Retro Computing

Steve Jobs and the Amiga

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Steve Jobs and the Amiga

Steve Jobs was aware of the Amiga. He didn’t think much of it. Even still, Steve Jobs and the Amiga did have some connections.

Jobs’ opinion of the Commodore PET made bigger headlines after he died, but Jobs had an opinion about the Amiga, too. Both pre- and post-Commodore Amiga.

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Commodore 1540 vs 1541 disk drive

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing , ,
Commodore 1540 vs 1541 disk drive

The dark tan 1541 is the most common C-64 peripheral in existence. Its counterpart for the VIC-20, which looks exactly like it at first glance, is pretty rare. The 1540 vs 1541 is a fairly common topic among Commodore enthusiasts.

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Common AmigaDOS commands

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing , , , , , , , ,
Common AmigaDOS commands

The Amiga had a command line, or CLI. It was a rather powerful CLI, especially for its time. But there are a number of differences between AmigaDOS and other operating systems you may be familiar with. These are the common AmigaDOS commands and their equivalents from other operating systems like DOS, Windows, Unix or Linux.

I’ve never seen a primer that relates or cross-references Amiga commands to Windows and Unix. So I wrote one. I hope it helps you understand your Amiga better. Because Amiga is sometimes like Windows and sometimes it’s like Unix, I think it might. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll learn something you didn’t know about Windows or Unix too.

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Did Microsoft steal DOS from CP/M?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing , , , , , , ,
Did Microsoft steal DOS from CP/M?

Did Microsoft steal DOS from CP/M? There’s $100,000 in it for you if you can prove they did.

Digital forensics consultant Bob Zeidman still says no. I’ve written about him before. But the rumors persist, hence the reward. So how would one go about claiming it?

Start with what we know.

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Gary Kildall’s memoirs released

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing

Gary Kildall’s memoirs are legendary vaporware. Until now. Today, the Computer History Museum released 79 pages of it. What was released today isn’t the whole manuscript. But it’s better than what we had yesterday.

Gary Kildall is one of the unsung heroes of early computing. As such, he’s one of my favorite people to write about.

Late in his life, he started to write a memoir. I’ve only had a chance to read parts of the first two chapters, but they explain the man and his motives. It’s not the whole manuscript, and some people aren’t happy about that. But it’s better than what we had yesterday.

Most of what exists of computing history came from the victors’ point of view. Gary Kildall wasn’t one of the winners. But without his contributions, the winners wouldn’t have had much to build on.

Maybe someday Gary Kildall will get his due. Releasing his story in his own words is a start.

Undoubtedly I will have more to say after I read all 79 pages myself. But this release is too important not to mention.

What did a Commodore 64 cost?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
What did a Commodore 64 cost?

It’s pretty widely known that the Commodore 64 was the first 64K computer to sell for under $600. But what did a Commodore 64 cost over time? And what was the exact Commodore 64 launch price?

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How to load Commodore 64 games

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing ,
How to load Commodore 64 games

You had to know a command to load Commodore 64 games, because, unlike many other computers of its day, it didn’t automatically boot game disks when you turned it on.

Things worked best if you followed a process.

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The first successful home computer: Commodore VIC-20

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing , , , , ,
The first successful home computer: Commodore VIC-20

What was the first successful home computer? Some people would argue it was the Apple II, the TRS-80 Model I, or perhaps even the Apple I. But I argue it was Commodore’s VIC-20.

Maybe I’m biased. I was a Commodore fan growing up and my first experience with a computer was probably on a VIC-20. But I think I can make a case.

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The silver label Commodore 64

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
The silver label Commodore 64

The most valuable examples of the Commodore 64, generally speaking, are the early variants that have silver labels across the top. The silver label Commodore 64 is the earliest, most expensive example of the venerable machine.

In all, Commodore produced about 80,000 of these machines. That compares to several million of the most common variants. That alone makes early models relatively rare. When you do find one, there’s a fairly good chance it’s not 100% original. The silver label Commodore 64 is the equivalent of the Atari 2600 heavy sixer, but more rare.

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Origin of CP/M’s PIP command

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing , , , , , , , ,
Origin of CP/M’s PIP command

CP/M was, as you probably know, the first popular microcomputer operating system. It was good but imperfect, and its cryptic command for copying files, PIP, is often cited as an example. Copy makes sense. Even the Unix equivalent, cp, makes sense–it’s copy without the vowels. But what does PIP mean? What’s the origin of CP/M’s PIP command?

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