• Tag Archives IBM PC

  • 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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  • PC Magazine (February 1983)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC Magazine – February 1983

    For most of the 1980s and 1990s I would say there were two big PC oriented magazines in the U.S. Those would be PC World and PC Magazine. There were plenty of other but of those dedicated specifically to the PC, these were probably the most well known. In 1983 it may not have been a forgone conclusion that the IBM PC would set the standard for decades to come but but the writing was already on the wall. You could tell by the sheer amount of advertising which was a pretty good measure at the time of popularity. This issue of PC Magazine from February 1983 approaches 500 pages in length. It’s hard to conceive of a monthly publication having that many pages today. Many of those pages were of course ads. The contents of this issue includes:

    Cover Story

    • The Tale Of The Mouse – In 1983, the mouse was not yet standard equipment on PCs. This article gives a history of the device and enumerates its benefits.
    • VisiOn, A Mouse On The Digital Desktop – VisiCorp, the company famous for creating the first spreadsheet program VisiCalc, introduces Vision, a software/hardware package that include a mouse and software that makes use of it. “Rather than requiring you to memorize lists of commands, VisiOn lets you indicate what you want by pointing a small arrow on the screen at various items on the menus…”.

    Software

    • Personal Finance Programs For The PC – A look at various finance programs deigned to help balance your budget. Packages looked at here include Personal Computer/Personal Finance Program, Home Finance Program, and Home Budget Program. Naming sure wasn’t very original…
    • Five Financial Programs For The Home – More software to help you keep track of your finances that are a little more advanced than the above. Software reviewed here includes Bonus Accounting System, Financier Personal Series, FMS II, Home Accountant Plus, and Money Maestro.
    • Eight General Ledgers For Small Business – Running general ledger software was one of the main uses of personal computers for business uses in the early days. Eight different such packages are looked at here including General Ledger 2.0, BPI General Accounting, Datasmith Bookkeeping System, General Ledger System, General Ledger, General Ledger By Peachtree, Peachtree Series 4, and Versaledger II.
    • Expanding Your Printer’s Horizons – A look at a program called Sideways which was basically a program that let you print in landscape mode.
    • Five C Language Compilers – I still program in C today. Here’s a look at five C compilers from before I knew anything about programming including C88, c-systems C, Ci-C86, Telecon C and SuperSoft C. Included are benchmark numbers like compile time, runtime, .exe file size and more. Comparisons are made to IBM Pascal, IBM compiled BASIC and interpreted BASIC. It’s interesting to note that at the time, the runtime of compiled BASIC and Pascal programs was faster than compiled C programs.
    • The Dedication Of MultiMate – A look at MultiMate, a program that turns your PC into a WANG-like dedicated word processor.
    • Getting More Out Of VisiCalc – VisiCalc (a spreadsheet program) was arguably the first killer app for home computers. Here are a look at five “support products”, including The VisiCalc Book for the IBM Personal Computer, VisiCalc Home and Office Companion, VisiCalc Real Estate Templates, VIZ.A.COM, and Chartman I, II, and III.
    • Graph ‘n’ Calc Puts Numbers Into Shape – A review of this menu-driven program for creating graphs.
    • What Is (The) Answer? – Answer is a database program written in FORTH designed to allow for the creation of simple, flexible, customized database and filing systems. In addition to the PC, it was also available for the TRS-80, Osbourne, NEC, Zenith and Apple II.

    Hardware

    • Hard Disks Made Easy – A comparison of two removable hard disk systems. The 3.9-inch Tecmar and the 5.25-inch Genie. Both featured 5MB of storage per cartridge. The drives ranged from $1795 to $2295 and the cartridges were $90 to $119 each.

    Programming

    • Kaleidoscope – PC Magazine may not really be remembered for its type-in programs but it did have some in its early days. Included here is a BASIC program for creating a kaleidoscope display designed to be a programming tutorial.
    • How To Build A Computer Maze – A tutorial for creating a maze including a type-in maze game in BASIC.

    PC Arcade

    • The Organization Man Meets Pac-Man – Reviews of PC games including Executive Suite, Cosmic Crusader, Crossfire, and Snack Attack II.

    Legal

    • Trading Secrets – An article on protecting…and revealing trade secrets.

    Finance

    • Making Tax Write-offs Your Business – Ways to make your computer purchase a tax write-off.

    IBM Eye

    • Anatomy Of A Colossus, Part II – The second part of a look at IBM’s history and its role in the personal computer market.

    Education

    • How To Start A User Group – User groups were a pretty big deal before the age of the Internet. I never really belonged to one but there was a small group of local BBS users and sysops that I would hang out with sometimes in the early/mid 1990s.

    PC Fiction

    • EPICAC – Science Fiction writer Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. writes about a computer that falls in love.

    Book Exerpt

    • Games, Hypergames, And Metagames – Chapter five of a book called The Electronic Cottage. It investigates some of the uses for computers in games.

    Reader’s Turn

    • Quest For The Ideal Language – One person describes their ideal computer language. In this case it turns out to be FORTH.

    Departments

    • From The Editor’s Screen – An editorial on how the future is now.
    • Letters to PC – Letters from readers about a review of Personal Review, careers in computing, tips for buying a computer, misleading advertising, Dbase II, Vocab Teacher, local networks, Easywriter and the NEC 3550, Wordstar, MicroPro, and more.
    • To All From Ahl – Programming “today” vs. programming in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
    • PC-Communiques – The latest news, etc. from the computer world including walking robots, IBM to build PCs in France, IBM invests in Intel, farmers pick Farm Management System as best software for farmers, IBM donates computer equipment to schools, CP/M-86 price drops, and more.
    • PC Tutor – Questions answered about clearing the screen, displaying superscripts and subscripts, using Intel’s 8087 math co-processor, using a RAM-disk, using single sided disks on a double sided drive and more.
    • Club News – News from various user groups and BBSes around the country.
    • User-To-User – Users report problems and solutions. This month, using your VCR as an RF adapter, bugs in PC-DOS 1.1, selecting background and foreground colors in BASIC, and more.
    • Zero Base Thinking – Using a list of needs and wishes to help you choose a new computer.
    • New On The Market – A quick look at new products including Intellink (a device for simplifying Ethernet networks), a RAM expansion card from Apparat with 64K to 256K ($386 with 64K), the Gemini-10 dot matrix printer from Star Micronics, a new 528×960 resolution monochrome monitor from Quadram, the Datamate 103 300 baud modem, Supertalke II speech digitizer, and much more.
    • Coming Up – Coming next month, how to maintain your personal computer, LOGO for the PC, Financial Planners, Word Processors, and more.

    …and more!


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  • PC World (May 1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer & Video Game Magazines – PC World – May 1985

    In 1985 the IBM PC was still relatively new and it (or more accurately its clones) had not yet taken over the home market. Other computers like the Commodore 64, Apple II and Atari 8-bit were cheaper, better for games, and could still do pretty much anything the PC could do. However, the PC was becoming more common in the home and had already pretty much completely taken over desktop computing in the business environment that had been dominated by custom systems and CP/M based systems only a few years earlier (for businesses that even had computers anyway). PC World was one of the most popular PC magazines and the May 1985 issue checks in at over 400 pages. It’s hard to even conceive of a magazine having that many pages today. It includes:

    Getting Started

    • Tapping Into On-Line Data Bases – While the public Internet was still years away, there were various online services that could be accessed with a modem and a fee (usually per minute). There were various online databases that could be accessed and for a variety of use cases, this could replace doing research at a library.

    Community

    • Islands in the Mainstream – This article discusses the implications of connecting PCs to mainframes, something that was starting to happen in the business world.
    • Birth of a Sales Tool – Automating sales forecasting with Framework and Lotus 1-2-3.


    Table of Contents from the May 1985 of PC World

    Review

    • Gateways to On-Line Services – While online databases could be useful, they were usually cryptic. This article discusses gateway services that would translate English language like search commands into something these databases could understand. If only they’d had Google…
    • DG/One for the Road – Review of the Data General/one, a laptop featuring a 12-inch LCD screen (the same size as typical PC monitors at the time), a 3.5″ 720K double desnsity disk drive (with a second drive optional), an optional external 5.25″ disk drive (for $895), an 80C88 CPU, 128K RAM (upgradeable to 512K), an optional 300bps internal modem ($300) or 1200bps modem ($699), and an OPTIONAL rechargeable battery for $178. The base price for 1 disk drive, 128KB, no modem etc. was $2895. Upgraded to be a reasonably usable system for business purposes it would have cost you $4571.

    • Keeping Murphy’s Law at Bay – A review of Microsoft Project project planning software.
    • OfficeWriter: Simply Dedicated – A review of this word processing software from Office Solutions.
    • Speaking in Codes – A look at two software packages that can be used to encrypt your files: DataSafe and Crypt Master. DataSafe uses DES while Crypt Master uses RSA encryption. On a typical PC of the time, Crypt Master could perform encryption at 1.25K per minute and decryption at 131 bytes per minute. Given the shorter key lengths probably used, you could probably crack that encryption with brute force on today’s systems much faster…

    PCjr World

    • Move Over MacPaint – A look at PCjr ColorPaint, the PCjr’s answer to MacPaint.

    State of the Art

    • A Matter of Public Record – A look at DATASTORE:lan, sfotware for managing a local area network.

    Hands On

    • Tactics for Teleconferencing – Teleconferencing today probaly brings to mind something like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. In 1985 it meant e-mail and voice calls.
    • On-Line Search Strategies – Some hints on how to approach searching for information on-line. This wasn’t like Google. Different online services contained different databases that could be searched in different ways. For example, if you want to search for information about U.S. sales of personal computers, you could enter “S PC = 3573098(L)EC = 64(L)CC=1USA” into the appropriate online database. Intuitive it was not and search results could be just as cryptic.

    Departments

    • David Bunnell – Dave Bunnell discusses software piracy and copy protection.
    • Eric Brown – Eric Brown looks at online databases, most of which consists of bibliographic abstracts from journals around the world.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about DisplayWrite 2, the first word processor, the current state of the personal computer market, and more.
    • PC World View – The president of the Boston Computer Society (Jonathan Rotenberg) looks at the history and the future of personal computing.
    • The Help Screen – Questions answered about accessing more than 64K in BASIC, programming the TRS-80 Model III, and more.
    • Compatibles Update – The current state of the PC Clone market plus an expansion board for CP/M based machines that turn them into a PC compatible (the SWP Co-Power-88) which includes an on board 8088 CPU, 128K or 256K of RAM, DOS 2.11 and more for $400-$500 depending on options.
    • From the Software Shelf – A brief look at recent software releases including Heads of the Coin (an interactive fiction game), PC Write (word processor), PC-File III version 2 (data manager), The Spreadsheet Auditor (checks spreadsheet formulas for errors), and more.
    • Just Announced – A look at new products including the Ericsson 8088 based PC, the Kaypro 16 “transportable” computer, the UltraLink 1200bps modem, the Epson JX-80 color dot matrix printer, and more.

    …and much more!


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