APF MP1000 game console from 1978

APF MP1000 game console from 1978

The APF MP1000 was a second generation video game console produced by APF, a small New York City based electronics firm that started out producing calculators, moved to a first-generation console called TV Fun that played Pong-type video games on an ordinary TV, and then decided to try to build on that success by going up against Atari and Mattel. In this blog post, we’ll talk about this rare 1978 game console.

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Microsoft QuickBasic remembered

Microsoft QuickBasic remembered

Microsoft QuickBasic was a commercially available programming language for MS-DOS. Qbasic, the Basic interpreter included with MS-DOS versions 5 and 6, was a cut-down version of QuickBasic. Most notably, it lacked the ability to compile programs into standalone executables.

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Use an IBM 5170 without a battery

Use an IBM 5170 without a battery

I got tired of my IBM 5170 PC/AT draining batteries every few months. And unlike newer PCs, operating an IBM 5170 without a battery isn’t just a matter of taking the battery out, leaving it out, and relying on the BIOS to auto configure with sensible defaults. The BIOS in the 5170 wasn’t that advanced. But if you are willing to compromise on one thing, you can use a 5170 without a battery while retaining the IBM BIOS and ROM Basic so it still feels like using an IBM.

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Why we like retro

Why we like retro

Why do we like retro? The question comes up from time to time on forums and podcasts and discussion groups. I think there is more than one answer, but none of them are terribly complicated. In this blog post, I’ll explore retro’s appeal.

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SvarDOS: FreeDOS for XT-class systems

SvarDOS: FreeDOS for XT-class systems

YouTuber Tech Tangents recorded a video about the difficulty he encountered installing FreeDOS on an IBM 5150. A similar problem will exist on any XT class system. He ended up essentially having to make his own distribution to get around the limitations. I’m sure he wishes he’d known about a FreeDOS derivative that already existed to solve his problem. That derivative is called SvarDOS.

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Scratchy the Micron

Scratchy the Micron

Have you heard of Crusty the Mac, the indestructable Macintosh SE? Let me tell you the story of Scratchy the Micron. Scratchy was a Micron Transport Trek 2 laptop, one of the best laptops money could buy in 1998. And you needed a lot of money to buy one. It cost $2,999 when it was new in 1998, the equivalent of $5,600 in today’s money.

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Why Gateway computers failed in the enterprise

Why Gateway computers failed in the enterprise

YouTuber Mike Tech was attempting to refurbish a couple of Gateway 2000 desktops recently, and he observed that one of them had features you normally only see in business class PCs. And he expressed surprise, because Gateway is a brand we typically associate with consumer PCs. But I can confirm Gateway did attempt to compete in the business/enterprise PC market. Here’s why that didn’t go so well for them.

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Commodore 8050 disk drive

Commodore 8050 disk drive

The Commodore 8050 disk drive was the second-highest capacity floppy drive Commodore made for its 8-bit computers. It was a dual drive unit that connected to the IEEE-488 bus used on the PET and CBM line of computers. Each drive stored half a megabyte of data on 5.25 inch single sided quad density disks. When you listed the directory on a Commodore equipped with an 8050, the disk read 2102 blocks free. They were marketed for educational and business use.

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What happened to ARCnet

What happened to ARCnet

ARCnet was the first commercially available local area network standard, beating both Ethernet and Token Ring to market. Conceptually, it had similarities with both, and because it was inexpensive and efficient, it was popular for a good 15 years or so. ARCnet was an abbreviation for Attached Resource Computer NETwork.

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Does finished software really exist?

Does finished software really exist?

A blog post titled “The beauty of finished software” went viral a week or two ago, and it puzzled me a bit. The blog post wasn’t terribly long. It was just a few paragraphs extolling the virtue of something it called finished software. And then it lumped two very different things into the category of finished software. In this blog post, I will explore the concept and explain why being finished software isn’t always a good thing.

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