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Commodore SX64

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 12, 2018November 15, 2024

Over the course of its 12 years on the market, Commodore released a number of Commodore 64 models. The computer’s capability changed very little over time, but the technology did. The world changed a lot between 1982 and 1994, and that gave Commodore some opportunities to lower costs, chase other market segments, or both. The Commodore SX64, also known as the Executive 64, was an example of this, trying to get into the luggable market where Compaq thrived. It was a pioneering machine but didn’t set any sales records.

What does compressing a file do?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing, Software June 11, 2018November 16, 2019

What does compressing a file do? There are several ways to describe it, from eliminating redundancy, to just thinking of it as digital shorthand. The goal is to make the file take up less space on disk and in transit. How it works is a bit more complicated.

How long do modems last?

Dave Farquhar Hardware June 8, 2018August 13, 2018

If you feel like you replace your modem more often than you replace your computer, you’re probably not imagining things. And if your relative’s or neighbor’s modem lasts longer than yours, you may not be imagining things either. So how long do modems last? And what can you do about it?

If your ISP provides your modem, it’s not your problem when it fails. Except for the wait to replace it, I suppose. But you won’t be out any money. But if you have to provide the modem, the cost and life expectancy does matter.

Why is collaboration important?

Dave Farquhar security June 7, 2018May 24, 2018

Why is collaboration important? I once worked someplace that had collaboration as a core value, but not all of its employees collaborated. So I learned first hand why collaboration is important. It’s one of the best ways to be successful without making enemies.

I’m a security professional by trade. Security professionals are notoriously bad at collaborating. Collaboration may be the only thing I do better than other security professionals I’ve met, so I see the importance of it. And not just in security, and not just in IT.

Best time to buy computer parts

Dave Farquhar Hardware, Saving money June 6, 2018May 24, 2018

Figuring out the best time to buy computer parts is tricky. It’s not quite like saying the best time to buy a TV is right around the Super Bowl. But there are some tips you can follow to help you find the best deals.

Good timing won’t make building a PC cheaper than buying one, but it can at least narrow the gap, if you have the patience to buy when you find a deal rather than buying all your parts in one shot.

What is a Zip drive?

Dave Farquhar Hardware June 5, 2018November 18, 2024

What is a Zip drive? It’s a relic of late 1990s computing, rendered obsolete by USB flash drives, and anyone who remembers them will say good riddance. Not that I have strong opinions about it. But even though I don’t remember Iomega Zip drives fondly, they served a real, legitimate purpose in the 1990s. Like them or not, we needed them.

I’m not alone in this. In 2006, PC World ranked the Iomega Zip drive as the 15th worst technology product of all time. The next year, it ranked it the 23rd best technology product of all time. How can it be so good and so bad at the same time? We needed it really badly, but it didn’t work well.

Lease vs own: Which makes more sense?

Dave Farquhar Saving money June 4, 2018March 5, 2021

An important financial decision we all make, especially when it comes to cars, is lease vs own. I received some poor advice on this when I was young. Since I don’t want people to repeat the same mistakes I made, let’s go over the two options and what makes more sense.

Brute force hacking

Dave Farquhar security June 1, 2018March 18, 2024

Brute force hacking is a crude form of hacking by guessing passwords over and over again until you guess right. As you may guess, it can be rather time consuming. But there are more than 40 gigabytes’ worth of stolen usernames and passwords in circulation that we know about, so obviously, it works.

In computing in general, brute force refers to getting something done inelegantly, relying on persistence and the computer’s ability to repeat things over and over quickly until it’s successful. Here’s how brute force hacking works, and some ways to prevent it.

What is geolocation? And is it good or bad?

Dave Farquhar security May 31, 2018May 19, 2018

What is geolocation? It’s the practice, or some would say black magic, of inferring your geographic location from your computer, phone, or another device. It has legitimate uses, but also can arguably be an invasion of privacy. Here’s how it works, and how to defeat it.

In a nutshell, it works like algebra, where you solve something you don’t know based on two or more things you do know.

Uses of Microsoft Excel

Dave Farquhar Careers, Office May 30, 2018August 3, 2018

Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular pieces of software ever. Many job descriptions cite familiarity with Excel as a requirement, or at least desirable. But no one was born knowing it. So let’s take a look at some uses of Microsoft Excel.