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The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

tribunemag.co.uk

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Re: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

#51

Post by qpiox »

hh3k0 wrote: post #44
acqq wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The introduction in the article is historically accurate, compared to the countries behind the so called “iron curtain” that land was indeed different. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Curtain “Soviet-installed governments ruled the Eastern Bloc countries, with the exception of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which retained its independence and changed its orientation away from the Soviet Union in t…

> The introduction in the article is historically accurate, It is not. > compared to the countries behind the so called “iron curtain” that land was indeed different. Different, yes. Anti-authorian? A dictatorship? No.

You should look at this from the point of view of a simple citizen.

The old government (king and families) capitulated and some fled. So the country was left on the mercy of the fascists. The people self-organized and self-liberated their country. Those who were the true leaders of this fight, got to lead the newly freed country in 1945. This is why people trusted all these leaders until they died. Tito was one of them but you have to have in mind it was a federation of several independent countries and each had their own local leadership, close to the people.

Unfortunately many of those who succeeded this initial leaders, and this occured during late 80ies and 90ies, in the end become too corrupt.

As for the socialism? All factories were owned by the people. All companies were owned by the people. Try to imagine that all workers in Google jointly owned Google and all major decisions (such as a new CEO, new politics, acquisitions etc) must be agreed upon by all workers (with a vote).

So, when someone preached that capitalism was better and more productive, he was essentially preaching to the workers that they should give away their own company to a single person that would benefit from their effort, or that their own company is stolen from them in the interest of a single person (or a handful of persons).

This system had many flaws and was not sufficently eficient to gain enough to support itself, but people were free. Had guaranteed jobs. Had guaranteed appartments when they formed their own families. Had guaranteed health care. Had guaranteed right of opinion (until they preached stealing other's property).

Re: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

#52

Post by ajuc »

slim wrote: post #23

those geniuses broadcast computer programs via airwaves during a radio show. listeners would record it on cassette and play the program on computer. anybody else did that ?

"Radiokomputer" in Polish Radio 4 did this in 80s and early 90s.

First they would speak about the software (usually a game or utility tools), then they would emit the code.

There was no copyright till 1992 (and in practice till late 00s), so people just recorded that, copied, and then sold or exchanged on open-air markets.

BTW that's how CD Projekt (creators of Witcher and Cyberpunk games) started - 2 school friends selling pirated games - but they were a little older so they got their games by paper-mailing people in the west and not from radio :)

I remember in early 90s exchanging cassettes by mail was the way to go for C64 hobbyst in Poland. People advertised on teletext or in computer press and then sent each other several cassettes with software and empty cassettes to be returned with new stuff. Often they added their small demo program with personal stuff at the beginning of the cassette - it was some random sid music, bouncing balls and scrolling text with greetings and sometimes insults towards Atari hobbysts :)

Piracy was the rule for at least the next decade despite the law change. Nobody I knew at school had original software till 00s.

Re: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

#53

Post by macspoofing »

stiray wrote: post #47

One few little details about those times: official radio was broadcasting spectrum games at late night hours. You recorded the game and played it on computer. On flea markets you could buy latest games on packs of around 30 on one cassette. Yugoslavia had no copyright laws and breaking software protections became national sport. Computer magazines weren't full of reviews like today but rather full of electronics, sof…

It is a trope that every generation thinks the next generation is worse

I also think you're looking at Yugoslavia with nostalgic rose colored glasses. I understand it because I grew up in communist Eastern Europe and I have similar feelings about life back then, but let's be clear, everything was fine as long as you charted the expected course and had no major aspirations. If you had any sort of ambition, political, or economic, or if your personality trait tended towards contrarianism, you had to leave. It was also clear that European communist nations were being left behind by ever faster developing west. Had there was no market transition, you still would have had to import western electronics because our nations were never going to meaningfully compete in that sphere. During the time of Galaksija computer, the West was going through a much larger and much more broad and egalitarian PC revolution, and was only 10 years removed from the web. We were never going to catch up. The political structures of our nations, because they were monolithic an inflexible, were corrupt by the 80s. In my country the collapse resulted in social upheaval and very painful economic transition. In your nation, it resulted in many years of civil war.

Re: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

#54

Post by k__ »

stiray wrote: post #47

One few little details about those times: official radio was broadcasting spectrum games at late night hours. You recorded the game and played it on computer. On flea markets you could buy latest games on packs of around 30 on one cassette. Yugoslavia had no copyright laws and breaking software protections became national sport. Computer magazines weren't full of reviews like today but rather full of electronics, sof…

"the consumption has completely destroyed public morale, innovation and will to actually do something"

When I talk to people living in the balkans, I don't get the feeling that abundance in products is destroying their morale.

Re: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

#55

Post by bnt »

k__ wrote: post #54
stiray wrote: post #47

One few little details about those times: official radio was broadcasting spectrum games at late night hours. You recorded the game and played it on computer. On flea markets you could buy latest games on packs of around 30 on one cassette. Yugoslavia had no copyright laws and breaking software protections became national sport. Computer magazines weren't full of reviews like today but rather full of electronics, sof…

"the consumption has completely destroyed public morale, innovation and will to actually do something" When I talk to people living in the balkans, I don't get the feeling that abundance in products is destroying their morale.

Depends, us old people who saw both sides of the coin feel like today’s youth is crippled, they have no motive to study or be competitive, it’s mostly look pretty and be out with friends all day long.

Re: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

#56

Post by [deleted] »

macspoofing wrote: post #53
stiray wrote: post #47

One few little details about those times: official radio was broadcasting spectrum games at late night hours. You recorded the game and played it on computer. On flea markets you could buy latest games on packs of around 30 on one cassette. Yugoslavia had no copyright laws and breaking software protections became national sport. Computer magazines weren't full of reviews like today but rather full of electronics, sof…

It is a trope that every generation thinks the next generation is worse I also think you're looking at Yugoslavia with nostalgic rose colored glasses. I understand it because I grew up in communist Eastern Europe and I have similar feelings about life back then, but let's be clear, everything was fine as long as you charted the expected course and had no major aspirations. If you had any sort of ambition, political,…

[deleted]

Re: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

#57

Post by rapsey »

bnt wrote: post #55
k__ wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"the consumption has completely destroyed public morale, innovation and will to actually do something" When I talk to people living in the balkans, I don't get the feeling that abundance in products is destroying their morale.

Depends, us old people who saw both sides of the coin feel like today’s youth is crippled, they have no motive to study or be competitive, it’s mostly look pretty and be out with friends all day long.

Even the old Greeks complained how their youth is worse. It’s been quite a few generations since and we are still moving on.

Re: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

#58

Post by deagle50 »

macspoofing wrote: post #53
stiray wrote: post #47

One few little details about those times: official radio was broadcasting spectrum games at late night hours. You recorded the game and played it on computer. On flea markets you could buy latest games on packs of around 30 on one cassette. Yugoslavia had no copyright laws and breaking software protections became national sport. Computer magazines weren't full of reviews like today but rather full of electronics, sof…

It is a trope that every generation thinks the next generation is worse I also think you're looking at Yugoslavia with nostalgic rose colored glasses. I understand it because I grew up in communist Eastern Europe and I have similar feelings about life back then, but let's be clear, everything was fine as long as you charted the expected course and had no major aspirations. If you had any sort of ambition, political,…

Most people who grew up in Yugoslavia are fond of it, and they rarely factor the wars in their opinion. That said, prewar Yugoslavia was 1000x better than anything Warsaw Pact.

Re: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

#59

Post by stiray »

macspoofing wrote: post #53
stiray wrote: post #47

One few little details about those times: official radio was broadcasting spectrum games at late night hours. You recorded the game and played it on computer. On flea markets you could buy latest games on packs of around 30 on one cassette. Yugoslavia had no copyright laws and breaking software protections became national sport. Computer magazines weren't full of reviews like today but rather full of electronics, sof…

It is a trope that every generation thinks the next generation is worse I also think you're looking at Yugoslavia with nostalgic rose colored glasses. I understand it because I grew up in communist Eastern Europe and I have similar feelings about life back then, but let's be clear, everything was fine as long as you charted the expected course and had no major aspirations. If you had any sort of ambition, political,…

We had 14 days of "war" and 19 killed and 182 wounded (official numbers - if you would took a book about history you would quite quickly figure out the war in Bosnia and Croatia was not due to change of system but due to cultural burden that was piling up for centuries).

But I will not go down that political rabbit hole or classical fallacy that every generation thinks the next generation is worse - no, not everything is better just for the fact that previous generation thinks it is worse.

I do believe that in your country was as you said it (which is imho normal - you lived there). For my country, let me judge myself (as I have lived "there").

Re: The Galaksija computer was a craze in 1980s Yugoslavia

#60

Post by deagle50 »

qpiox wrote: post #48

My friend got a Galaksija (he did not build it himself, but got it from someone who did) and the gaming parties he organized when he got this computer was my first real encounter with computing. Prior to that I only read about computers in magazines. One needs to understand that at that time it was hard to buy a regular home computer in Yugoslavia because of market specifics and some import restrictions (in order to…

I'll have to ask my dad where my Commodore 64 came from in mid 80s Sarajevo.
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