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Ask HN: Which vintage computers do you find interesting?

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Re: Ask HN: Which vintage computers do you find interesting?

#61

Post by wisemanwillhear »

bediger4000 wrote: post #4

Radio Shack Color Computer III - they had a multi-tasking OS, OS-9, that worked via memory bank switching. It had a windowing system that worked via in-band signalling, which is quite different than any windowing system today.

I grew up on a Color Computer 2 (Coco 2) (Exact same specs as the Coco 1 but reduced number of chips, making it cheaper I understand). Learning to program on it as early as 7 years old got me hooked on software development. Later someone gave us a Coco 3, which was too little, too late be a market success. Still, there was something attractive about the simplicity of those old 8-bit computers.

At the end of the day, the majority of 8 bit home computers didn't have a path forward that included more powerful CPUs with advanced features and backwards compatibility and were always doomed for eventual obsoleting.

Re: Ask HN: Which vintage computers do you find interesting?

#62

Post by markus_zhang »

My first computer is an IBM PC that the university lent to my father. I don't know which one it is but it has two floppy drivers and no hard disk, which is typical for the machines of 80s back in China. It is also an authentic IBM machine (not the ones licensed to and built by Great Wall Tech) that costs the university a fortune.

I just got a gift card from my company so decided to order a C64 mini. Partly because I heard it's a fascinating machine, and partly I figured it's a good option to introduce a retro machine to my son when he grows up a bit. Although it is in fact an emulator but I think it's the best option unless I can afford a few hundred bucks and know how to fix the authentic C64.

Re: Ask HN: Which vintage computers do you find interesting?

#63

Post by mikewarot »

Long ago, I had an interview with a startup in Chicago called US Robotics. They had a Kaypro 2, a complete computer, with a built-in display... and it was portable! So much less stuff than the S-100 systems I was used to. I was in awe.

It turned out they made modems, quite successfully for a while. I'm sad I botched the interview, I would have been doing destructive testing, so much fun! 8)

I still feel nostalgia for the Kaypro 2, even though I have millions of times the compute in a device the size of 2 legal pads.

Re: Ask HN: Which vintage computers do you find interesting?

#65

Post by specialist »

h2odragon wrote: post #11

I liked the Victor 9000's [1]; much like IBM PC's but better in several ways. never really caught on. [1] http://www.oldcomputers.net/victor9000.html

Terrific link, thanks. So many memories. So many surprises; mfg and models I hadn't heard of.

These vintage computers always remind me of the accompanying printers. Daisy well, dot matrix, line printers... There's probably catalogs of those as well.

Ah, nostalgia.

Re: Ask HN: Which vintage computers do you find interesting?

#66

Post by dusted »

For the past years I'm on and off fighting the urge not to buy an Altair 8800 clone.

The C64 was my first, and I'm still using the platform, but I've moved to the ultimate64 fpga implementation.

Other than that, I really want an Olivetti M24SP with amber monochrome screen, because that was the first computer I owned as a kid.

Re: Ask HN: Which vintage computers do you find interesting?

#67

Post by pan69 »

kgwxd wrote: post #59

Atari 2600 programming is really fun and has a super active community. I suspect it's one of the most active retro communities out there right now. Also, it's kind of fake retro, but I'm pretty excited for the Commander X16, again, mostly because the community is so cool.

The Commander X16 isn't "fake retro", it actually IS retro. Retro literally means "imitative of a style or fashion from the recent past".

Real old computers and technology, like the Atari 2600 you mentioned, is "vintage".

Re: Ask HN: Which vintage computers do you find interesting?

#69

Post by drewg123 »

devoutsalsa wrote: post #40

IBM PC Jr. => https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PCjr - 128K of RAM - single, 360K floppy drive - 16 color CGA - a mouse - only 4 arrow keys on a full size keyboard - loads DOS from a cartridge!

My college roommate had one of those!
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