Last Updated on October 26, 2022 by Dave Farquhar
I guess I need a “retro” category here. Anyway, I found this on Slashdot this morning: The Computer Magazine Archive. Don’t let the URL fool you–it’s not just Atari stuff.
You can go into the Compute!’s Gazette section and download the disk for the November 1991 issue to find the only program I ever published, a C-64/128 sprite utility program called MOB Mover. The text for the accompanying article isn’t present, alas. I think I got a cool $175 for that project (after splitting the earnings with my co-author). I have no idea what anyone would do with the program these days, but hey, it’s out there.
I spent a good deal of time (when I should have been fixing dinner) in the Creative Computing archive. I never saw a copy of the magazine when it was in print but I knew it was well-regarded. Browsing a few articles, I can see why. Take a gander at its review of the Apple Lisa and its preview of some weird computer called Amiga, which contained a rather amusing prediction: “For, regardless of the fact that the IBM standard is a decidedly mediocre one, the [IBM PCjr.] is bound to become the home standard.”
Well… Within a decade, that prediction had become half right.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.
I read the Lisa article. The author notes that vendors will be concentrating more on software integration.
I remember in 1993, 10 years later, that this was still an issue. It wasn’t until Microsoft and others developed the Object Linking and Embedding standard (OLE) that things started getting better.
You must might make me drag out my Atari 1040ST just to see if it still works after all these years!
My Amiga 2000 still works perfectly. My Commodore 128 has either a bad memory chip or a bad power supply. I know where to find plans for a replacement power supply. Maybe someday…