The Home Computer Hybrids: Atari, TI, and the FCC
technicshistory.com
The Home Computer Hybrids: Atari, TI, and the FCC
1–8 of 8 posts
Re: The Home Computer Hybrids: Atari, TI, and the FCC
#2It's a good thing that the FCC clamped down on RF emissions. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to run computers near each other. A TRS-80 and a Milton Bradley Big Trak (a programmable toy tank) would, if near each other, both crash from RF interference.
RFI incompatibility is almost forgotten as a problem now. That did not happen by accident.
Re: The Home Computer Hybrids: Atari, TI, and the FCC
#3Dull title, but this is from the "Creatures of Thought" blog, which has constantly been really good.
(Also a bunch of stuff about steam engines, the industrial revolution, etc.)
Re: The Home Computer Hybrids: Atari, TI, and the FCC
#4It's a good thing that the FCC clamped down on RF emissions. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to run computers near each other. A TRS-80 and a Milton Bradley Big Trak (a programmable toy tank) would, if near each other, both crash from RF interference. RFI incompatibility is almost forgotten as a problem now. That did not happen by accident.
> trs80
Didn't they put a metal can around the pcb, like they did with the c64 and nes? FWIW, I don't remember them putting one on the zx spectrum either...
Edit: yes I know some c64s had a partial paper shield instead ;)
Re: The Home Computer Hybrids: Atari, TI, and the FCC
#5I used all of these as a kid, and they were the precursor to my C64 and C128. The TI 99/4A was the first real computer I ever used - real in the sense that it had a keyboard!
Re: The Home Computer Hybrids: Atari, TI, and the FCC
#6I used all of these as a kid, and they were the precursor to my C64 and C128. The TI 99/4A was the first real computer I ever used - real in the sense that it had a keyboard!
What impresses me about the TI 99/4A (besides its unusual microarchitecture) is that PLATO (or offline versions of much of its extensive and interesting courseware) was ported to it. Apparently it could act as a PLATO terminal as well.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/03/plato-how-an-educati...
I don't know if it could play Moria or Empire though.
Re: The Home Computer Hybrids: Atari, TI, and the FCC
#7> Very small hobby-entrepreneur computer makers were also losers; the new testing and certification requirements to show compliance with the standard posed a fixed cost on every computer model released, regardless of how many were sold, favoring economies of scale.
Although things turned out well for Apple (and for IBM, Commodore, and Radio Shack, for a while at least), it probably narrowed the playing field and made the industry less interesting.
CP/M probably suffered as well as a platform: although it could technically run (with appropriate hardware and software kits) on Apple, Commodore, Radio Shack and (for CP/M-86) IBM PCs, it was not the primary platform for any of them. DOS, generally MS-DOS, took its place on PC until it was replaced/obsoleted (including DR DOS etc.) by Microsoft Windows.
Re: The Home Computer Hybrids: Atari, TI, and the FCC
#8Dull title, but this is from the "Creatures of Thought" blog, which has constantly been really good. (Also a bunch of stuff about steam engines, the industrial revolution, etc.)
Yes, I suck at titles. I'm glad you enjoy the blog.