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Etoys.com and its rapid rise and fall

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 2, 2026November 2, 2026 0 Comment

So it’s November 1997. The Internet is catching on and you want to start an online business. You just need a big idea. How about selling toys on the Internet? That could be big, right? Hence etoys.com, a short-lived Internet retailer founded November 3, 1997.

That’s a bit of an exaggeration. While etoys was founded in November, the idea dated back to February 1997. That’s when former Walt Disney VP Toby Lenk joined up with Bill Gross, founder of a net startup incubator called Idealab, to start building etoys. They secured financing by September and launched in November, just in time for the 1997 holiday season.

IBM PC/XT drives stuck in the bay? How to free them

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 1, 2026July 11, 2026 0 Comment

If you are working on an IBM PC/XT model 5160 and need to remove a floppy drive, you may find it difficult to remove after removing the two visible screws that hold them in. If your IBM disk drive is stuck, I have a top secret tip that will help.

Johnston’s Electric Trains, St. Louis

Dave Farquhar St. Louis, Toy trains October 31, 2026October 29, 2026 1 Comment

Johnston’s Electric Train Shop was a family-owned business in St Louis for about 50 years. As its name suggests, it was a storefront in St Louis’s Dutchtown neighborhood, and advertised itself as St Louis’ first hobby shop that specialized in trains.

But there’s more to the story. This is a classic American Dream story, a small business idea borne of financial hardship that led to owning the building it operated out of and employing 11 people.

When Federico Faggin left Intel

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing October 30, 2026October 30, 2026 0 Comment

It was 52 years ago today, on October 31, 1974, that Federico Faggin (pronounced FAHH-jeen), the mastermind behind the early Intel CPUs, left Intel to try something else. His next big thing was the legendary Zilog Z-80 CPU.

IBM’s 2018 Red Hat acquisition

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing October 29, 2026October 29, 2026 0 Comment

It was eight years ago, on Oct 28, 2018, that IBM announced its intention to acquire Red Hat, the Linux vendor, for $34 billion. Its Aug 11, 1999 IPO had been the 8th largest first-day gain in the history of Wall Street at the time. The acquisition closed in July 2019.

TI-99/4A discontinued October 28, 1983

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing October 28, 2026October 28, 2026 0 Comment

42 years ago today, on October 28, 1983, Texas Instruments announced it was discontinuing the TI-99/4A computer and withdrawing from the home computer market. It was a stunning admission of defeat for a company that had everything it took to absolutely dominate the home computer market: vertical integration, name recognition, pre-existing relationships with retailers, and a compelling design. Let’s look at what went wrong.

IBM PC 5150 Revision A vs Revision B

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing October 27, 2026October 27, 2026 0 Comment

October 27, 1982 is the date on the IBM 5150 Revision B BIOS, making this week as good of a time as any to look over the differences between the Revision A and Revision B IBM PC 5150. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a Revision A vs Revision B IBM PC 5150? Maybe more importantly, is one of them more rare than the other?

Windows 8 released Oct 26, 2012

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing October 26, 2026October 26, 2026 2 Comments

Fourteen years ago this week, on October 26, 2012, Microsoft released Windows 8. Let’s just say Windows 8 was not their finest moment. It was their most significant UI redesign since Windows 95, and it flopped. Oddly, two of the most beloved Windows versions ever, Windows 7 and Windows XP, were also released in the same week, several years apart. But that late October magic couldn’t save Windows 8.

How much you can make in an entry level cyber security job

Dave Farquhar security October 25, 2026July 12, 2026 0 Comment

How much you can make in an entry level cyber security job is a good question. We’ve all heard there is a shortage of people in cyber security, and while the money is good, there are certain limits. In this blog post, I’ll talk about the limits of the entry level cyber security job, and some possible career paths.

Commodore 1600 VICmodem

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing October 24, 2026October 31, 2026 0 Comment

In 1982, computers seemed like a thing in the future for the majority of people. But Commodore was doing what they could to make them affordable. After creating the first color computer that would sell for less than $300, the first 64k computer to sell for less than $600, and the first disk drive for less than $300, Commodore wanted a sub-$100 modem to go with all of that. They outsourced the design to Anchor Automation, and the VICmodem, model 1600, was what they came up with. Introduced January 7, 1982 at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show, it reached the market in March 1982.

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