• Tag Archives Byte

  • Byte (September 1984)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Byte – September 1984

    This issue of Byte was a special issue emphasizing IBM. The IBM PC had been released a few years earlier and even in 1984, it wasn’t a given that the PC and DOS were going to take over the world. CP/M was still around with CP/M 86 having been introduced as well and even “compatible” PCs were not always that compatible yet. I think Byte did one of these IBM special issues (which also covered IBM’s larger systems as well) for a few years at least. The September 1984 issue of Byte includes:

    Introduction

    • IBM and its PCs – How IBM stepped into a void in a crowded market to provide the ability to address a lot of memory (for the time), an 80 column display, an open system architectures, and a good keyboard/word processing combo…a combination of features lacking in other systems. I find it interesting that this editorial calls the IBM PC the third major standard behind CP/M and the Apple II. Not sure how the Apple II gets that label as there were other machines nearly or in some cases more popular. The Apple II line (including the IIgs) sold 5-6 million machines, the TRS-80 line sold 2.5 million, Atari sold 4-5 million Atari 8-bit computers and the Commodore 64 sold 17-20 million Commodore 64s and I don’t think that number includes the compatible Commodore 128 that sold around 4 million. Granted, all of these systems were still in production when this issue was published so these numbers had not yet been reached.
    • IBM Personal Computers at a Glance – While there were a number of upgrades available, a basic IBM PC in 1984 included an Intel 8088 4.77MHz CPU, 256K RAM (max 640K), 360K 5.25-inch floppy drive, and five expansion slots for $1995. The IBM PC XT was very similar but included a 10 MB hard drive and eight expansion slots and cost $4395. The PCjr was IBMs attempt at a purely “home computer” and included only 64K (max 128K) and a terrible chicklet keyboard but included a built-in color adapter and cartridge slots (but no standard expansion slots). Finally, there was the IBM Portable PC which basically had the same specs as the IBM PC in a luggable form factor and built-in 9-inch amber monitor. Then there were specialized configurations designed for use with IBMs mainframes and other specialized machines.
    • Forecast: Market Dominance – IBM shipped 600,000 IBM PCs and XTs in 1983 and all signs were pointing to dominance by IBM in the personal computer market. It would take almost another decade before the IBM PC standard was essentially the only standard. Ironically, in another 10 years IBM would be exiting the personal computer business.

    Stalwarts

    • A Tale of Two Operating Systems – A comparison of Microsoft’s PC-DOS (which was at version 2.0 at this point) and IBM’s XT/370 OS.
    • The Future of UNIX on the IBM PC – A look at UNIX on the IBM PC (which was already available at the time).
    • Five Window Managers for the IBM PC – Before Microsoft Windows came to dominate, there were numerous other window managers that ran on top of DOS. This article includes a preview of five of them including DesQ, WindowMaster, VisiOn, Concurrent DOS, and of course Windows itself.
    • Two Logos for the IBM PC – A comparison of two implementations of Logo including one by Digital Research (DR Logo) and one by IBM (IBM Personal Computer Logo).
    • The Logical Record Keeper: PROLOG on the IBM PC – A look at a PROLOG implementation for the IBM PC based on DEC-10 PROLOG.
    • An Introduction to PC Assembly Language – A beginner’s guide to assembly language on the 8088. The only assembly language programming I ever did was on a 68000 in college. I understand that the 68000 is much nicer to program for in assembly than 8086/8088 CPUs and their derivatives.
    • Technical and Business Graphics on the IBM PC – Business graphics meant things like charts, graphs and presentation software. While most things are PowerPoint today, such “business graphics” were done with a combination of spreadsheet software, graphing software, and presentation software. Some of the software looked at here includes SuperCalc3, Lotus 1-2-3, GrafTalk, Business Graphics System, DR Graph and ChartMaster.
    • Word Processing Revisited – Reviews of the latest versions of WordStar, Word, pfs:Write, MultiMate, and FinalWord.
    • Six Database-Management Systems for the IBM PC – A comparison of six popular DBMSs for the PC including Condor 3 2.11, dBASE II 2.4A, R:base 4000 1.10, KnowledgeMan 1.06, C.I.P 1A, and pfs:file/pfs:report.
    • Evaluating 8087 Performance on the IBM PC – The 8087 is the optional math co-processor that works with the IBM PC and IBM PC XT (as well as some clones). This article evaluates its performance and even compares some functions on a Cray super computer (which was “only” 180 times faster in some cases).

    Extra Power for Special Needs

    • The IBM XT/370 Personal Computer – The XT/370 was a special version of the IBM PC XT that could operate as an XT personal computer, an interactive full screen terminal to a mainframe, or in a mode that can actually run System/370 programs.
    • Number Crunching on IBM’s New S9000 – The S9000 was based on the Motorola 68000 CPU and could use large amounts of RAM (2 MB or more). It was designed for scientific uses and this article evaluates its performance for use in nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry.
    • The Mainframe Connection: IBM’s 3270 PC – The 3270 PC was a special version of the PC that included the high speed terminal interface for mainframes and could simultaneously run DOS programs.
    • Modems: The Next Generation – A comparison of some of the latest modems including the Prentice X100 POPCOM ($475), Hayes Smartmodem 1200B ($599), Bizcomp PC-Intellimodem ($499), Novation ACCESS 1-2-3 ($595), Cermetek INFO-MATE 212PC ($480), and Microcom ERA2 ($499). All support 1200bps.
    • Moving Data Between PCs and Mainframes – Today, moving data around is trivial. In the olden days, moving data between mainframes and personal computers could be more of a pain.
    • Testing for IBM PC Compatibility – There were many PC “compatible” machines by 1984. However, in the early days, compatibility could vary. Some machines were more compatible than others. This article presents two programs that can test for compatibility issues.
    • What’s New – CallText 5000 text-to-speech converter and telephone interface, Micro-Design hard drives (5 to 22 MB), RAM+6 multifunction card with real-time clock, Multi-Tech MultiModem, AST MPII 64K memory expansion and clock/calendar, Spellbinder, PortaAPL, Metafile 8.0, and much more.

    …and more!


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  • Byte (March 1980)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Byte – March 1980

    If you were buying a computer magazine in the early 1980s, there’s a good chance it was Byte. It tended to be technically oriented with lots of projects to build yourself but it also had reviews and other coverage. Some issues were quite large. The March 1980 issue includes:

    Foreground

    • Ease Into 16-Bit Computing: Get 16-Bit Performance From an 8-Bit Computer – A look at Intel’s 8088 CPU, a 16-bit 8086 on the inside with an 8-bit data bus.
    • Electron Behavior in a Chemical Bond – Discussion of and a BASIC implementation of the Schrodinger equation to simulate the behavior of an electron in a diatomic chemical bond.
    • Solving Problems Involving Variable Terrain, Part 2: Special Cases, Including Hexagonal Grids – The second part in a series on calcuating map movements with specific examples for game implementation.
    • A Power-Line Protection Circuit – A design for building your own surge protector.
    • Landing Module Simulation With Random Surface – An implementation of a Lunar Lander type game with M6800 assembler code.
    • The Dirt-Cheap Bootstrap, More Notes on Bringing Up a Microcomputer – Solving problems including single-stepping the processor, transferring data to memory, and using a keyboard or panel to enter data.
    • Hydrocarbon Molecule Constructor – Organic chemistry on the Apple II.
    • Super Tic – A 3D tic-tac-toe game written in BASIC for the North Star.

    Background

    • Hewlett-Packard’s New Personal Computer, The HP-85 – This $3250 personal computer includes a built-in 5-inch display, data cartridge drive, and thermal printer. It is based on a custom 8-bit processor and includes 16K of RAM. One unique feature for its time was the bit-mapped display.
    • TRS-80 Performance, Evaluation By Program Timing – Some BASIC programs for benchmarking the TRS-80.
    • Electronic Planimetry – Using a computer to calculate the area of a two-diemnsional object by tracing its perimeter. The computer used in this article is the Terak 8510.
    • Operation Codes For 8080, 8085, and Z80 Processors – An overview of the opcodes for these CPUs.
    • To Err Is Human – Defining an error correction process for assembly programming.

    Nucleus

    • Editorial: Hunting the Computerized Eclipse – Implementing a computerized control system for photographing solar eclipses.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about building cheap computers, biorhythms, and more.
    • Programming Quickies – Short programs for calculating gear ratios for 10 and 15 speed bikes, performing multiplication and division on the KIM-1, and implementing The Towers of Hanoi puzzle game.
    • BYTE News – France to introduce home terminals, IBM introduces the model 3101 ASCII terminal, Microsoft BASIC to be used on TRS-80 successor, and more.
    • Book Reviews – Reviews of What Computers Can’t Do by Huber L. Dreyfus, Z80 Software Gourmet Guide and Cookbook by Nat Wadsworth, Brain, Mind and Computers by Stanley L. Jaki, and more.
    • BYTE’s Bits – Steve Wozniac receives 1979 ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award, new freely available real-time BASIC, and more.
    • Product Review: Lucidata P-6800 Pascal – An implementation of Pascal designed for Southwest Technical Products Corporation (SwTPC) compatible systems running FLEX or mini-FLEX.
    • Technical Forum – A BASIC program to simulate “rubber stamping” a simple message using an impact printer.
    • Desktop Wonder: The Periodic Chart at Your Figertips – A periodic table program for the TI-59 programmable calculator.
    • What’s New? – A Z80 based disk operating system written in PL/M, the A2-3D1 animation package for the Apple II, Pascal-80 for 8080/8085 based computers, EFAMOS multitasking OS for 8080, 8085, and Z80 based systems, a Space Shuttle landing simulator, and more.

    …and more!


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  • Byte (May 1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Byte – May 1985

    How many people have even seen a 600 page magazine? Magazines are much more uncommon than they used to be and I don’t think any exist these days of this size. But in 1985, that’s how big Byte was. Just spending 5 seconds per page flipping through this behemoth would still take you most of an hour. The March 1985 issue includes:

    Features

    • Ciarcia’s Circuit Cellar: Build the Touch-Tone Interactive Message System – A design for a touch-tone messaging system ultimately designed to be part of an integrated home-control and voice-messaging system.
    • Factfinder – A text-oriented database for the to Macintosh.
    • Arithmetic on Your PC – Using strings and arrays to perform various operations on a 200 digit number.
    • Build a Serial Card – Save $85 by building your own serial card using this design instead of buying one.
    • Two Flat-Display Technologies – A look at gas-plasma and electroluminescent display technology. These were used mostly in portable machines. I always really liked the amber gas plasma displays (some Toshiba laptops used these). I don’t think I’ve ever seen an electroluminescent display and I believe these were more expensive and less common.
    • Navigation: Putting the Microcomputer to Work at Sea – Navigating the ocean using a personal computer.
    • A Unit-Conversion Algorithm – An algorithm and BASIC implementation to convert from one base to another and between different measurement systems such as Metric and English.

    Themes

    • Build Your Dream Editor – A look at customizable editors for the PC including VEDIT, PMATE, P-Edit, and BRIEF.
    • The Commodore 64 80-Column Terminal – Details for building an interface for the Commodore 64 that lets it operate as an 80 column terminal. Normally, the Commodore 64 can only display 40 columns. Incidentally, in the early 1990s I used a shareware terminal program called NovaTerm for calling BBSes that did this in software. Probably not as high quality as a hardware solution but it was acceptable.
    • The Kit Solution – A look at the 80186 based Slicer single board kit computer. It includes 256K of RAM and could also be purchased as a complete system.
    • Public-Domain Gems – A look at recent public domain software for the PC and Mac. Some titles include PC-Talk III (terminal software for the PC), RBBS-PC (BBS for the PC), Fido (including FidoNet), PC-File (database), PC-Write (word processor), Core War (game), MVP Forth (programming language), and more.
    • An XLISP Tutorial – A tutorial for this free LISP derivative. I used SCHEME, another LISP derivative, for one class in college. These languages were designed with recursion and AI in mind.
    • Budget 3-D Graphics – A look at SURF, an inexpensive software package for DOS that can produce 3D plots.

    Reviews

    • The Altos 586 with the XENIX Development System – This machine, starting at $8990, includes a terminal, 10 MHz Intel 8086, the Xenix operating system, a double-sided quad-density floppy drive, and 512K of RAM, a 20 MB hard drive and more.
    • The NEC APC III – A computer design for businesses that features an 8-MHz 8086, high-res color graphics (640 x 400), a 5.25″ floppy drive, and 256K of RAM. However, it only has limited PC compatibility.
    • Atari 800XL – This was probably my favorite version of the Atari 8-bit computer (though I still prefer the Commodore 64).
    • Dazzle Draw – A paint program for the Apple IIC/IIe that allows you to paint with 16 colors.
    • The KoalaPad – The KoalaPad is a touch pad interface and drawing tablet. This is a review for the Apple II version though there were versions for a variety of other platforms including the Commodore 64.
    • FriendlyWriter and FriendlySpeller – A simple word processor for DOS.
    • Tecmar’s JrCaptain – A memory expansion board that can expand the PCjr to up to 512KB of RAM.

    Kernel

    • Computing At Chaos Manor: On The Road: Hackercon and COMDEX – Discussion and reviews of various products including Animation Toolkit, CD ROM, CineMAC Upgrade Kit, DB Master, Fast Finder, Hyperdrive, Macintosh, MacVision, Mite, Pascal MT+ Professional BASIC, Smartline Smartboard, Wizardry, Wordstar 2000, and Write Once.
    • BYTE West Coast: Up to Date – A look inside the Hacker’s Conference (probably not what you are thinking) plus a first look at GEM.
    • BYTE U.K.: Multitasking FORTH – With FORTH, multitasking systems can be built even on small machines such as the Commodore 64 and Sinclair ZX81.
    • BYTE Japan: A Sampler – A look at Turbo Pascal, Megabit RAMs, UNIX, PC-UX, the PC-9801F3, the NEC APC III, the IBM JX, and Wordstar 2000.
    • Editorial: Another World: The 68000 – A variety of upcoming 68000 computers offer alternatives to the IBM PC and its clones. These included the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST among others.
    • Microbytes – MSX computers shown at CES (though none were for sale), wrist computers in Japan, new Braille printer from Visualtek, and more.
    • Letters – Letters from readers with topics such as Revelation from Cosmos, fractals, Unix Vs. XENIX, adding a PC hard drive, and more.
    • What’s New – A brief look at new products including the Atari 130ST and 520ST, the Atari 65XE and 130XE, the Sharp portable PC-2500, the Commodore LCD, the Okimate 120 printer, three new printers from Epson, Word 2.0, the GS-32 single board computer, the Footmouse, and more.
    • Ask BYTE – Questions answered about searching large amounts of text, information about Atari and Commodore computers, acoustic modems for the Atari 600XL, RS-232C interfaces for the Commodore 64, code translators, and more.
    • Book Reviews – Reviews of UNIX Primer Plus by Howard W. Sams & Co., The Business Guide to the UNIX System by Jean L. Yates and Sandra Emerson, Understanding UNIX: A conceptual Guide by Paul Weinberg and James R. Groff, A Practical Guide to the UNIX System by Mark G. Sobell, The UNIX Programming Environment by Brian W. Kernighan and Robert Pike, and The UNIX System by Stephen R. Bourne.
    • Programming Insights – Hyper, a program for factoring large numbers. Plus, emulating the MAC10.
    • Application Note – Tips for using the SUBMIT utility in CP/M.

    …and more!


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