• Tag Archives retrocomputing

  • Digital Archaeology: Floppy Disk #14 – ITSOVER.DOC

    Posted on by Azrael Comment


    A summary for those that haven’t been keeping up with this series:

    I found a number of 5.25″ disks at a thrift store a number of years ago (we are talking late 1990s probably). I finally got around to acquiring a 5.25″ disk drive and extracting the contents a several years back. Since then, I have been occasionally posting the content here.

    Based on the contents, at least some of these disks were apparently once owned by someone named Connie who used to run the “Close Encounters” Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s.

    A description of this SIG was found in a document on one of the disks: “This SIG, known as ‘Close Encounters’, is a forum for the discussion of relationships that develop via computer services like the Source, CompuServe, and Delphi. Our primary emphasis is on the sexual aspects of those relationships.”

    This service was text based and was accessed via whatever terminal program you used on your computer to dial in to Delphi’s servers. Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don’t know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any case, much of this stuff would have been private at the time and probably wouldn’t be in such archives even if they existed.

    This post includes the contents of ITSOVER.DOC. It contains a single e-mail dated December 10th, 1984. It’s one person’s opinion (going by the handle of FTF) of the sexual revolution and it is tied in to the topics discussed in the Close Encounters Special Interest Group. It looks like this was sent to three people including the manager of this particular SIG. Contents included below:


    =-=
    ITSOVER.DOC
    =-=

    From:   FTF            10-DEC-1984 20:46  
To:     PRINCESS,JOHNMYSELF,CABUYS
Subj:   IT'S OVER!

The sexual revolution is over!

And I am not sure any of us can say who won...

Sure, you say to yourselves, thats just a gimmick to get us to
read more and perhaps that is part of what lies behind these
words.  But consider, for a moment some concepts regarding
trends of this sort. I certainly will concede that sex is
alive and well in this United States and most certainly in the
electronic world! 

But it's different now for some reason.  Look at the types of 
encounters that get discussed just here for example.  Loving 
Submission.  Multiple person relationships.  Casual and quite 
serious relationships.  The Main Event.  Even two years ago,
would it have been possible on an individual level to discuss
these events with such an open attitude?  I maintain it would
have been difficult. 

The sexual revolution was not so much an effort to make more 
types of sexual contact acceptable.  Behind the closed doors
of countless bedrooms the variations have always been
occurring.  No. That was not the point of all of the front
line actions.  The revolution has always been directed towards
making us comfortable discussing it and engaging in it.  To
take the word *dirty* out of what was already happening in the
trenches. To let us say to ourselves first and later to others
"You know,  I like sex!"  And then to go one step farther and
say  "I wish my lover/friend/spouse would try this or not do
that" and be honest about it.  To find the societal acceptance
to be able to say that one does indeed have needs and desires.

Of course with the greater awareness of the pleasures come the
increased awarenesses of the potential dangers as well  - the 
unwanted diseases - the greater risk of pregnancy - the fact
that sometimes lovers aren't terribly honest about themselves.
But those were always there.  We just didn't talk about them.

The sexual revolution is over. I think we all won!
    =-=


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  • 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!


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  •  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!


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