• Tag Archives computers

  • Commodore User (September 1984)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Commodore User – Issue Number 12 – September 1984

    Commodore User was a magazine dedicated to Commodore computer users that was published in the U.K. In 1984 that mostly meant the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 which was already fading away. The September 1984 issue includes:

    • Control your home with a Vic or 64 – Long, long before Alexa came along, you could use computers, even 8-bit computers like the VIC-20 and Commodore 64, to control things in your home. This is the first in a series of articles on doing this. The most common standard for such things back in the day was X10.
    • The Forth dimension – part one: a do-it-yourself language – Part one in a series on the Forth programming language. Forth seemed to be immensely popular for about 5 minutes (ok, maybe a couple of years).
    • Word processing round-up: Home Office reviewed – A review of Home Office, a package that came on cassette for the Commodore 64 (originally developed for the VIC-20) that included a word processor and database program.
    • Screen scene for Vic – Reviews of games including Max, Brain Pain, Micro-Antics, Astro Fighters, Starship Escape, Martian Raider, Time Destroyers, Shark Attack, and Moons of Jupiter.
    • Fred on sound: what’s a synthesizer – An introduction to sound synthesis on the Commodore 64. The first article in a series.

    • A superior database: Superbase reviewed – A review of Superbase for the Commodore 64. I actually had this database program but never used it that much.
    • Screen Scene for 64 – Reviews of games for the Commodore 64 including Banana Drama, Cavelon, Cuthbert Goes Walkabout, Fire Ant, Jammin, Moon Buggy, Renaissance, and Slurpy.
    • Wedges and 64 Function keys – A program listing that goes with an article in a previous issue.
    • A barn for Bubble Bus – An interview with the people behind the games software company, Bubble Bus.
    • Bigger Baisc – looking at arrays – A beginners guide to using arrays in BASIC.
    • Tommy’s Tips – Questions answered about troubleshooting system freezes, problems with a 24k VIC expansion, transferring data from the VIC-20 to Commodore 64, and more.

    …and more!


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  • Digital Archaeology: Getac S400

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The Getac S400 is a ruggedized laptop. Ruggedized laptops have features that let them hold up better in more extreme environments (outdoors, industrial settings, etc.). They include things like a heavier duty case (thin and light they are not), shock absorbing hard drive caddy, port covers, etc. As far as the internals, this laptop includes:

    • CPU: i3-380M @ 2.53 GHz
    • RAM: 8 GB DDR3-1333
    • Video: Intel HD Graphics
    • Screen: 1366×768

    Check out more detailed specs from HardInfo. Getac continued to use the S400 model designation for subsequent laptops but this variation, introduced in October 2010, was the first.

    I can tell the the RAM has been expanded because the modules are two different brands/speeds. This laptop originally would have shipped with 2GB or 4GB. As far as I can tell, everything else is original.

    Specs for this laptop are relatively low end though this machine would not have had a low end price. When new, this laptop would have cost about double what a non-ruggedized model with similar stats would have cost. This laptop probably retailed in the $1800 range when new. The i3 CPU is on the lower end of the scale at the time it was released though it was still plenty fast. At the time, the advantages of an i5 or i7 over an i3 came down to multitasking. i3s were 2 core/4 thread, i5s were 4 core/4 thread and i7s were 4 cores/8 threads. For a laptop meant to be used in the field, battery life was probably much more important than heavy multitasking.

    Likewise, the graphics are low end as there is no dedicated GPU. This generation of Intel processors were really the first where the integrated GPU was moved from the motherboard chipset to the CPU iteself. AMD was the first to do this calling such chips APUs but by this time most consumer CPUs were really APUs. In any case, this laptop wouldn’t be something you would use for gaming anyway so it doesn’t really need anything more.

    The screen is nice and bright which is useful for a laptop for which many use cases would take it outdoors. However, resolution is only average. 1366×768 qualifies as high def and was a pretty typical resolution at the time though full HD would have been nicer. However, for a 14-inch screen meant to be able to be easily visible in sunlight, and 1080p screen might have done more harm than good.

    According to Getac, this model is actually classified as “semi-rugged” so there are even heavier duty models available. Semi-rugged system use cases include utilities, field service, public safety, as well as military applications and vehicle use among other things. In addition to the features that make it “semi-rugged”, it includes all of the typical features you would have expected in a laptop at the time including a PC Card Type II slot, ExpressCard slot, 4-in-1 card reader, 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB/eSATA port, Gigabit LAN, IEEE 1394, VGA, audio in/out, modem, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, and more.


    Like all of the hardware I use, this laptop is running BOINC and crunching tasks for various projects. It is attached to Einstein@home, Milkyway@home, Rosetta@home, Asteroids@home, Universe@home and World Community Grid. You can check out how it is doing overall at FreeDC.


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  • Maximum PC (January 2006)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Maximum PC – January 2006

    Maximum PC was my favorite PC magazine. It had a pretty long life with the first issue being published in September 1998 and the last print issue coming in April 2023. Unlike some magazines, it maintained a fairly consistent quality. It limped on another couple of years as a digital only magazine but the last issue in that form was published last month. Sadly, Maximum PC is officially, completely dead. The January 2006 issue includes:

    Features

    • Versus – In this feature, Maximum PC determines the best AMD chipset (nVidia nForce4 SLI x16), best Pentium chipset (nVidia nForce 4 SLI x16), best midrange dual-core CPU (AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+), best high-end dual-core CPU (AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+), best high-end single-core CPU (Athlon 64 FX-57), best mobile CPU (Pentium M 740), best high-end videocard (nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX 512MB), best midrange videocard (Leadtek Winfast 7800 GT TDH Extreme), best budget videocard (AOpen Aeolus 6800 GT), best high-capacity hard drive (WC Caviar SE 16 400KB WD400KD), best recordable DVD media (Fujifilm), and best fast LCD (Samsung 940BF).
    • MP3 Challenge – A listening test with MP3s enconded with different encoders and bitrates.
    • DV Cam Roundup – A digital video camera buyers guide. Most video cameras at the time relied on miniDV tapes though some also used hard drives, 3-inch DVDs, and even flash media though capacity was limited. Cameras covered here include the Samsung SC-X105L Sports Cam, JVC Everio GZ-MG70U, Canon Optura 50, Hitachi DZ-GX20A, and Sony DCR-HC42 MiniDV Handycam.
    • $300 PC – This $300 computer includes an AMD Sempron 2800+ CPU, MSI RS480M-IL motherboard, 512MB of generic PC3200 memory, 80 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA hard drive, and Lite-On 16x double layer optical drive.

    Departments

    • Quick Start – A look at the top technologies of 2006. Some of these include dual-core GPUs, physics accelerators, new socket from AMD, DDR2 memory for AMD and DDR3 for Intel, among others. Also, Sony includes malware with every CD, Sanyo releases new rechargeable batteries, Firefox gains on Internet Explorer, Plextor releases 18x DVD burner, and more.
    • Head2Head – Comparing speakers with headphones. In this case, Sony’s MDR-DS8000 Digital Surround Headphone System is comapred with Logitech’s Z-5500 Digital speaker system. Spoiler, the speakers win.
    • WatchDog – Maximum PC’s consumer advocate investigates WinFixer (adware), WinAntiVirus Pro (sketchy antivirus software), EZInkjets.com (a company that took orders but seemingly never delivered), and more.
    • How To – A guide to installing Linux. This tutorial uses Ubuntu.
    • Ask the Doctor – Questions answered about burning a BartPE disc, a randomly restarting computer, a Dell XPS 600 and its use of proprietary parts, lock ups on the Sony Vaio VGNFS760 notebook, hard drive ticking sounds, and more.
    • R&D – A white paper on Virtual 3D Audio and an autopsy of an LCD display.
    • In the Lab – A look at high-end thermal paste performance and an evaluation of the new nForce 4 chipset.
    • In/Out – Letters from readers about Intel adopting AMD64 extensions, LaCie external drives, driver updates, camera testing, 64-bit Windows XP driver problems, the WD Raptor, and more.
    • Rig of the Month – A reader puts a custom build PC in his RX-8.

    Reviews

    • Pc Enclosure – A look at the Cooler Master CM Stacker 830 case.
    • Desktop PC – A review of the S1 Digital Media Center featuring a Pentium 4 @ 3.2 GHz, 1GB Geil DDR2-533 RAM, 320GB Western Digital hard drive, nVidia GeForce 6600 GT video card with 128MB, 350 watt power supply, and more for $2500.
    • External Water Cooler – A review of the Thermaltake Symphone External Water cooler which includes a cooling tower that sits outside of the PC case for a pretty steep $400. This is designed more for those with HTPC systems that have small cases.
    • Wirelss 5.1 Speakers -A review of Logitech Z-5450 Digital speakers. They had the convenience of being wireless but were also relatively noisy.
    • Mid-size Case – A review of the Silverstone Sugo SG-01 case.
    • PDA – A review of the Palm TX. Before iOS and Android took over the world with smartphones, your choice was a Palm or Windows Mobile based device without phone capabilities.
    • Streaming Boxes – A look at the Pinnacle ShowCenter 200 and Olive Musica Wireless Music System.
    • Mp3/Video Player – A reviews of the Apple 30GB iPod.
    • VGA Coolers – A review of the Arctic Cooling VGA Silencers.
    • Cordless Mouse – A review of the Logitech G7 Mouse.
    • Antivirus Apps – Reviews of McAfee VirusScan 2006 and Norton Antivirus 2006.

    Gaming

    • Age of Empires III – A review of this classic real-time strategy game from Microsoft.
    • Call of Duty 2 – A review of this classic first person shooter. Not really much of an improvement over the original but why mess with success?
    • F.E.A.R. – A horror themed first person shooter.

    …and more!


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