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Windows, ARM, emulation, misconceptions and misremembered history

Dave Farquhar Hardware May 22, 2011January 23, 20221980s, 1990s, 6502, amiga, android, apple, atari, atari st, Bill Gates, commodore, Digital Research, excel, IBM, intel, macintosh, Microsoft Basic, motorola, netbooks, Once Windows, unix, web os, windows 2000, windows 7, windows 8, windows nt, Windows XP, x86

I keep reading stuff about Windows and ARM and, well, I think people just aren’t remembering history.

I’m not saying that Windows 8 on ARM will save the world, or even change it substantially. It probably won’t, since Microsoft tends not to get things right the first time. But will I automatically write off the project? No. It could prove useful for something other than what it was originally intended. That happens a lot.

But I’m more interested in clearing up the misinformation than in trying to predict the future.
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Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He has written professionally about computers since 1991, so he was writing about retro computers when they were still new. He has been working in IT professionally since 1994 and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He holds Security+ and CISSP certifications. Today he blogs five times a week, mostly about retro computers and retro gaming covering the time period from 1975 to 2000.

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Microsoft buyouts that worked

Dave Farquhar Software May 11, 2011October 13, 20251980s, excel, IBM, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Office, SQL, windows 7, yahoo

On May 10, 2011, Microsoft surprised a lot of people by buying Skype for $8.5 billion. The deal closed October 13, 2011. I think most people thought Facebook would do it. Now I keep hearing pundits say that this will fail, because Microsoft buyouts always fail.

Thing is, I can think of 11 Microsoft buyouts that worked out really well. Over the years, I think Microsoft has proven itself to be pretty adept at both cloning products and buying products. They don’t always improve them all that much, but they frequently remain popular.

Sometimes I think Microsoft is better at buying products than developing them. After you see this list, you might agree.
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Dave Farquhar

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More on the new Intel 320 SSD

Dave Farquhar Hardware, security May 10, 2011May 10, 20111980s, 1990s, AES, CIA, cissp, intel, ubuntu, Ubuntu Linux, WD

A few weeks ago, my security go-to guy, Rich P., bought a new Intel 320 SSD for his netbook. With my encouragement, of course. It finally arrived this weekend, and he installed it. Rich reports not only faster speed, but also a 30-minute improvement in battery life over the WD Scorpio Black it replaced.

He told me the secure erase function, to enable AES, had a snag. But he solved it. I’m documenting it here in case you ran into the same thing he did.
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Dave Farquhar

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Marketing or Engineering?

Dave Farquhar Uncategorized May 9, 2011July 14, 20171980s, apple, commodore, Digital Equipment Corporation, excel, panasonic, samsung, windows 7

The topic of marketing and engineering came up today. I won’t go into details. I’ll just share what I said about the two, by throwing out a few company names and just a little snippet about each company.

Dave Farquhar

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I have seen the future, and it’s cheap

Dave Farquhar Hardware May 7, 20111980s, 1990s, android, tinkerer, ubuntu, Ubuntu Linux, USB flash drive

The computer of the future costs $25.

Its specs aren’t overwhelming–700 MHz ARM CPU, 128 MB RAM, Ubuntu Linux–but it could be a general-purpose computer for some people. Or a thin client. It could also be a tinkerer’s delight, which I think was the developer’s idea.

Dave Farquhar

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Nonstandard configuration on a vintage PC? Maybe it was gray market

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing April 17, 2011May 6, 20241980s, 1990s, acer, DEC, dell, IBM, infoworld, markup, Michael Dell, New York, Packard Bell, vintage computer, XT

I saw an interesting question about the configuration of mid-1980s (pre-PS/2) IBM PCs on a vintage computer forum this week. The question regarded how various machines came from the factory, especially when some collectors have PCs they bought from the original owners, including an invoice, showing the machine didn’t match known factory configurations. This made me think of the gray market.

The gray market referred to the practice of discounters getting genuine IBM PCs and reselling them, sometimes modified. The most famous gray marketer was Michael Dell–the “Dell” in Dell Computer Corporation–who got his start by upgrading bare-bones IBM PCs and selling them out of his dorm room and later, out of a condo. Eventually he decided he wanted a steadier supply, and started manufacturing, becoming the company we know today.

But Dell was far from the only one. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Can you set an HP slimline computer on its side?

Dave Farquhar Hardware March 30, 2011March 1, 20221980s, 1990s, hp

Here’s a question that came up the other day. Can you set an HP slimline computer on its side?

Yes.

How anticlimactic of me.

Dave Farquhar

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Replacing old Lionel DC transformers

Dave Farquhar Toy trains March 29, 2011October 6, 20221980s, HO, ho scale, lionel, Model Power, o27

For a while in the 1970s and 1980s, Lionel used DC power in its least expensive O27 electric train sets. They stopped this practice in the mid 1980s, but there are still plenty of those sets kicking around in basements or attics and on the secondary market. They tend to be very inexpensive, especially compared to new sets on the market today.

Here’s how to figure out what you have, and track down a suitable replacement. AC and DC power supplies are not interchangeable, and you can seriously damage your train if you use the wrong kind. Trying to run a DC train on AC results in a train that won’t move and makes a ton of noise.

Dave Farquhar

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How CPU multipliers came to be locked

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing March 11, 2011April 15, 20261980s, 1990s, amd, asus, classmate, intel, math coprocessor, overclocking, pentium ii, windows nt

It was 1996. I was a senior in college, and I went to the computer store in the student commons to get a cable or something. I ran into an old classmate working in the store, who went on to work as an engineer for Boeing. We talked for a few minutes, and he told me about a web site that I just had to visit. I still remember the URL for some reason. He grabbed a piece of paper and scrawled “http://sysdoc.pair.com” on it.

It was my introduction to the world of PC hardware enthusiast sites. That mysterious URL was the early address of Tom’s Hardware Guide. The front page mostly consisted of links to articles telling you how to overclock Pentium CPUs using undocumented jumper settings on Asus motherboards, and the ads were largely mail-order houses offering specials on Asus motherboards and low-end Pentium CPUs.
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Dave Farquhar

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Using s-video gear with Commodore monitors

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing March 6, 2011March 6, 20111980s, 1990s, atari, camcorder, chroma, commodore, Dollar Tree, radio shack, RCA, rca jack, rca plugs, video connector

Commodore and Atari used an early implementation of s-video on their home computers in order to show off their computers’ advanced-for-their-time graphics. Many monitors sold for those computers featured compatibility with this feature, which was called “separated” or “y/c” composite or at the time. JVC called the feature “s-video” when they started using it on their SVHS camcorders starting in 1987, and JVC’s name stuck. Other companies followed suit, and s-video and the mini DIN plug became an industry standard.

Commodore and Atari used a different connector than JVC did, but all it takes to use s-video gear with those old monitors is a cable, which you can make with about $10 worth of parts from Radio Shack. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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