Panelists: Earl Evans and Randy Kindig (hosting), and Evan Koblentz (expert witness)

Host’s Topic: Vintage Computer Festival West

Randy and Earl wonder about VCF West, and Evan comes to the rescue, in this Very Special Episode of the Retrocomputing Roundtable (recorded jointly with Floppy Days). Also, the first of two consecutive episodes crossing over with ANTIC.

Sharing is caring! Alert everyone you know who might be interested in going to VCF West XI that it’s happening, soon. Always better to learn about these things before they happen, rather than after they’re over.

• Vintage Computer Federation
• Vintage Computer Festival West XI
  • August 6-7, 2016, at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, CA.
• Floppy Days podcast
• ANTIC podcast

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

Host’s Topic: What good is source code?

As more original source code becomes available (we’ll talk about a couple [Apollo Guidance Computer and LucasArts’ Habitat] later this episode—but before that fairly high profile source code from Apple II DOS, Xerox Alto, Microsoft BASIC, CP/M, Prince of Persia, Glider, Wander, Star Raiders, and more), what kinds of things do we hope to learn, or have we learned, or can we do with these? Are they just historical artifacts, or can they be used in the future as learning tools, or in new software, or…?

Retro Computing News:

• Vintage Computer Festival Zurich, November 19-20, 2016
• Inverse ATASCII (S1EB1 Atari Portfolio)
• Easy to Learn, Hard to Master—The Fate of Atari (documentary Kickstarter)
• The Code that Took America to the Moon Was Just Published to GitHub
• Don Eyles walks through AGC source code
• AGC source (Apollo 11) on Github
• “Computer for Apollo” video
• Digital Apollo (book)
• CommVEX 12.0, Saturday July 30, and Sunday July 31
  • Bill Seiler (VIC-20) will be there
• 7 Classic Home PC Follow-Ups That Were Never Released
• Source code to LucasArts’ Habitat posted
  • Habitat on Github
• How To Write a History of Writing Software
• PocketCHIP
• Blake Patterson (Byte Cellar) finds old photos of his TI 99/4a
• Retrohistories: The Prehistory of Bungie
• Megaprocessor makes mainstream news as Tetris machine
• Brianna Wu asks Millennials to identify a modem
• Tetris on the Green building

Vintage Computer Commercial

• Quantum Link/Habitat

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• AGC DSKY model

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Mac Performa 475 with Apple IIe card
  • AppleVision 750AV Display
• Earl: Apple Graphics Tablet
• Paul: Radio Controlled Flight Simulator for PC
  • UNIVAC ashtray
  • Lisa pile, pickup only
• Jack: Jet TV Electromagnetica HC-85 Computer
  • See also: Electromagnetica Jet on old-computers.com

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

Host’s Topic: Was the tech in the 80’s better than today?

Was the 80’s tech better, or do you prefer today’s offerings? What did you love about the 80’s tech, and what do you miss?

Retro Computing News:

• Dean Yergens’ collection, including Microsoft disks
• CoCo~123 newsletter, v36n1
• Megaprocessor video tour
  • Main megaprocessor site
• MOnSter 6502
• Kickstarter for the Dreamcade Replay
• Dream Arcades
• OpenEmu
• iCade
• Y Combinator’s Xerox Alto restoration (Ken Shirriff’s blog)
• Xerox Alto on eBay
• Fixing Kermit, compiling LASM for TRS-80 Model II
• Ancient Code: handwritten Apple II assembly code
• Codeless Code
• The Complete BBC Games Archive
  • Forum topic relating to archive
• Every Game Going archive
• TI99/4A Databar OSCAR Barcode Software
• PoC||GTFO
• The Doubleclicks

Vintage Computer Commercials (sort of)

• Xerox Alto ad

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Silver dalek with bowtie, pink, on its head

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Apple II Business Graphics Package
  • Apple II Enhancement Kit
• Michael: Acorn BBC Micro Model-B
  • Disk drive
  • RGB to HDMI adapter
• Paul: NRI 832
  • See also: CHM’s NRI 832
  • And also: Old Computer Museum’s write-up of NRI 832
  • Commodore MAX
  • Computerize game
  • Osborne OCC-2 Executive
• Jack: Atari Portfolio (with French keyboard layout)

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: Michael Mulhern (hosting), Earl Evans, Paul Hagstrom, Jack Nutting, and Carrington Vanston

Host’s Topic: Surprises

A volunteer at TNMOC found a Lorenz cipher machine keyboard on eBay for £9.50. What has been your most unexpected find on eBay, at garage sale, or even at a flea market?

Retro Computing News:

• Writing a Game in Assembly for an Old Computer Taught Me Lessons Relevant Today
• CP/M forever!
  • 8 bit computer from scratch (blog)
  • Microbee “Classic Plus Kit Computer”
  • RC 2014 Z80 computer on Google Groups
  • RC 2014 Z80 computer on Tindie
• A new retro computing stackexchange site
• Hacking Archive at TNMOC
• Beginning of “Apple II first ships” week?
• Chuck Moore’s FORTH processor designs (CPUShack Museum)
  • Part two
  • GreenArrays chips for sale
• Factor
• First digital computer, by country
• Ferut
• LEGO models from Chris McVeigh/PowerPig:
  • My Old Desktop (Pre-order)
  • IBM PC
  • Rotary phone
• DB-19: Resurrecting an obsolete connector
• Canada b-boy cypher

Vintage Computer Commercials (sort of)

• What’s all this?
• 1985 Car of the Year
• They’re waggling

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• K.I.T.T. USB Car Charger
  • Instructables write-up on LED scanner for your car

Auction Picks:

• Carrington: Full Throttle for Macintosh
  • ScummVM
• Earl: Digital Server 5000 AlphaServer 1200
• Michael: Commodore themed mouse pads:
  • Datasette
  • C64
  • READY
• Jack: Atari Falcon
• Paul: Apple-1
  • Apple II
  • IBM 360 faceplate
  • Acorn Electron Plus 1 complete in box
  • Footmouse
  • Thumbs Up Music Modem keyboard

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: Earl Evans (hosting), Ken Gagne, Paul Hagstrom, and Jack Nutting

Host’s Topic: Tragic: The Gathering of dust

Most of us have vintage computers that we have purchased, used, but then ignored. In the early days, they were so easy to get, often for free, or cheap. Of your collection, which system do you most regret leaving in the closet, and why?

Retro Computing News:

• Joe’s Computer Museum (YouTube channel)
• The 64 (Indiegogo)
• Jumpman hacking (AtariAge)
• ANTIC podcast 171, Randy Glover (Jumpman) interview
• Index of ANTIC podcast interviews
• Apple II version of Jumpman (eBay)
• Tekserve of NYC
• MOnSter 6502 project page
  • MOnSter 6502 blog entry
• Making Amiga 2000 GPU with an FPGA (Hackaday)
  • Github project and writeup
• Artcade
• TPDD tools (access a TPDD from modern PC)

Vintage Computer Commercial

• NEC Computers Australian TV Commercial

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Mini Pocket Drone

Auction Picks:

• Ken: Lode Runner board game
• Earl: NEC PC-6001A
• Paul: Convergent WorkSlate, extraordinarily complete
  • Zorba GC-200
  • ITT 2020 paddles
• Jack: Jumpman for Atari 8-bit

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: Jack Nutting (hosting), Paul Hagstrom, and Michael Mulhern

Host’s Topic: Absence makes the heart grow fonder

What retrocomputers were actually less cool than you remember once you got your hands on one again? What were the annoyances you’d forgotten about?

Retro Computing News:

• Chocolatchips Etsy store (Pocket Pokey and more)
• Let Chris Crawford teach you to program the Atari 8-bit computers
• 4play new Apple II joystick card.
• 4soniq new Apple IIGS 4-channel sound card
• KABOOM! v1.02 (for Apple IIGS)
• Open Apple 58 (Huibert Aalbers, author of Soundsmith)
• UltimateMicro announces universal power supply.
• Structris for iOS
• Omnivore Atari 8-bit binary editor
  • Omnivore on Github
• The Megaprocessor
• DOS-based Compaq LTE 5280 laptops still used to maintain McLaren supercars
• “Purple Rain” chiptune remix
• MIT’s Digi-Comp II on EvilMadScientist blog

Vintage Computer Commercial

• How to spell Compaq
• Video Visits with Chris Crawford, part 1

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Motherboard nightlight

Auction Picks:

• Jack: Hanimex SD 070 Colour Clone
  • More info: Hanimex SD 070 Colour on old-computers.com
• Michael: VisiCalc for Atari 800
  • VisiCalc audio course
• Paul: Tatung Einstein TC-01
  • Eureka A4
  • More info on Eureka A4
  • MyTec PLAtinum C64 PLA U17 replacement
  • See also: U17 PLAnkton
  • See also: History of Personal Computing eBay episode 12

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), and Michael Mulhern

Host’s Topic: A veritable plethora

Continuing to wonder about modern recreations as ever more appear on the scene. Are we cheating? Should we just get over it? Does this mean more people are coming? How do you choose which Apple IIGS RAM card to get?

Retro Computing News:

• Floppy Emu
• The End of Things (DB-19 connector)
• Apollo 11 program alarms
• Neil Armstrong, the 1201 alarm, and greatness personified
• IBM 2321 Data Cell
• Mike Willegal’s LUNAR in SCELBAL
• David H. Ahl’s LUNAR
• StackExchange Retrocomputing site
• “From Mainframes to Smartphones” book
• “Abacus to smartphone” book
• Bill Landreth and the Inner Circle, today
• Tynemouth Software, retro machines as USB keyboards
• TheFutureWas8Bit’s C64 SD2IEC from recycled plastic
• DragonBox Pyra handheld
• The 64 computer and handheld console, Indiegogo campaign
• The 64 on Facebook
• Dick Smith Electronics, closing in 1 week
• Programming the Micro-KIM tutorial
• WOzFest ///

Vintage Computer “Commercial” (sort of):

• Acorn Electron

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Apple /// case for iPhone 6(s)(plus)
  • The original painting on etsy

Auction Picks:

• Michael: Dick Smith VZ200
• Paul: NEC PC-8201A, box and all
  • Acorn Electron, plus 3, plus 1
  • Laffer Utilities

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: Earl Evans (hosting), Paul Hagstrom, Michael Mulhern, and Jack Nutting

Host’s Topic: Lunar landistry

SpaceX successfully blasted off a rocket, which they’ve done before – but this time, the rocket’s stage one came back down and landed itself safely! In celebration of their accomplishment, we wanted to look back on the game Lunar Lander, and its various incarnations.

• Forty Years of Lunar Lander
• Lunar Lander variants on Mobygames

Retro Computing News:

• Digibarn newsletter reboot
  • Voice of America video re: Apple turns 40
  • Levity Zone 46: Woz at Digibarn
  • Levity Zone 47: Apple 30th panel
  • YouTube portions of Apple 30th panel
• Inside Spacebar! at mass:werk
• Google60
• Connor Krukosky presents at SHARE (“Here’s what happens when an 18 year old buys a mainframe”)
  • Connor’s presentation on YouTube
• 8bit Generation movie
• Retroist interviews National Videogame Museum co-founder Joe Santulli
• 8-bit Weapon interviewed about their creative process
• Art of Atari
  • USA Today Article on Art of Atari
• VIC-20 book kickstarter, 2 weeks and a ways to go
• Britain’s first mass-produced commercial computer
• Bletchley Park podcast
• Ultimem VIC-20 expansion card
  • Retro Innovations store link
• PolyMold Moldable Plastic
• Sugru
• Inc. magazine, January 1982
  • Software Arts wrote the first best-seller (Inc.com)
  • The birth of an industry (Inc.com)

Vintage Computer “Commercial” (sort of):

• The Eagle Has Landed

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Fascinations Apollo Lunar Module 3D Model Kit
  • Fascinations site

Auction Picks:

• Earl: Commodore Amiga 1200
• Jack: Atari 8-bit Lunar Lander
• Michael: When retro computers collide
  • Before you print it, you have to scan it
  • Thunderscan story on folklore.org
• Paul: eProbe set
  • Laser expansion box
  • Byte Cellar article on the Laser expansion box
  • A-MAx II Plus Mac emulator for Amiga 2000
  • A-Max information page
  • HP 85 set
  • Whole Internet Calendar for 1997/2031

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: Michael Mulhern (hosting), Earl Evans, and Paul Hagstrom

Host’s Topic: Easter Eggs

Hidden developer lists. Slipping it past management. Have you ever added an Easter Egg to a program?

• First EE?
• WAIT 6502 on a PET
• Other MS fingerprints/Easter Eggs
• Search Google for “do a barrel roll” using Chrome or Firefox
• Excel 97: Flight Simulator
• Commodore 128: SYS 32800,123,45,6 dev team, peace message
• Micro pictures in the silicon
• Mac SE “stolen from Apple Computer” (G 4188a4) and dev team slideshow (G41d89a)
• 65816 WDM opcode
• Karateka (Apple II) back side of floppy plays upside-down

Retro Computing News:

• Margaret Hamilton and coding the Apollo Guidance Computer
• A Canadianized ZX Spectrum
• Web8201 website is back
  • Club 100
  • LaddieAlpha TPDD emulator
  • DLPlus TPDD emulator
• ConnectTo, integrating older Macs to modern networks
• MacIPgw – MacIP server VirtualBox machine
• SIDFX, 2 SIDs in every C64
• RetroStyle – Spacewar Fleet Action
  • See also: Eliza
• FPGA co-processor for the BBC Micro
• Ken and Roberta Williams interview from 1994
  • Softline 1982 interviews Alick Diabczenko of Sierra Software
  • Photo of Retro-Ball hardware from eBay
  • Ken Williams on Apple II hi-res graphics in the same issue
  • On-Line ad, in the same issue
  • A less rosy overview of the company’s history from Jimmy Maher
  • Laine Nooney’s research blog, Broderbund and Sierra On-Line

Vintage Computer “Commercial” (sort of):

• BBC Micro “Daphne”

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Computer Chocolate

Auction Picks:

• Earl: XT-CF-Lite v4 for Vintage PCs
• Michael: If you’re going to listen to your retro computer, give your ears some retro style:
  • 1960s – PIONEER STEREO HEADPHONES MODEL SE-2P
  • 1970s – Hosiden DH-150Z-S headphones
  • 1980s – Realistic NOVA 14 Headphones
• Paul: Color Computer 2 kits
  • IBM 101 Monochrome Mazes
  • 101 Monochrome Mazes – why not color?
  • ITT Xtra
  • Bondi Blue iMac with box etc
  • Freeze Frame for C64

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: Jack Nutting (hosting), Paul Hagstrom, and Michael Mulhern

Host’s Topic: Y2K

Thoughts on the anticipation leading to the turn of the century.

Retro Computing News:

• The Games, “Millennium Bug” episode
• Y2K survival guide with foreword by Leonard Nimoy
• iOS 1970s nostalgia
• Charles’ Metaphor Computer ML5-1200 photos
  • Metaphor Computer Systems on Wikipedia
• DrKhumalo on lemon64 forums, Civilization-like game for C64
  • Video
• VCF Southeast, April 2-3
  • RetroMacCast 399, VCF SE 4.0 Preview with Earl Baugh
  • Floppy Days 55, VCFSE 4 Preview with Earl Baugh
• Touring the memory technologies of old
• Atari Swordquest competition covered, Atlas Obscura
• Halt and Catch Fire, season 2 on Netflix
• PC Games with ASCII graphics
  • Nyet (Tetris clone)

Items of Interest / News:

• Coleco Chameleon/Retro VGS is dead (again)
• Google’s AlphaGo beat Korean grandmaster Lee Sedol
  • 4 hour video with commentary of match one
  • British GO Association reports computer vs computer game in 1984
  • Playing Go on a KIM in 1981
  • Quintic (Nibble) Feb 1986, in Stavros Collection, on NIB27B.DSK
• Jason Scott, on 500th title preserved for the first time by 4am, at archive.org
• Amiga600 with Vampire600v2
• OS/A65 and GeckOS/A65. Multitasking OSes for 6502
  • GeckOS/A65
• Many podcast interviews.
  • ANTIC 141, Bob Polin, Blue Max
  • ANTIC 136, David Crane, Activision
  • ANTIC 133, Bill Lounden, Compuserve/GEnie
  • ANTIC 132, Jerry Jewell, Sirius Software
  • ANTIC 130, Dave Pratt, Digital Vision/Computereyes
  • Open Apple 57, Bill Budge
  • Drop /// Inches 16, Taylor Pohlman
  • TRS-80 Trash Talk 2

Vintage Computer Commercial

• UNIVAC

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Tetris 3D cushions

Auction Picks:

• Jack: Pocket Pokey custom midi synth
  • Audio demo of Pocket Pokey Midi Synth
  • Chipmusic forum post
• Michael: Commodores downunder
  • C64
  • VIC-20
• Paul: DEC Rainbow 100 in pieces:
  • Rainbow 100 machine
  • Rainbow 100 keyboard
  • Rainbow 100 monitor
  • Playskool Play and Learn Computer
  • Coleco ADAM set
  • Big CoCo 3 bundle
  • Timex-Sinclair bonanza

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