Neither VAX nor official

July 14th is International Nonbinary People's Day! I, myself, am nonbinary, and use they/them pronouns!

This issue continued to pack plenty of technical detail (with an article about a Reversi game explaining the ST's own "desk accessories"), although there was an examination of seven word processors. Amiga IFF graphics were displayed on the ST even as a new "bouncing" demo for the ST was explained, and David Small ("creator of the MacCartridge, and Atari hacker supreme") examined the computer's Floppy Disk Controller. Alex Leavins, author of an 8-bit Atari text adventure "Wombats," explained how to create an input parser in C. Alex Oren looked ahead to future developments in computing, supposing input devices would have to improve (as in, say, a computerized "glove"), while mentioning that Apple's prices did involve "high development costs require high margins" but with Atari "when aiming for low price you do not invent—you rent."

Designed by Don French and Steve Leininger at Tandy Radio Shack, the Model I was initially conceived as a limited production run of just 3,000 units. Instead, the system became a runaway success, selling over 300,000 units and establishing Radio Shack as a major force in the early days of personal computing."

With its title shortened to cover all Commodore computers, this issue took that change to heart and included much enthusiastic coverage of the new Commodore Amiga. Benn Dunnington's editorial did question just how well Commodore was tilting upscale to sell its new computer to the press and dealers alike, but concluded "Ironically, the AMIGA is so good, that Commodore is going to do extremely well no matter HOW they handle their affairs." The general coverage led off asking us to remember "July 23, 1985" as "the day that IBM's PC, Apple's Mac, and scores of lesser silicon marvels of our decade became obsolete"; near its close, it took slight glee in Jack Tramiel and John Sculley both trying to put the Amiga down.

   microNova Computer by Data General, 1977

Detail from 1977 Advertisement for the Heathkit H8 8080 Personal Computer

happy pride to my fellow aromantic allosexuals this year ^-^ you're all awesome! i often feel like a horse when it comes to my own identity... perhaps this will identify with whomever else is out there. have a wonderful pride. get louder about aromanticism or die <3

https://xkcd.com/2567/

she has been pickled for her crimes

end alt text.]

Fujitsu FACOM M-190, 1974

Bell Telephone Labs “Music From Mathematics” (1960) This is a piece of computer music history, with early examples of music generated by and performed on computers 50 years ago

The first issue of this Atari ST quarterly was technical and programmer-oriented. James Capparell's editorial explained that instead of having to type in program listings ("we think you're beyond that"), they would be on a bound-in disk. One article identified a missing component of GEM that would have let the ST display "multiple, Macintosh-like fonts."

You must pet the hamster.

Main Blog | Patreon | Twitter | Bluesky | Small Findings | Source: LocalH, via goobbue