A really good computer?
- Thread starter HiBaller
- Start date
In fact, I seem to remember that every version that ended in an even number was really bad - with the exception of DOS6.2 and 6.22. I even have official disks for Win 3.1 and 3.11.
Bill
cascaderailroad
New member
Make sure it has a Floppy Disk Drive, or consider one of these
The Kaypro was a sweet machine. I leaned more towards building my own computers though: I had four Heathkits (2 H-8's, an H-88 and an H-89). I still have one of the H-8's. I also have a Commodore SX-64 (the 'all-in-one' box).
I run the free Microsoft Virtual PC software for all my DOS games. Zork I, II, and III are still loads of fun - if you don't run into a grue!
"Want some rye? 'Course you do!"
Bill
I run the free Microsoft Virtual PC software for all my DOS games. Zork I, II, and III are still loads of fun - if you don't run into a grue!
"Want some rye? 'Course you do!"
Bill
Sure Sir, we understand....now watch your head as you get in the back of the car, these nice men are going to take good care of you!:wave:
http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1193&st=1
Here's a nice portable system, weighing at 16 lbs. This feels like 26 lbs. after you've lugged one of these across Penn Station! I still have one of these, and it's fully operational. In the old days, I used to fix these machines. The first manufacturing run was quite ugly!
It came bundled with up to 512K of RAM, 2 floppy drives, an IBM Expansion Port, one or two serial ports, a parallel port, and two video ports - CGA and Composite!
It came with DOS 2.1, but it'll run DOS up to 5.0 fine. DOS 6.xx was too much for it.
I remember the days of avoiding the even numbered versions too. Dos 4. as the pits.
John
Here's a nice portable system, weighing at 16 lbs. This feels like 26 lbs. after you've lugged one of these across Penn Station! I still have one of these, and it's fully operational. In the old days, I used to fix these machines. The first manufacturing run was quite ugly!
It came bundled with up to 512K of RAM, 2 floppy drives, an IBM Expansion Port, one or two serial ports, a parallel port, and two video ports - CGA and Composite!
It came with DOS 2.1, but it'll run DOS up to 5.0 fine. DOS 6.xx was too much for it.
I remember the days of avoiding the even numbered versions too. Dos 4. as the pits.
John
I was heavily into Machine Language coding for any Intel chip: 8080, 8088, Z80; as well as the 6000 set (6502, 6510, etc.) from Motorola. Instead of a printer, I interfaced my Ham TTY with a homebuilt UART and some reed relay switches. Luckily, the TTY was 100wpm (Mod75) instead of those old 60wpm jobs.
In a lot of ways, I really miss being able to touch the absolute innards of my computer. The layers around the CPU now are impenetrable. I tried a short one I wrote and my A/V went absolutely ape. It did run in a Virtual PC though.
Bill
In a lot of ways, I really miss being able to touch the absolute innards of my computer. The layers around the CPU now are impenetrable. I tried a short one I wrote and my A/V went absolutely ape. It did run in a Virtual PC though.
Bill
I agree with you, Bill. The old computer days were much more fun. I too wrote some stuff in Z-80 Assembler and 8088. I even took a class in Z-80 Assembly Language, and used a Visual 1050 to work on my projects. In the end, I ended up writing a memory test that I used to test RAM in the video terminals.
Today I don't think I could do that. I've been away from the code so long, I've forgotten most of the commands. I spend my time as an onsite technician instead, changing boards and hard drives instead of troubleshooting to the component level.
John
Heh. I just opened up Notepad and jotted down every Machine code I knew for the 8080. Quite an impressive chip for it's day. My list had 54 OpCodes in it. I especially liked what you could to with that 16-bit indirect-access register.
I had the sources for Heathkit's entire operating system (HDOS) which they actually SOLD! It had an editor, a compiler, all the OS DOS/ROM source, and what you would call DLL's now. When you only had 32K of RAM you had to write very tight code.
Bill
I had the sources for Heathkit's entire operating system (HDOS) which they actually SOLD! It had an editor, a compiler, all the OS DOS/ROM source, and what you would call DLL's now. When you only had 32K of RAM you had to write very tight code.
Bill
I still write and debug a lot in assembly and I can still kind of be considered an active hardware developer. That old stuff was such a joy but it's not all a thing of the past. There's still quite an active community out there and even some youngish people (and I'm only in my mid-30's) who are into that stuff. It still surprises even my that hobby and professional development using old processors is not as "old-school" as a lot of people would think.
My workbench area down in my basement has not only my ham gear, but a fully equipped digital workbench complete with o-scope, 25A @ 5V power supply and perhaps two hundred little plastic drawers filled with IC's, resistors, caps, and the like. I can spend a very happy day down there, building 'something'. My last project was just a simple red/yellow/green traffic light for my neighbor's model train layout. He watched wide-eyed as I built it for him. He's now studying for his ham license.
Oops. Later than I think; in more ways than one. It's 0030 now.
Bill
Oops. Later than I think; in more ways than one. It's 0030 now.
Bill
the good old days?
you people have it too good when I first studied computor engineering computor cards held 2 to 4 transisters plus caps and resisters, motherboards were a series of pins connected by individual wires, memory was comprised of little iron toroids that switched polarities depending on the direction of the current run through them and 16K was considered a huge amount of memory. Things sure have changed (and for the better).
you people have it too good when I first studied computor engineering computor cards held 2 to 4 transisters plus caps and resisters, motherboards were a series of pins connected by individual wires, memory was comprised of little iron toroids that switched polarities depending on the direction of the current run through them and 16K was considered a huge amount of memory. Things sure have changed (and for the better).
I was using that equipment when I first entered the Navy in 1962. Here's the web site that describes the computer:
http://www.jproc.ca/rrp/uyk3.html
This one did in fact have core memory, discrete components, and logic circuits. There was not one IC in the whole box.
I mean, as long as we're comparing the length of our ... experience. :hehe:
Bill
http://www.jproc.ca/rrp/uyk3.html
This one did in fact have core memory, discrete components, and logic circuits. There was not one IC in the whole box.
I mean, as long as we're comparing the length of our ... experience. :hehe:
Bill
I found this ad for a computer in a newspaper. Is this a good one for Trainz?
I think it's a really good buy.I might have to opt for the extra 128K of RAM though; and maybe a VGA monitor.
Bill
That's interesting, an ancient AMSTRAD machine
AMSTRAD - Alan Micheal Sugar TRADing, Alan Sugar, now Lord Sugar, is a UK entrepreneur who in the 1980/1990s made all sorts of consumer electronics, they generally having the reputation for being shoddy and unreliable, built to a price, nevermind the spec!
I am saying this because I am surprised to see he traded in the US.
Having said that, I did own an AMSTRAD VCR which lasted for years.
Rob.