8-BRC: Articles of interest 12/28/08

I came across a few articles of interest to vintage computer enthusiasts who read this blog. Below you will find links to each article along with a brief note from me. I am still looking for content suggestions, for this blog so drop me a line here if you have any suggestions, or leave a comment.


micsaund.com: Retro 8 bit BASIC computer is a blast from the past
This is a pretty good article about the Retro Computer System from Multilabs. For $100.00 the system looks like a great deal. It can handle a standard VGA monitor, PS2 keyboard, Atari style joystick, and comes with a built-in BASIC interpreter and OS plus an expansion port. If your looking for a low cost and versatile system to relive the past with then give the Retro Computer System a look.

I plan to get one as soon as I get back to work, and I'd like to know what others think of it. If you happen to have one of these systems then leave a comment or shoot me an email, and check out these other articles on micsaund.com:

• Build your own classic computer
• Phidgets: Easy to use USB circuit goodies
• Develop your own 2D games, retro or otherwise
• Full custom computer case made of stained glass
• Microcontroller learning kit makes it easy

Slashdot.org: The Return of (Old) PC Graphic Adventures
This article is about the ScummVM virtual machine which according to the article "acts like an interface between the feelings and the puzzles from the good old times and the modern operating systems". I have never heard of ScummVM before, so if you are using it then here's your chance to leave a comment here on the blog. (At least this wans't another Cobol article from Shashdot :-)


techdirt.com: Old Electronics Kit Manuals Forced Offline Thanks To Copyright
Well it looks like the Grinch decided to be mean to all the Heathkit enthusiasts in Whoville this year. Heathkit sold the copyright for it's for legacy products manuals, and the new owner is requiring that those manuals taken down from web sites and only be available for purchase from them. Well I am glad I kept the manuals for all the stuff I have.


Well that's it for now. Hope everyone has a great New Year! ~ Jim Cox

Retro computer gift suggestions.

I thought it would be fun to post a list of gifts for retro computer enthusiasts to drool over.

Right now I can only find a few items to list, but I will add to the list as I find more stuff, or as group members post suggestions in the forum. Non group members are encouraged post comments to this blog, and I will add their suggestions too.

So check out the list below and feel free to post a comment if you want:

• Classic Computer Calendar. Unfortunately the only one I could find online is this 2006 Classic Computer Calendar.
• Commodore 64 (C64) Retro Computer T-Shirt
• Book - Digital Retro: The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer (Paperback)
• Atari Flashback Game System
• Atari Flashback 2.0
• Jakks Atari Classics 10 In 1 TV Games
• HYDRA Game Development Kit: Not a true retro system, but it's close enough.
  

If you are in the UK, you might be interested in the retro computer merchandise that flickbits.com has to offer.

Yet even more news about Cobol

A while back Slashdot posted another article about Cobol - "Cobol Job Market Heating Up"

Seriously is Cobol really that prevalent that there could be a serious need for Cobol programmers?

If that's the case then here are a few Cobol related links to help those new to Cobol get going with the newest old craze :)

• COBOL programming - tutorials, lectures, exercises, examples
• COBOL Programming Course
• The COBOL Programming Language
• COBOL - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• COBOL Programming, Jobs, Tutorials : COBOL User Groups
• COBOL Web Programming : The COBOL Center

4004 calculator replica

Slashdot recently posted an article titled "A Replica of the First 4004 Calculator" about vintage computer enthusiast Bill Kotaska building a replica of the Busicom 141-PF.

Give the article a read and also take a look at both Bill's site and the 4004 page.

I wish I had time for a project like this :)

Shots of my CoCo 3 system

Here are some shots of my "CoCo" (Radio Shack Color Computer Model 3) that I finally got set up again for the n-teenth time. It's been a while since I have really used the CoCo, but now that I have a dedicated spot for it, I am going to dive in and have fun with it.

Here's a shot of the complete system. Note the rats nest of cables from some other systems.
















This isn't the intended use for a monitor stand, but I didn't feel safe given the weight of the monitor so I decided to use it to get the disk drives, speakers, and VGA Converter Box out of the way.
















And if you are a CoCo enthusiast you may appreciate the "CoCo Cat" in the picture! :-)
















Feel free to leave a comment! Cheers ~ Jim

BBC old computer quiz.

I happened to catch this while scanning Digg, and thought I would share it with you.

Click on the link below to access the BBC Midweek Quiz on Old Computers. Once you are done, post your score in the comments.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7671677.stm

I am ashamed to admit it, but I only got 6 out of 10. It's a pity that they didn't list the Radio Shack Color Computer.

More news on Cobol!

As a follow up to a previous posting I thought I would note that Dr Dobb's has an interesting article on Cobol:

Is Your Next Language COBOL?

There's hope for us retro-geeks still!

Looking for content!

I have been really busy with a couple other projects and have not had time to do much digging for retro-computing articles. I have some links to add and I am working on an article, but that's it.

If you are a reader of this blog and you have some suggestions for content then feel free to drop me a line via the comments section, or if you are a member of this group on Linkedin.com, then grab my email address and shoot me an email with your suggestion.

I am open to the possibility of letting people who are not members of Linkedin.com post to this blog, but I need to approach that idea on a individual basis.

Hope to hear from someone soon.

Anyone interested in writing for this blog?

I am hoping that more members of the 8-Bit Retro Computing group on Linkedin.com will be interested in contributing to this blog by posting an article now and then.

I have outlined the details in the text to the left, so all you need to go is be willing to write something.

I'm also considering opening this blog up to swap and shop listings, so if you have some old systems, parts, or books you want to list here, again drop me line.

Speaking of old books, I have three Windows 3.11 books that are heading for the recycling bin unless someone here is interested. They are yours for the cost of shipping, that's all.

Cheers! ~ Jim

Added some more links.

You know, I could spend weeks adding links to this site, but since I do need to focus on my job search I can only spend a little time right now.

If you have suggestions for links, please leave a comment to this entry, and I will do my best to add them.

Could Cobol make a comeback?

While not hardware related, I thought this article on Slashdot.org about the possibility of Cobol making a come backpretty interesting.

It's nice to think that some of the 90K or so Cobol programmers out there may find their skill in need.

Now wouldn't it be nice if there was a need for TRS80 Basic programming skills?

Just getting started

I just set this blog up today. I am hoping that some of the group members are interested in posting here. ~ Jim