BYTE Magazine

[bcRIPster]

By the way.... this is for 90-98, but I know they also published one for earlier years while still publishing which like a fool I neglected to buy.

 

https://store.ddj.com/product/5/BYTE-CD-ROM

 

NOW, on one CD-ROM, you can instantly access more than 8 years of BYTE.

 

Your BYTE CD-ROM will provide you with:

Product Reviews and Core Technologies

BYTE Lab/NSTL Reports

Benchmarks

Cover Stories and Features

 

All from 1990 through March, 1998, including full text and graphics.

[jackb]

I wonder if they have all the old advertisements because without them, it's only half as fun.

[+wood_jl]

Computers are appliances - you just turn them on. They're tools to get something else done.

Exactly! But they're fun tools to use to get information about old computers (ones we care about) and game consoles!

[matthew180]

@jack - Nicely said in post #523. A few comments:

 

... the original Byte was in a bygone era. It was a time of exploration, a true paradigm shift, an exciting time.

 

It was an exciting time, and it is very hard to capture that feeling today. That is probably why many of us here cling to our legacy systems, and maybe why it is the younger generation that moves things forward. Just like the PCs (Personal Computers) that we grew up with in the Golden Age of home computers and arcades (early to mid 80's) were a shift from the previous generation of mainframes and mini's.

 

Today, it's a throwaway society

 

Sadly, yes. But being a parent of young children, I constantly wonder how much of that perception rests on the parents to raise their children with a sense of appreciation for the things they have. Personally I won't blame society. I try really hard to not go overboard, and I spend a little extra time to find a few quality things that they will appreciate for a long time. Actually playing *with* your kids (something a lot of parents I know don't do) helps them associate a wonderful time with the *thing* being played with; and in doing that you create appreciation for the object.

 

and nobody designs, builds computers and then experiments with them anymore. Nobody writes their own boot code. Computers are appliances - you just turn them on. They're tools to get something else done.

 

Yup. The perception of "why reinvent the wheel?", or "that takes too long", or "that's to complicated" (which I read *all the time* about writing a boot loader.) Everyone is in such a hurry to something bigger it seems. In some cases that is fine, you can't build a house by first learning how to grow trees, forge metal, or generate electricity. You need those building blocks. But *someone* out there does know how to do all those things and makes them available.

 

In computers there seems to be a big push to just *forget* all that. But, at some point there won't be anyone around who knows how to write a boot loader. It is okay to stand on the shoulders of others, but don't forget where it all came from. For some of us, we like that low level stuff. We like to provide the tools that other use.

 

We don't experiment with them anymore, hence the magic that comes with it doesn't exist enmasse as it once did. The closest people of today come to that is *assembling* pre-built components; this is in no way anywhere close to what hobbyists did back in the 70s and 80s.

 

Absolutely. There is very little experimentation going on, at least that's the feeling. For example, trying to read or participate on any game development forum means wading through a never ending onslaught of posts like "how do I make a first-person shooter?" or "I have an idea for a killer game, who will code it for me?" or "how long will it take to learn [insert langauge]? Oh, and I only have 2 weeks to do this project..."

 

I guess some of that comes with the influx of people though. Actually, I don't think there are any more or less "geeks" out there than there ever were. We are still about the same demographic. It is just that now there are *millions* of other people in our space. Before, if you owned a computer you *were* a geek, you could probably code, and more than likely were in to electronics too. Now, if you are on F.B. and own a smart phone, you are probably NOT a geek.

 

Back then, computers were a means unto itself. We did it because of its own sake. It was fun, it was new, it was exciting. Today, computers are ho-hum.

 

I think back then we were all trying to push to bigger and better. Bigger monitors, more storage, more memory, better graphics, more colors, etc. We always had something to push the hardware. Color, for example, was always lacking on older systems and we wanted more. But once we got 24-bit color, we stopped. It is good enough since our eyes can't perceive any more hues, we quit pushing in that area. Now we have also plateaued with clock speed (can't get over 4GHz or so without turning the computer into a big radio station) so the push is on more density (multiple cores for example.)

 

A lot of the problem with modern computers is that the technology is beyond what a single person can work with, like a hobbyist. I can't design a 6-layer board that will run even a 10-year-old 1GHz Athlon CPU. The tech in large companies used to be the same as what the hobbyist had available, but today that gap is huge. However, with the advent of FPGAs and board houses willing to make prototypes in small quantity, that gap is starting to close. For example, I was able to make my own 100MHz video chip and design a 2-layer board with fine pitch 0.5mm spacing SMD parts! How cool is that! :-) I always wanted to be a chip designer, and I'm actually able to fulfill that dream in my basement as a hobbyist. Next I'll be adding a GPU; nVidia look out!

 

It is hard to justify though, and you wonder all the time "who the hell cares about what I'm doing??" I constantly second guess myself and wonder if any of my knowledge is worth a shit anymore... You have to do it because you love it I guess, and if you see someone doing something you like, make sure you let them know! I guess some of us are still hacking and having fun.

 

Geez, that's a bunch of religion right there! Sorry for jacking the thread.

Edited July 13, 2011 by matthew180

[jackb]

We think alike! I have done the same as you - designing boards in my own home-lab using the same 0.5mm pitch SMD parts. Yes, it geeky, but we do what we love. The same stuff that we see in the past issues of Byte.

 

Excellent writeup. Thanks for posting it.

 

In the end, we have created a bunch of tools that others are using. I guess you might say we're a victim of our own success. Our baby has grown up and left the house and we're kinda lamenting it. But I suppose if you look at the tools we as engineers/geeks have created, we should be encouraging more of the same.

 

I was just re-thinking about this 'experimentation' thing. It's probably not as bad as we're thinking, as you say - there are probably even more geeks out there than ever before. If one looks/Googles for home hobbyist things, one can find a lot out there. It's not dead, other things are now in the forefront. Having the past issues of Byte available makes me long for those good ol' days, but now that I think about it, it's probably better than it ever has - one can create electronics artwork with PC tools, many of them free. Parts are readily available, many different types of parts can be in our hands within a few days. Plus we can do all this stuff, including ordering tools and parts, off-hours thanks to web commerce. Research and learning is much easier these days and you don't have to go to the library.

 

On top of it all, we can easily find what others are doing via the internet.

 

One cool thing is that one can design an n-layer board with tiny traces/holes (as long as you pay$ for them) and get them in your hands in relatively short order. Heck, getting 2- or 4- layer boards isn't expensive. Then, one can use a toaster oven to do the reflow with parts from Digikey and Mouser! How fun is that???!!!!

 

As for the perception that little experimentation is happening, it might be because there are so many more and bigger goals out there. The boot code, where it once was the main point, is only the means to another end. It's hard/impossible to find someone that writes PC BIOS code, but this is due to the complexity and scale of the PCs we have now. Such is progress. However, it's easy to find people who write their own code for simpler electronics, like for 8051s, Freescale parts, and the like.

 

So, in the end, I guess the geek activities haven't let up, it just looks and feels different. We've scampered off to our own little corners, but at least it still goes on...

 

Again, thanks for posting your response. It was fun to read.

[epobirs]

Computers are appliances - you just turn them on. They're tools to get something else done.

Exactly! But they're fun tools to use to get information about old computers (ones we care about) and game consoles!

 

I think JackB doesn't appreciate how we got where we are today. Perhaps he doesn't realize that radio didn't start in the 20s and TV didn't start in the 50s. That is just when they gained widespread acceptance as devices for distributed packaged media. If you look at hobbyist magazines of the WWI era, you'll recognize a lot of the same interest and excitement found in vintage Byte issues of decades later. It was the hobbyists who drove the developments that made the ubiquitous products possible. In each case there were early observers who couldn't imagine these becoming items in the possession of nearly every citizen rather than costly and rare tools of government agencies and large business concerns.

 

Imagination matters.

[Keatah]

I just laugh when people say they just built a computer. They did nothing of the sort.

[jackb]

Epobirs,

 

Yes you are right. In my post (#530), I mention that it's actually a good thing that technology moves along. I wrote:

 

"But I suppose if you look at the tools we as engineers/geeks have created, we should be encouraging more of the same."

 

I further allude to that things are better than they have ever been. And yes, hobbyists are indeed very much deserving of the credit for the developments that made much of what we have today. Good point you made.

 

Indeed, imagination does matter.

 

Keatah, yes, I have to laugh, too. They didn't build it, they simply assembled it. Something on the order of monkeys screwing boxes together. LOL.

Edited July 13, 2011 by jackb

[+wood_jl]

Yes you are right. In my post (#530), I mention that it's actually a good thing that technology moves along.

Perhaps the coolest thing for the retro-tech-enthusiast are these devices (SD card disk drive substitutes, Flashcarts for old game systems, etc.) that have MANY MANY times the "computing power", storage, miniaturization (etc.) than the host device that they operate on. These things are absolute dream devices that were so utterly impossible, yet mesh so well with the retro computers and consoles. Even with a [very] rudimentary understanding of what is inside these little devices, it still seems like "magic" to the layman. (Not to mention your iPhone)

[Keatah]

The most common modern-day add-ons for classic computers/consoles(8-bits) are:

 

1- SD & Compact Flash storage and file subsystems, mini SSD's if you will, especially the interfaces to bring it all together.

2- Video output mods, composite out s-video out, rf upgrades, things like that.

3- Ethernet/LAN capabilities.

4- "Mega" cartridges and usb interfaces, an offshoot of #1

5- perhaps the biggest area outside of storage options, Controllers! Controllers and their adaptors. This can include anything that plugs into the controller port, really.

6- the most anticipated of the bunch, homebrew games and hacks and remakes.

7- while not strictly considered an add-on, what about replacement parts? We have parts today that were often not easily or cheaply obtainable back then. You can buy parts and junk consoles for pennies on the dollar and get all the electronic parts you'll ever need. And then there are newly minted replacement parts too.

8- also not an add-on, but what about all the reverse engineering that goes on today? This would include emulators and FPGA's and modded "bios" files. Not to mention debugging and development via emulation.

9- again, also not an add-on, but consider the modern PC as a repository of documentation, magazines, .PDF's, manual scans, ROM storage center.

10- did I leave anything out?

 

In fact, I'd say the hardware of yore - today - is really much more exciting now than it was back then. Back then it was all about gaming and who could kick who's ass in Missile Command or Slot Racers. Today, it's about quick gaming sessions of a couple of hours instead of the all-nighters. It's about development. It's about discovering new ways of doing new things in programming.

 

And finally, consider this: It is possible for 1 person to almost completely understand all aspects of the hardware, video, i/o, sound, processor states, memory maps, data storage, custom chips.. etc.. Today's hardware takes teams of hundreds of people to produce a game, and a horse drawn buggy full of corporate bureaucracy to slow the whole thing to crawl.

[Havok69]

In fact, I'd say the hardware of yore - today - is really much more exciting now than it was back then. Back then it was all about gaming and who could kick who's ass in Missile Command or Slot Racers. Today, it's about quick gaming sessions of a couple of hours instead of the all-nighters. It's about development. It's about discovering new ways of doing new things in programming.

 

I would wholeheartedly disagree with this statement; the hardware to me growing up and learning on it was just as exciting back then as it is now. I learned how to type on an Atari 800. I learned how to program in Atari Basic on an 800XL. I ran a BBS on that same 800XL off my own phone line that was paid for with a part time job. I connected to people via that board and prior to that, on Compuserve. It was new and exciting at the time. Now with the availability of basically everything via the Internet (images, new add-ons, knowledge) it has made it all new and just as fun as when I was a kid with my first computer. But there was a special feel to it when it was new. I did my gaming in the arcades, where they put the smack down on home gaming. Even now, I play my Mame arcade machine, not the console versions. My computer was never about gaming back in the day. I did some gaming, but mostly things you couldn't do in the arcade like Infocom, Sierra and of course Ultima!

 

Programming was big back then too; I subscribed to a couple of magazines where I typed in all the programs and was constantly learning new tricks. It just sounds like you had a little different experience...

Edited July 14, 2011 by Havok69

[Keatah]

I was a gamer first and foremost. I played the games and wanted to by a librarian when I grew up, and that's what got me into collecting. But, instead, I got into building hardware projects and the like. Software was an evil necessity when I wanted to make my hardware *DO* something. I did have fun writing menus for my BBS software though.. Strange!

 

I even built an antenna to receive the Nasa Voyager 2 signals from deep space, or I was so damned sure I did. But that's a story for another time.

[matthew180]

We think alike! I have done the same as you - designing boards in my own home-lab using the same 0.5mm pitch SMD parts. Yes, it geeky, but we do what we love.

 

Do you have a link or any info online about your projects?

 

Keatah, yes, I have to laugh, too. They didn't build it, they simply assembled it. Something on the order of monkeys screwing boxes together. LOL.

 

Same thing when people say "we built our house..." What they mean to say is "we paid someone to design and assemble our house for us." But hey, who am I to take away their thunder and deprive them of a sense of accomplishment, pride, and ownership? (which are the very things we were complaining people *don't have* in this throw-away society.) I applaud anyone who takes the time to actually research, purchase components, assemble the computer, install the OS, and get things configured. They have done more than most, and probably feel a little more pride and attachment towards their computer. A few years ago I would laugh out loud at someone saying "I build my computer", today I keep my opinion to myself and try to be more encouraging. If I don't have something nice to say, I try to shut up.

 

Also, I would like to say that, having just designed a video chip (and now a CPU) at the flip-flop level (via an FPGA and VHDL), I learned a lot more about computer architecture than when I built an 8088 computer from chips. I even look at datasheets in a different way now, and many things make a lot more sense. There is a lot going on inside those little black bugs that even doing low-level assembly will not reveal. It is a very fun ride and I get to experience my classic computer (the TI-99/4A) all over again in an entirely new way. It has been a lot of fun!

 

If the new BYTE magazine captures that essence with good articles, technical information, and unique content, then I would definitely pay to read it. I hope it is not just a rehash of the same old stuff found on any number of sites.

Edited July 14, 2011 by matthew180

[jackb]

Do you have a link or any info online about your projects?

No I don't. Also, most of the neater stuff I do for other people, so I can't be posting it.

 

If I don't have something nice to say, I try to shut up.

Good point. I should keep that in mind.

 

If the new BYTE magazine captures that essence with good articles, technical information, and unique content, then I would definitely pay to read it. I hope it is not just a rehash of the same old stuff found on any number of sites.

 

I hope so, too.

[Keatah]

Did the legal guys put a moratorium on scanning?

[ThumpNugget]

no.. They never asked me to stop.. They just asked if I had a complete set and if I could possibly scan them faster.

 

My problem is my home IP address is banned by atariage. I can use a proxy to post basic stuff but thats about it... So right now I have to do posts with pics and formatting from work - not a huge problem but it torqs me that I can't get it fixed and to be honest it has killed enthusiasm lately..

 

I'll post up one tomorrow - The one with the first detailed article on the Atari 8-bits by chriss crawford..

[Keatah]

no.. They never asked me to stop.. They just asked if I had a complete set and if I could possibly scan them faster.

 

My problem is my home IP address is banned by atariage. I can use a proxy to post basic stuff but thats about it... So right now I have to do posts with pics and formatting from work - not a huge problem but it torqs me that I can't get it fixed and to be honest it has killed enthusiasm lately..

 

I'll post up one tomorrow - The one with the first detailed article on the Atari 8-bits by chriss crawford..

 

Well that's great - to hear they actually want you to post them! Exactly why is your IP banned from AtariAge? On the surface, to me, that makes no sense. And you don't have to answer. A banned IP address should be an easy thing to fix I'd think.. But then I don't know everything!

Edited July 18, 2011 by Keatah

[+wood_jl]

I'll post up one tomorrow - The one with the first detailed article on the Atari 8-bits by chriss crawford..

 

 

All hail Thumpnugget! YOU ROCK!!! I have been wanting to see these articles FOR YEARS AND YEARS.

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SCANNING THE ONES WITH THE CRAWFORD ATARI ARTICLES!!! This will be very much loved by myself, and a whole lot of other people here.

 

I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble with AtariAge blocking your home IP, and I admire your forbearance in continuing to post. I hope somebody who knows more than me (shouldn't be too hard in that regard) is reading this and can help ameliorate your IP situation.

[jackb]

Thanks again for doing this.

 

Maybe you can figure out how to get a new IP address or something maybe.

[Keatah]

Mmm... I would think AtariAge should get their act together and make an un-block exception, if indeed they are banning a whole range of IP's.. This is a wonderful service and should be made as easy and convenient as possible to carry out.

 

Maybe there's something that can be done with a proxy or vpn or something..?

Edited July 18, 2011 by Keatah

[SeaGtGruff]

Could it be due to copyright concerns, or maybe just an issue of bandwidth? Perhaps it would be better to post a link to some other page outside AtariAde where they can be downloaded from?

 

Michael

 

 

 

[+wood_jl]

Could it be due to copyright concerns, or maybe just an issue of bandwidth? Perhaps it would be better to post a link to some other page outside AtariAde where they can be downloaded from?

It's not copyright concerns, and I do believe that the links to the PDF are not local to AtariAge, so it's not a bandwidth issue here, either. I could be wrong.

[ThumpNugget]

BYTE Vol 06-01 1981-01 Hand Held Computers - 386 Pages 259,007,285 bytes

 

FEATURES

An Introduction to Atari Graphics

The Panasonic and Quasar Hand-Held Computers

Electromagnetic Interference

The NEC PC-BOO 1: A New Japanese Personal Computer

Generating Bar Code In the Hewlett Packard Format

The Picture-Perfect Apple

Micrograph, Part 3: Software and Operation

Whose BASIC Does What?

 

REVIEWS

The Sinclair Research ZX80

The HP-41C: A Literate Calculator?

The Newest Sargon-2.5

The SwTPC 6809 Microcomputer System

 

NUCLEUS

Editorial: Hand-Held Computers

BYTE's Bits

Letters

Technical Forum: SC/MPInstruction-Set Summary

Education Forum: Multi-Micro Learning Environments

Desk-Top Wonders

Systems Notes

Languages Forum: A Bug in BASIC

BYTELINES

Ask BYTE

Software Received

BYTE's Bugs

Books Received

Book Reviews

Event Queue

Clubs and Newsletters

Programming Quickies

What's New?

Unclassified Ads

BOMB, BOMB Results

Reader Service

 

 

Download it here: BYTE Vol 06-01 1981-01 Hand Held Computers

 

 

Cover

 

 

Index

 

Edited July 19, 2011 by ThumpNugget

[ThumpNugget]

Mmm... I would think AtariAge should get their act together and make an un-block exception, if indeed they are banning a whole range of IP's.. This is a wonderful service and should be made as easy and convenient as possible to carry out.

 

Maybe there's something that can be done with a proxy or vpn or something..?

 

I can get in with a proxy but there are some things that do not quite work right.. posting attachments does not work for example.. I am sure it is not my ISP blocking the site.. and I can walk down the street with my laptop and find a new network and it works fine so its nothing on my machines. I can perfrom traceroutes just fine from home. I tried several different dns servers.. I am guessing at this point that there is a block of IP addresses being blocked by either AtariAge or the provider AtariAge uses. I'v sent several PMs and gone through the "contact us" link. I've pretty much just given up at this point.

[LoTonah]

Mmm... I would think AtariAge should get their act together and make an un-block exception, if indeed they are banning a whole range of IP's.. This is a wonderful service and should be made as easy and convenient as possible to carry out.

 

Maybe there's something that can be done with a proxy or vpn or something..?

 

I can get in with a proxy but there are some things that do not quite work right.. posting attachments does not work for example.. I am sure it is not my ISP blocking the site.. and I can walk down the street with my laptop and find a new network and it works fine so its nothing on my machines. I can perfrom traceroutes just fine from home. I tried several different dns servers.. I am guessing at this point that there is a block of IP addresses being blocked by either AtariAge or the provider AtariAge uses. I'v sent several PMs and gone through the "contact us" link. I've pretty much just given up at this point.

 

Well, I hope you don't give up. I think what you are doing is fantastic.

 

I wonder why Albert is ignoring this? Seems weird to me.