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  • Digital Archaeology: Dell Inspiron B130

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The Dell Inspiron B130 was a low end laptop that was near the bottom end of what Dell offered at the time. However, even the B130 had a number of configurations, mostly differing by CPU and amount of RAM. My particular model includes the following:

    • Intel Pentium M 740 (1.73GHz) Processor
    • 1 GB DDR2 Memory (PC-4200)
    • 300 GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
    • 24x CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
    • 15.4″ WXGA (1280×800) Wide Screen LCD
    • Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics with 128MB Shared Memory
    • V.90 56Kbps Modem, 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11b/g Wireless
    • Three USB 2.0 Ports and Express Card/54 Slot

    The 300 GB hard drive is not original. This laptop probably originally shipped with a 60 GB hard drive. It may have also only had 512 MB of RAM originally. For more complete specs, check out the output of HardInfo.

    In terms of the CPU, this was probably near the higher end of what was offered with this particular model. There were other Celeron based and slower Pentium M iterations but probably not many that were faster. In 2005, when the B130 was released, this processor was reasonably fast. However, the integrated Intel graphics were the lowest end available and definitely not suited for contemporary gaming. Other low end indicators were the DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive which could not write DVDs, and the lack of a firewire port which was standard on most laptops at the time. The resolution also wasn’t particularly high. 1280×800 was pretty typical for low end widescreen laptops at the time.

    There isn’t much that can be done in terms of upgrading. I’m sure you could put in an SSD if you wanted and the RAM is expandable to 2GB which would definitely help. However, you are stuck with the Intel graphics and while the CPU could probably be upgraded, there isn’t a whole lot of speed to be gained going that route.

    While having an entirely plastic exterior, it still feels pretty solid and the keyboard isn’t terrible. The B130 is very utilitarian looking but the mostly black design still looks ok. It’s definitely no powerhouse but if you were looking for a cheap (for the time) laptop (around $600 or so), then I suppose this would not have been a bad choice.

    Like all the hardware I operate, this one runs BOINC when it is on and participates in various projects. It has processed work for Einstein@home, Asteroids@home and World Community Grid. Check out its overall BOINC stats at FreeDC.



    Computer Arcana 📎and tagged

  • ANALOG Computing (November 1984)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: ANALOG Computing – November 1984

    ANALOG Computing was probably the most popular Atari 8-bit computer magazine published in the U.S. It covered all of Atari’s 8-bit computers through its life including the Atari 400, Atari 800, Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 1200XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE and more. It also occasionally had Atari ST coverage though it was always primarily an 8-bit magazine. The November 1984 issue includes:

    Features

    • AtariCon Report – A report on the first international Atari users convention which was held August 24th and August 25th 1984 in Southfield, Michigan.
    • Bopotron! – A type-in platform game in which you must control a robot running around a spaceship trying to keep all of the power packs charged.
    • Circuit Database – A type-in program designed to store and organize circuit diagrams.
    • XL-DOS – A type-in modification of Atari’s DOS 2.0S for XL computers to make it faster and more efficient.
    • Cassette Compressor – A type-in program for compressing programs on cassette and making them load faster.
    • BOFFO! – A type-in program that will convert object code into data statements.
    • Bopotron Construction Set – A type-in construction set for the Bopotron game above that allows you to create your own levels.
    • Race in Space – A type-in machine language game for one or two players in which you race through an asteroid field.
    • An Interview with Free Fall Associates – An interview with Jon Freeman and Anne Westfall of Freefall Associates. They were known for games such as Archon, Archon II, and Murder on the Zinderneuf.

    Reviews

    • A Software Cornucopia – Reviews of Pengo (Atari), Infidel (Infocom), Mr. Robot and his Robot Factory (Datamost), Flak (Funsoft), and Questron (Strategic Simulations, Inc.).
    • Archon II: Adept – An in-depth review of Archon II: Adept, from Electronic Arts.

    Columns

    • Rader Comment – Letters from readers about the Ape-Face printer interface, Micro-Puzzler, plotting 3D images, and more.
    • Griffin’s Lair – Reviews of educational programs including Seastalker from Infocom, Dragon’s Keep: Troll’s Tale from Sierra On-Line, and Tonk in the Land of Buddy-Bots from Mindscape.
    • New Products – A brief look at new Atari related products including the Hush 80S printer, Gumball from Broderbund, Getting Started with the Atari 600XL (book), the Anchor Signalman Mark XII 1200bps modem ($399), Pitfall II and H.E.R.O. from Activision, Quest of the Space Beagle from Avalon Hill, and more.
    • Ask Mr. Forth – A FORTH tutorial with demo code.
    • BASIC Training – A continuing series on how to write a game in BASIC which uses a Battleship clone called High Seas as the game to be written.

    …and more!


    Atari 8-bit Computer Arcana 📎and tagged