• Category Archives Computer Arcana

  • Retro computing and other things computer related

  • DOS | Macintosh | TRS-80 | Amiga | Apple ][ | Atari 8-bit | Atari ST | Commodore 64

  • Compute! (March 1986)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Compute! – Issue Number 70 – March 1986

    Compute! was an excellent magazine that covered most popular computers of the time. I was partial to the spin-off Gazette because I had a Commodore 64 but this one was excellent as well. It was a little less technical that Byte but all magazines at the time were technical compared to today. The March 1986 issue includes:

    Features

    • The Future of Mass Storage – The future was bright for mass storage. 3.5″ floppies were replacing 5.25″ floppies, Hard drives were becoming affordable, and optical storage for the average user was on the horizon.
    • The Computerized Home – Computerized home automation was a thing long before Alexa. The X-10 interface was the de-facto standard and X-10 modules were available for pretty much any platform.
    • Switchbox – A type-in puzzle game with versions specifically for the Commodore 128, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, PC, and Amiga.
    • SpeedCalc for Atari – A type-in professional quality spreadsheet program for the Atari 8-bit.

    Reviews

    • The Works! – A software package for the Commodore 64 and Apple II that includes 13 programs in the categories of tools, organizers, arts, and learning.
    • Under Fire – A World War II strategy game for the Apple II.
    • M-Disk – Software for creating a RAM Disk on the Atari ST.
    • Atari XM301 Modem – A 300bps direct connect modem for Atari 8-bit computers.
    • EduCalc and NoteCard Maker – A combination of a simplified spreadsheet program and simplified database manager with versions for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and PC (Apple II version reviewed here).
    • Hex – A puzzle/strategy game for the Atari ST.
    • Sylvia Porter’s Personal Financial Planner – This software package includes six programs including Transaction Manager, Budget Manager, Asset/Liability Manager, Balance Sheet, and Financial Planner. The Commodore 64 version is reviewed here with versions also available for the PC and Apple II.

    Columns and Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes – A comparison of the new Amiga and Atari ST.
    • Readers’ Feedback – Letters from readers about code comments, computers for charity, recording music on the Amiga, and more.
    • HOTWARE – The top five selling software titles in three different categories. In the top places were F-15 Strike Eagle (Entertainment), Typing Tutor III (Education), and Print Shop (Home Management).
    • INSIGHT: Atari – A look at Atari character codes. Atari 8-bit computers used a variant of ASCII called ATASCII.
    • The Beginner’s Page: Cutting Strings Without Scissors – How to split strings in BASIC.
    • Computers and Society: Humanizing the User Interface, Part 1 – Exploring ways to make the user interface easier to use and more intuitive.
    • The World Inside the Computer: Snowflakes, Quilts, and Stained Glass Windows – Art on the Amiga.
    • Telecomputing Today Games Modern People Play – A look at online multiplayer gaming. At the time, that typically meant turn based gaming on BBS systems or services like CompuServe.
    • IBM Personal Computing: The Ultimate Entertainment Center – A guide for using your PC or PCjr with a TV.
    • Programming the TI: IF-THEN Statements – Using IF-THEN statements including examples for simulating AN/OR, doing Algebra, and more.
    • News & Products – Valhalla announced for the Commodore 64; MIDI Ensemble for the PC; AtariWriter and AtariWriter Plus word processors for the Atari ST; What’s Our Worth? home inventory package for the Commodore 64; and more.

    The Journal

    • IBM Fractal Graphics – Three type-in programs for creating fractals on the IBM PC and PCjr.
    • Commodore ML Saver – A type-in program for saving machine language programs directly from memory to disk on the Commodore 64.
    • Loading and Linking Commodore Programs, Part 1 – The first in a series of article on loading, chaining, and overlaying programs on Commodore computers.
    • Atari P/M Graphics Toolkit – Atari Player/Missile graphics is the Atari 8-bit version of sprites. This type-in toolkit makes it easier to develop and use P/M graphics on the Atari.
    • MultiMemory for Commodore 64 and Apple – Short type-in programs for the Commodore 64 and Apple II that allow you to segment memory for loading multiple BASIC programs.
    • Experimenting with SID Sound – Some examples for controlling the Commodore 64’s SID sound chip.
    • Mousify Your Applesoft Programs, Part 1 – The first of a two-part guide to using a mouse (or joystick or paddles) with your own programs.
    • Atari BootStuffer – This short type-in program for the Atari 8-bit allows you to create a menu system to load up to 8 different programs with one key press.
    • Requester Windows in Amiga BASIC – A guide to adding requester windows (dialog boxes) to Amiga BASIC programs.
    • Softkeys for Atari BASIC – This type-in program gives you automatic line numbering and various hotkeys when writing your own BASIC programs.
    • BASIC Sound on the Atari ST – A guide to getting started with creating basic sound effects on your Atari ST.

    …and more!


    Computer Arcana 📎and tagged

  •  Commodore World – Volume 1, Number 4

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Commodore World – Volume 1, Number 4

    I think that Commodore World was the last professional Commodore 8-bit magazine published in the U.S. It was published bi-monthly in the mid to late 1990s. This issue isn’t dated that I see but I believe it would have been from near the end of 1994. Issue number four of Commodore World includes:

    Features

    • Telecommunications – A guide to getting online with your Commodore 64.
    • A Glossary of Telecommunications Terms – Definitions for terms such as “baud”, “BBS”, and “echo”, as well as modem communications standards and much more.
    • Bad File Names – How to fix various file problems on Commodore 64 disks.
    • Copyrights: Who Owns The Right To Copy? – A discussion of copyright law, especially how it applies to computer software.
    • Hard Tips: Build A Simple RS-232 Interface – A guide to building your own modem interface.

    Reviews

    • Software: Fun Graphics Machine – A review of this high-resolution graphics editor that can be used for desktop publishing and to create everything from video titles to business cards and much more.
    • Games: Miniviews – Brief reviews of Menace (Psygnosis), The Amazing Spider-Man (Paragon), Marble Madness (Electronic Arts), Laser Squad (MicroIllusions), and Skate or Die (Electronic Arts).
    • Hardware: Boca 144EW Fax/Data Modem – A detailed review of this 14.4Kbps modem.
    • Hardware: The Boca 2400 – I review of this 2400bps modem. This was about as fast as you could go on the Commodore 64 with a basic RS-232 interface. You had to get fancier interfaces if you wanted faster speeds.

    Columns

    • Just For Starters – A guide for computer beginners on the types of software available for the Commodore 64 and what they can be used for.
    • Foreign Exchange – A look at the Flash 8, an add-on for the Commodore 64 that provides a 65C816 CPU and up to 8 MHz speeds.
    • Graphic Interpretation – A guide to importing and exporting graphics to and from GEOS.
    • geoProgrammist – Using macros and managing memory in GEOS.
    • BASIC Instincts – The third installment of a five part series on building a large game called Starship Combat.
    • Advanced Techniques – A type-in program that will let you autoboot your own programs.
    • Peripheral Vision – Identifying and handling SCSI errors on CMD’s HD.
    • Carrier Detect – A guide to offline BBS mail reading. I never did much of this with the Commodore 64 but I do remember doing a lot with Bluewave on the PC.

    Departments

    • From The Editor – Planned obsolescence in the computer world.
    • BackTalk – Letters from readers about the first issue of the magazine.
    • Just Asking – Questions answered about the CBM 8032 printer and GEOS, gamepads for the C64, using larger disks under CP/M, and more.
    • On The Horizon – Disposition of Commodore’s assets after bankruptcy still undetermined; Grapevine Group ceases operations; CMD releases GeoCable II which can be used to connect printers to The C64’s parallel port for high speed printing; Commodore RoundTable on GEnie offers gifts to new members; and more.
    • The Connection – News about file compression from Loadstar, dieHard, Fun Graphics Machine, and more.
    • Top Tips – Tips about switch settings for printer interfaces, better video via the Commodore 128 composite video port, and more.

    …and more!


    Commodore 64 Computer Arcana 📎and tagged

  • Computer Shopper (September 1994)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer Shopper – September 1994

    Computer Shopper was not a magazine I picked up very often. Calling it a magazine is almost misleading. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was phone book sized…or bigger. This issue approaches 900 pages which is pretty insane for a magazine. Before the Internet, this was THE source if you were looking for places to by computers or parts. However, in addition to all of the ads, it also had great articles. The September 1994 issue includes:

    Features

    • 60MHz Pentiums Under $1,500 – A look at were the “best buy” system based on the 60MHz Pentium processor. Systems here include the First Computer Systems Inc. FCS Green Pentium 60MHz, Micro Professionals Inc. P5/60 Pro Systems Ultra, MilkyWay Computer Products Myriad P5/60, Royal Computer Inc. Pro Desk, and the Tagram System Corp. Pentium VLB P60.

    • 64-Bit Graphics Accelerators – A look at some of the latest and greatest graphis cards. They weren’t even really GPUs at this point. Cards looked at here include the Diamond Viper Pro PCI, Media Vision Pro Graphics 1024 VL-Bus, Number Nine GXE64 PCI, and STB LightSpeed VL.

    • Special Report: Cyber Chips – A look at some of the latest and upcoming CPU technology. The top CPUs of the time included the 100 MHz DX4, 66 MHz Pentium, 100 MHz Pentium, 80 MHz PowerPC 601, 200 MHz DEC Alpha AXP 21064, 150 MHz MIPS R4600. Upcoming CPUs included the 133 MHz Intel P6, 100 MHz PowerPC 604, 100 MHz Cyrix M1, 100 MHz AMD K5, and 100 MHz NexGen 586.

    Shopper’s Guide: Super Systems

    • High-Powered Portables Move In – On the PC side of things, most vendors were still using 486 CPUs because of their lower power requirements but a few were putting 60 and 66MHz Pentium CPUs in mobile systems. For Mac, the PowerPC 603 (which would become the G3) would be the next big thing.

    • CPU Upgrades: Bridging The Generation Gap – CPU upgrade options were really just heating up at the time. There still weren’t a whole lot of options. SX2 and DX2 processors could be used to upgrade some systems and there was the long awaited Pentium Overdrive option that was upcoming. If I recall correctly, the DX2-66 I had back in the day could be upgraded to an 83 MHz Pentium Overdrive. On the Mac side, both DayStar and Apple had upgrade cards that would take 68040 based Centris and Quadra machines up to a 80MHz PowerPC 601.

    • Multiprocessing Goes Mainstream – Pretty much all CPUs were single core at this time and multiprocessing (systems with more than one CPU) were really just starting to become available on the Microsoft/Intel side of things. There were a relative handful of 486 and Pentium based options available.

    • Serious RISC Solutions – A look at Alpha AXP and MIPS R4000 based machines.

    Software

    • Communications Software – In this case, communications software mostly means terminal software. Software looked at here includes Crosstalk for Windows 2.1, HyperAccess 1.02, Procomm Plus for Windows 2.0 (always one of my favorites), QmodemPro for Windows 1.10, Relay/PC Gold for Windows 6.0, Smartcom for Windows 1.0, and WinComm Pro 1.06 among others.

    • Compoent Software – A look at technologies such as Microsoft’s OLE 2.0, OpenDoc, Appware, and Taligent.

    • News And Analysis – Microsoft introduces Exchange, new Harvard Spotlight presentation software, Excel outsells Quattro Pro and Lotus 1-2-3, and more.

    • Spin Doctor – A look at some of the latest CD-ROM titles including Score 800 (30 educational programs), Peterson’s College Database (profiles of 3,200 colleges and universities), Lovejoy’s College Counselor (more college info), ad more.

    • Wohl’s World – Supporting increasingly complex software.

    • Games – Reviews of several games including D-Day: the Beginning of the End, Serf City: Life Is Feudal, Aerodrome, Corridor 7: Alien Invasion, Aerodrome, and Fields of Glory.

    Trends & Technology

    • Charles Cooper – Falling mail-order PC prices.

    • Michael Slater – The 486 remains strong in the face of the Pentium onslaught.

    • Arlan Levitan – Microsoft’s version of 1984.

    • Van Name And Catchings – Searching for data on the PC.

    • John Dickinson – Intel and the competition.

    Tech Section

    • The Hard Edge – Comdex vs. CES, Microsoft’s new OS, and more.

    • Ultimate Windows – A look at the two types of 64-bit video cards: 32-bit interleaved design and true 64-bit.

    • PC’s Unplugged – New battery technologies for laptops.

    • Alfred Poor’s Computer Cures – Questions answered about problem parallel ports, upgrading the hard drive in a notebook, parallel port external hard drives, and more.

    • Developer Tools – Tools for creating fax enabled applications.

    • What Ever Happened To…? – A look back at IBM’s first attempt at a desktop computer, the IBM 5100. Plus the creation of the IBM PC.

    • Cyber-Privacy – A look at the RSAREF cryptography toolkit for encrypting e-mail.

    • Inside The Internet – A look at how the Internet works.

    • What’s The Code? – Programming techniques for performing 2-D rotation with fixed point math.

    Online

    • Hot Off The Wire – Apple has trouble determing audience for eWorld, IBM’s new wireless information-retrieval technology, and more.

    • ZiffNet Dispatch – New electronic cookbook, online survey results, and more.

    • Connect Time – Onlne services prepare for the arrival of broadband (which was still several years away in practice).

    • Shareware Shop – A look at some of the latest shareware including Music Sculptor, CD Jammer, Cool Editor, MIDI Mode Music Jukebox, Multimedia Sales Army Knife, and more.

    Multimedia Direct

    • Best Data’s ACE 5000 Multimedia Card – A combination data, fax, voice, and sound card.

    • North Coast Software’s PhotoMorph 2 – Image manipulation software.

    • Sony Imagesoft’s The Haldeman Diaries CD-ROM – Inside the Nixon White House.

    • Future Labs’ TalkShow 2.1 – Whiteboard software for your PC.

    • Quantas Press’ Terrorist Group Profiles CD-ROM – Dossiers of real terrorist organizations.

    • NuReality’s Vivid 3D – An inexpensive add-on that creates 3D sound from any set of speakers.

    • Dell Computer’s Dimension XPS P90 – A look at Dell’s new Pentium 90 multimedia powerhouse. Features include a 90 MHz Pentium CPU, a Panasonic double-speed CD-ROM drive, a Creative Soundblaster 16, 16 MB of RAM, 256K of secondary cache, a 540MB Quantum IDE hard drive, a Number Nine GXE 64Pro graphic accelerator card, and more for $3299.

    …and much more!


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