Author: Dave Farquhar

Vortex86: Revenge of the Rise MP6 from the 1990s

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Vortex86: Revenge of the Rise MP6 from the 1990s

The Vortex86 is a system on a chip or system on module that is starting to gain popularity in retro computing circles. It powers the ITX Llama, Tiny Llama, and Pixel x86 retro revival projects. I’ve seen it described as a Pentium Pro-like CPU that can run DOS and Windows software at the kinds of speeds we would have expected in the late 1990s. So what is this system on a chip, and where did it come from? I found out.

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Compute Magazine, 1979-1994

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Compute Magazine, 1979-1994

Approximately 45 years ago, one of my favorite computer magazines of all time, Compute!, was born. Its first issue was dated Fall 1979, was printed in October, and reached reader’s hands in late October or early November.

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Asus SP97-V motherboard and SIS 5598 chipset

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Asus SP97-V motherboard and SIS 5598 chipset

I saw some discussion about the Asus SP97-V motherboard recently. This happens to be one of my favorite socket 7 motherboards, and I used it in a good number of builds in 1997 and 1998. Initially, I was nervous about this board and the SIS 5598 chipset, but in the long run, it didn’t give me any problems. I share the opinion that it is a very underrated board.

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Commodore could have owned AOL

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Commodore could have owned AOL

30 years ago today, on November 1, 1994, AOL pulled the plug on Quantum Link. Quantum Link was a Commodore-oriented online service that was the direct ancestor of AOL. That makes today as good of a time as any to explore a tantalizing historical missed opportunity. Commodore could have owned AOL, a company that at its peak had a $200 billion valuation. Commodore, meanwhile, famously never reached its stated goal of $1 billion in annual sales.

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Ghislaine Maxwell’s connection to the dotcom boom

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Ghislaine Maxwell’s connection to the dotcom boom

In October 2024, Jay Dyer appeared on a podcast called Attwood Unleashed, in episode 178. He made some serious allegations tying Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, and potentially even Sean Combs, back to the dotcom boom. Perhaps back to the very beginning of the dotcom boom. But some of his statements are problematic.

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How to choose a VPN service

Dave Farquhar security
How to choose a VPN service

A few years back, an acquaintance asked me if I could recommend a VPN. And I’m afraid I didn’t give the best advice, so I want to recant and remedy that now. I think there are some misconceptions about what a VPN can and can’t do for you, so you may decide you don’t actually need one. But if you do need one, there is one and only one specific VPN I recommend. In this blog post, I’ll tell you how I came to choose this specific VPN service.

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Nvidia’s first GPU: GeForce 256

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Nvidia’s first GPU: GeForce 256

The GPU turns 25 today. 25 years ago, on October 11, 1999, Nvidia released its GeForce 256, its first product that it described as a GPU.

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MS-DOS 4.0: A closer look

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
MS-DOS 4.0: A closer look

Released October 6, 1988, MS-DOS 4.0 is the forgotten DOS. As such, modern hobbyists are often curious about it. Why did so few people use it?

It was eagerly anticipated and was years in the making, so it’s fair to say DOS 4 was a letdown. It’s a misnomer to say no one shipped PCs with it and no one used it, just like it’s a misnomer to say no one used Windows Vista. But it’s very apt to compare DOS 4.0 with Windows Vista and there were very valid reasons to avoid it in the 1988-90 timeframe. It’s also fair to be curious about it.

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Overcoming learned helplessness in security

Dave Farquhar security
Overcoming learned helplessness in security

Today I want to talk about a concept called learned helplessness, something that was widely studied and taught in the 1980s, but seems to have fallen by the wayside a bit today, although I certainly see it happening today. Computer security, especially the fields of vulnerability management and patch management, are very prone to learned helplessness. The good news is, it’s possible to overcome.

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Max Toy, embattled Commodore president

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Max Toy, embattled Commodore president

Commodore went through a revolving door of executives after Jack Tramiel resigned due to conflicts with Irving Gould. On October 6, 1987, it was Max Toy’s turn. On that day, Commodore hired him. And for a while, it seemed like Max Toy might be the one to turn the company around. In this blog post, we’ll explore what was different, and what wasn’t so different about him.

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