• Tag Archives 1982
  • Byte (November 1982)

    Source: Byte – November 1982

    Byte was probably the best general computer magazine of the 1980s. Many of the early issues could be huge with this one coming in at over 600 pages. The IBM PC had only been introduced the previous year and it was not yet clear that it would set the standard for personal computers. The November 1982 issue includes:

    Features

    • The Third NCGA and the Future of Computer Graphics – A look at the then current state of computer graphics. NCGA stands for National Computer Graphics Association. At the time, even things like color output were a novelty for the average user.
    • Tronic Imagery – A behind the scenes look at computer graphics in Tron. Tron was one of the first movies to make extensive use of computer graphics and it was extremely impressive for its time.
    • Build the Circuit Cellar MPX-16 Computer System, Part 1 – The MPX-16 is a single board computer that you could build yourself from scratch with the information provided in this series of articles. It includes an 8088 processor and IBM PC compatible bus and is capable of running CP/M-86. This was definitely an advanced project. It would be interesting to know how many people actually built these (vs. buying one which was also an option).
    • Problem Solving with Logo – Converting a PL/I graphics design to an Apple II using Apple Logo.
    • Build a Video Digitizer – Instructions for building a $50 interface that allows you to capture video still images in three colors (black, white and gray).
    • Computer Animation with Color Registers – An animation tutorial using BASIC on the Atari 400/800.
    • Victor Victorious: The Victor 9000 – A review of the Victor 9000. It features an 8088 processor, 128K of RAM, two 612K floppy drives, and high resolution monochrome monitor for $4995. It came with both CP/M-86 and MS-DOS. Expansion was expensive. Another 128K of RAM would set you back $800. A 10 MB hard drive cost $4495.
    • An Interview with Chuck Peddle – Chuck Peddle is a legend in early computer design. Not only was he the chief designer of the Victor 9000, but he also worked on the design of the Motorola 6800 and was the chief architect of the MOS 6502 family of chips which were used in the Commodore 64, VIC-20, Apple II, Atari 400/800, and other computers. He also designed the PET.
    • JETSET – A type-in flight simulator written in TRS-80 Model II BASIC.
    • The Game of Rat and Dragon – Control a rat trying to reach a piece of cheese in a maze while avoiding two dragons. This BASIC type-in game also serves as a game design tutorial.
    • An Introduction to the Human Applications Standard Computer Interface, Part 2: Implementing the HASCI Concept – HASCI was a standard with the intent of making computers more useful and usable.
    • A Short History of the Keyboard – A history of keyboard standards and how they developed.
    • User’s Column: Terminals, Keyboards, and How Software Piracy Will Bring Profits to Its Victims – A second look at the Televideo 950 terminal plus reviews of the Heath/Zenith Z-19CN, Compupro Systems 8085/8088 Dual Processor system, Disk Doctor, and more.
    • Inexpensive Transducers for the TRS-80 – The second part in a series on devices that can be used to monitor the real world on the TRS-80.
    • A Graphics Primer – An introduction to graphics on microcomputers.
    • Interactive 3-D Graphics for the Apple II – A tutorial for creating 3D graphics on the Apple II.
    • Microvec: The Other Type of Video – A look at vector displays and a comparison with the more common raster displays. Most people will be familiar with vector displays from certain arcade games (like Asteroids).

    Reviews

    • The Graphics Magician – Animation software for the Apple II.
    • Cambridge Development Lab’s High Resolution Video Graphics System – A high resolution display system for S-100 based computers. High resolution in this case meant 640×482.
    • Executive Briefing System – You could think of this as PowerPoint for the Apple II. It’s designed to create charts and graphics for presentation purposes.
    • Colonial Data Services’ SB-80 – A single board Z80 based CP/M computer. The price with 64K of RAM and two double density drives was $2995.

    Nucleus

    • Editorial: Deus ex Machina of the Technological Age – A look at the fast growing field of microcomputers and portable computers.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about Digital Research’s licensing policies, computers in social sciences, archaeology and microcomputers, and more.
    • Ask BYTE – Questions answered about running the Apple II+ on battery power, the TRS-80 Pocket Computer, leaving computers on, CP/M User’s Groups, using cassettes with computers, and more.
    • BYTELINES – Commodore introduces five new machines, Apple to announce Apple IIE, Z80 sales still strong, Tandy expands distribution, bubble memory growing in popularity, production of illegal copies of the Apple II, and more.
    • What’s New? – A brief look at new products including the NUC-M1401 series of graphics terminals, Plotstar graphics software for CP/M machines, the Peachtree Graphics Language, The Business Graphics System, Graftalk graphics package, an RGB graphics board for the Apple II, Polaroid Videoprinter that turns video signals into instant photos, Teleram3000 portable computer with 128K of bubble memory, and much more.

    …and more!


  • Byte (October 1982)

    Source: Byte – October 1982

    Byte covered a wide variety of systems over the course of its live form the 1970s until the 1990s. In 1982, the IBM PC was still new and it wasn’t yet clear that IBM PC compatibility would come to dominate both home and business. Issues were generally pretty massive at this time with the October 1982 issue containing well over 500 pages. It includes:

    Features

    • Beyond the Peaks of Visicalc – A look at more complex financial planning applications than a spreadsheet (of which Visicalc was the main representative at this point). Packages looked at here include Desktop Plan II, Microfinesse, and Plan80.
    • Build the Microvox Text-to-Speech Synthesizer, Part 2: Software – The second in a series on building your own speech synthesizer. This part concentrates on creating the software to make it work.
    • What Makes Business Programming Hard? – A case study in writing software for a bank.
    • Adapting Microcomputers to Wall Street – Microcomputers as a tool for financial investors. At this point, it’s hard to imagine NOT having computers as tools.
    • Putting Real-World Interfaces to Work, Part 1 – Part one of a two-part series on monitoring the physical environment (things like temperature, water level, light level, pressure, etc.) with a TRS-80 Model I, TRS-80 Model III, and TRS-80 Color Computer.
    • The State of Industrial Robotics – A look at how robots were currently being used in industry, still a relatively new thing at this time.
    • Marketplace – A type-in BASIC telecomputing game for two TRS-80 Model IIIs in which you compete in marketing a product with another person.
    • Ringquest – A type-in adventure game for the Apple II that originated on the Commodore PET.
    • The Case of the Purloined Object Code, Part 2 – The second in a two part series on software protection from both a technical and legal standpoint.
    • User’s Column – A comparison of BASIC and Pascal speed, the best language for different purposes, and more.
    • An Introduction to the Human Applications Standard Computer Interface, Part 1 – A standard for personal computer interfaces.
    • The Personal Computer as an Interface to a Corporate Management Information System – Building an intelligent terminal interface for the Apple II in Pascal specifically designed to work with GEISCO Mark III time sharing service.
    • Software Arts’ TK Solver – A look at a new toolkit based equation solver from Software Arts called TK Solver. Essentially, it is like an electronic calculator for solving algebraic equations.
    • Naming Your Software – Considering trademarks when naming your software.
    • Program Your Own Text Editor, Part 2 – Part two of a series on creating a text editor. Source code in assembly for the Z80/8080 is provided.

    Reviews

    • Radio Shack Compiler BASIC – A BASIC compiler for the TRS-80 Model I and Model III.
    • Wyse Technology’s WY-100 Terminal – At the time, standalone terminals were still a thing but they would soon be replaced by IBM PCs and other personal/small business computers with terminal emulation software.
    • EduWare’s Statistics 3.0 – The latest update to a statistical package for the Apple II.
    • Systems Plus: FMS-80 – While referred to as a file management system by the maker, FMS-80 is really a type of DBMS. It runs on systems with an 8080 or Z80 processor running CP/M.

    Nucleus

    • Editorial – Answers to frequently asked questions such as what’s the best computer to buy, buy now or wait, which OS will be the standard, which processor will be the leader in five years, etc.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about a standard BASIC, RSCOBOL, IBM, alternate repair services, double density disks on the Osborne 1, and more.
    • Programming Quickies – A BASIC program for generating Mohr’s Circle (a way to find the principal stresses due to combined loads).
    • Book Reviews – A of VisiCalc: Home and Office Companion by David M. Castiewitz, Lawrence J. Chisausky, Patricia Kronberg, and L. D. Chukman.
    • Ask BYTE – Questions answered about letter quality printers for the Apple II Plus, addressing more that 64KB with a 6502, 8-inch disk drives vs. 5.25-inch disk drives, cassette recorders for the VIC-20, music on the ZX-81, and more.
    • BYTELINES – Rumors of Osbourne working on an 80-column display for its portable computer; Morrow Designs to introduce CP/M-based system for $1195; DEC to introduce PDP-11/23 with 256K RAM and 10.8 MB hard drive with support for up to 8 users for $9200; AT&T to enter computer business; IBM to provide improved version of EasyWriter; Apple to drop price of Apple II from $2604 to under $2000; Radio Shack drops price of TRS-80 Model III with 1 floppy drive from $1995 to $1849 and with 2 floppy drives from $2495 to $2295; S-100 bus to be an official standard by the following year (near the end of its life); Grid Compass shows machines with flat panels; techniques being researched for erasable optical disks; and much more.
    • What’s New? – Atari markets Telelink II communications kit; new Multifunction Utility Board for the Heath H-89; Mean Green 12-inch green monitor; Hayes Smartmodem 1200 ($699); Pi-3 amber monitor from USI International; 3-inch disk driver from Amdek; portable HP-75C computer from Hewlett-Packard; Zenith Data Systems Z100 series S-100 based computers; DEC introduces the Professional 350 and 325, DECmate II and Rainbow 100; new database for the PET and VIC-20; The Big Four accounting package for the Olivetti M-20; Deadline from Infocom; and lots more.

    …and more!


  • Flight-Command (DOS)

    Flight-Command (Dos)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/177258742417/retrocgads-usa-1982

    This is an ad for a flight simulator from 1982. It is for DOS-based PCs, which at the time would have only been the IBM PC. This must have been one of the earliest flight simulators available for the PC.

    I couldn’t really find much on this game though the requirements tell a story. It only required 64K of RAM which was what the original IBM PC came with when it was introduced. It also requires an 80-column display. Though you could have a 40-column display with the PC I don’t know if that was particularly common. Interestingly, it also requires BASICA so I assume that this game was written in BASIC. This game was probably only available via direct order as in this ad.

    Like I said, I couldn’t really find much on this one but I limited my googling to 5 minutes or so. The ad pops up various times in 1982 and 1983 issues of PC Magazine. If anybody has any screenshots, post them in the comments.