Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Jack Nutting, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Coprocessors (Part 1)

We all love coprocessors, but does anyone use them? Did you have any, did you use them? Do you have any, do you use them? What would you use them for now?

Topic/Feedback links:

• Jif peanut butter labels
• Unofficial Retrochallenge
• Retrochallenge (canonizing the unofficial one, happened after we recorded)

Retro Computing News:

• Swift on Mac OS 9
• More progress on Prince of Persia for Atari 8-bit computers
• ZX Spectrum prototype ROM available for download
• New Jersey urgently needs COBOL programmers

Vintage Computer-related Commercial:

• Power Macintosh (Windows/DOS compatibility)
• Grace Hopper at MIT (MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 25 April 1985)
• New Jersey and You

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Developers Developers Developers Developers shirt

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Intacorp Button And Badge Maker for Apple II
  • Apple HD concept prototype
• Paul: Whistler TRS-80 X-10
  • Norton Utilities 3
  • Apple logo stuff
  • Super Elf
  • Digi-Comp I
  • See also: 3D-printable Digi-Comp I on Thingiverse
  • DOS compatibility card
  • Applied Concepts The Mate chess game
  • APMSX card
  • See also: apple2.net
  • See also: Review of APMSX on Finapple
  • TRS-80 Program pak file

Closing words links:

• Apple IIc Plus Accelerator Control
• Quinn Dunki: Spelunking the IIc Plus KansasFest 2016

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Earl Evans, Blake Patterson, and Carrington Vanston

Topic: Computer viruses

What experiences did you have in the “retrocomputer era” with computer viruses or related malware? Which ones do you remember? Any that caused a memorable headache? Any that you wrote? Any that had interesting technology? Do you remember antivirus software causing memorable headaches? Did you write any antivirus software? Did you write any antivirus software to eliminate a virus that you also happened to have written?

Topic/Feedback links:

• Someone had a Destructivity disk
• PLA20V8, a cheap PLA replacement for C64
• PLA20V8 video on YouTube
• Interact with Atari’s 6502 in BASIC

Retro Computing News:

• ASCII art + permadeath: The history of roguelike games
• Cult of Mac iOS / Mac Brogue article
• Brogue homepage
• Beneath Beneath Apple Manor (KansasFest 2019 talk)
• Relax, It’s On Us: free music from 8 Bit Weapon
• How Prince of Persia Defeated Apple II’s Memory Limitations
• How Prince of Persia Defeated Apple II’s Memory Limitations (video)
• Command Line Heroes – Floppies: The Disks That Changed the World
• The 80×25 terminal size
• Commodore Los Angeles Super Show postponed
• Where in North Dakota is Carmen Sandiego

Vintage Computer-related Commercials:

• Mac: Viruses
• Norton: Chicken vs. Dokken

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• The Making of Prince of Persia (Jordan Mechner)

Auction Picks:

• Blake: Original Commodore Big Eyed Mouse
  • GGLABS 2MB MACSIMM
  • Super Boulder Dash (Atari)
• Carrington: Serpentine for Apple II
  • Rescue On Fractalus for Tandy Co-Co
  • Apple II with DuoDisk and Color Monitor 100
• Earl: ORCA/Integer BASIC compiler for Apple IIGS
  • See also: Opus II from Juiced.GS
• Paul: Duodisk 3.5” prototype
  • See also: A rare glimpse of a memorial Apple prototype display at Frog
  • Apple II/e dual 6522 GPIO PCB kit
  • Clear case //c
  • Lisa 2 bezel with box
  • “Fully Operational Apple I Computer”
  • SCRG Extend-a-slot

Closing words links:

• Make It With Punched Cards (1971 book)
• Going back to EDASM
• Retro Computing forum

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
Show audio files hosted by CyberEars

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Panelists: Earl Evans (hosting), Paul Hagstrom, Jack Nutting, and Blake Patterson

Topic: Work-study credit and a satisfying kerchunk

We continue to survey our panelists’ first computer jobs, this time focusing on first jobs in which we used a network wiring tool that made a satisfying kerchunk and/or got work-study credit.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Minesweeper
• ABB keyboard from a more modern setup

Retro Computing News:

• Canon object.station 41
• HP Color Recovery
• Larger demo of Blake’s NeXTSTEP HP
• WINGINE Graphics Subsystem
• VCF Pacific Northwest cancelled due to COVID-19
• Atari hotels
• Atari hotels news article
• 6800 CPU with nMigen
• Spotify for Atari 8-bits
• Spotify for Atari 8-bits (Github)

Vintage Computer-related Commercial:

• Compuserve

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Meggy Jr RGB Soldering Kit from Evil Mad Scientist

Auction Picks:

• Blake: APPLE 1 Original 1976 Computer System 1st Steve Wozniak designed computer and L@@K!!
  • Lisa 1 Mouse and poster
  • Microsoft Office Pro 97 CD from 1997
  • Apple II Quantum Leap SmartChip Card
• Earl: Radio Shack TRS-80 II Software Lot of 18
• Paul: Metrowerks art shirt
  • Metrowerks BSC shirt
  • Base Two flashcards
  • Epyx 500XJ joystick
  • IIe Card Y-cable
  • FoxPro 2.5 upgrade
  • ET-3400, ETA-3400

Feedback/Discussion:

• @rcrpodcast on Twitter
• Vintage Computer Forum
• RCR Podcast on Facebook
• Throwback Network
• Throwback Network on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X – link
Show audio files hosted by CyberEars

Listen/Download:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed