Author: Dave Farquhar

Texas Instruments Speak and Spell

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Texas Instruments Speak and Spell

My first experience with a computer wasn’t with a desktop machine or a game console. It was with an orange handheld device called a Texas Instruments Speak and Spell. Many Gen Xers born in the early 70s can probably say the same thing. Texas Instruments announced Speak & Spell on June 11, 1978.

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Apple II: Launched June 10, 1977

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Apple II: Launched June 10, 1977

On June 10, 1977, Apple launched the Apple II, one of the first pre-built desktop computers. It went on to sell about 6 million units over the course of the next 17 years, making it the longest lived and most successful of the three micro computers that arrived on the market in 1977.

In its original configuration, it sold for $1,295 with 4 KB of RAM, and it plugged into a household cassette tape recorder for storage. Apple did not sell monitors until 1983, so you could either acquire a composite monitor or a third-party RF modulator that allowed you to use it with a television.

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Eagle Computer: The rise and fall of an early PC clone

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Eagle Computer: The rise and fall of an early PC clone

When it comes to 80s computer brands, few flew as high as Eagle Computer flew in 1983. The aptly named company was selling 12,000 computers a month and had been doubling sales every quarter under the leadership of a talented CEO. Then Eagle lost its CEO, Dennis Barnhart, in a crashed Ferrari on the day of its IPO, June 8, 1983. In this blog post, we’ll explore the reasons Eagle Computer fell, because there was more to it than just the tragic story involving its CEO.

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Cyrix 486DLC CPU: Introduced June 1992

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Cyrix 486DLC CPU: Introduced June 1992

In the first week of June 1992, Cyrix debuted its 486DLC CPU. Cyrix didn’t have its own fabrication plants so they made arrangements with Texas Instruments to manufacture the chips in May 1992. Part of the agreement allowed TI to make its own derivatives of the chips. The 486DLC was really more a 386DX/486SX hybrid than a true Intel 486 clone. It plugged into a 386DX socket and had the 486 instruction set and 1K of L1 cache. Clock for clock the Intel 486 was faster, though the 486DLC had its uses.

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Coleco Adam computer

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Coleco Adam computer

The Coleco Adam computer was a 1983 attempt by toy and game console maker Coleco to enter the growing home computer market. Critics and consumers looked forward to the computer after Coleco unveiled it June 5, 1983, but it never lived up to that anticipation. Coleco discontinued the Adam in 1985. Nevertheless, the Adam remains an interesting might-have-been.

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AMD 486DX4 released June 4, 1995

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
AMD 486DX4 released June 4, 1995

On June 4, 1995, AMD released its DX4 CPU, about six months after Intel released its DX4 CPUs. The AMD CPUs weren’t quite as fast as Intel’s DX4s, but they proved very popular because of their value for money. While I didn’t see AMD’s DX4 in many name-brand PCs, smaller manufacturers, especially local clone shops, sold them extensively. In the June 5, 1995 issue of Infoworld, an unnamed AMD spokesperson said they expected to sell 12 million 486-class chips by the end of 1995.

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GE Widescreen 1000: Big time TV for big budgets

Dave Farquhar 1980s
GE Widescreen 1000: Big time TV for big budgets

The GE Widescreen 1000 was a big time TV for big time budgets in an era of excess, with the tagline “This is GE Performance Television.” Introduced in June 1978, it cost about 3/4 as much as a family sedan at the time. But middle class families weren’t the target audience for this set.

The General Electric Widescreen 1000 (WS1000) cost $2,800. For the money you got a 45-inch screen, hardwood veneer paneling, two speakers, and a spot to plant a matching VCR.

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Intel 8088s and non-Intel non-clones

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Intel 8088s and non-Intel non-clones

The Intel 8088 CPU made its debut June 1, 1978. It rose to fame as the CPU powering the IBM PC, PC/XT, and tens of millions of PC and XT clones from the 1980s. But did you know Intel wasn’t the only company that manufactured 8088 CPUs? No fewer than nine other companies produced exact copies of the Intel 8088, and they did it with Intel’s cooperation. In this blog post, I’ll explain why.

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Electronic Arts founded May 28, 1982

Dave Farquhar Retro Gaming
Electronic Arts founded May 28, 1982

Electronic Arts was founded May 28th, 1982. It was founded to be a different kind of software company, a reaction to what was happening at the time in the software industry.

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DR DOS: Revenge of CP/M

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
DR DOS: Revenge of CP/M

DR DOS was a third party clone of MS DOS that developed a well-deserved niche following in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Even though it was first released May 28, 1988, its copyright date of 1976 suggests some historical significance. Indeed, it was more than just any clone of MS-DOS. Arguably it was both a clone and a predecessor. DR DOS was its own grandpa.

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