Retro Computing Roundtable

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, and Kay Savetz

Topic: 1990

1990 saw a decline of various personal computer magazines, as well as the introduction of the Video Toaster. Apple started misting the market with computer variants.

Topic/Feedback links:

RCR episode 90

Macintosh LC 

Macintosh Classic 

Macintosh IIfx 

Macintosh IIsi

Computer mags in 1990 were an interesting mix of modern and dying (Compute’s Gazette, BBC Acorn, Atari Explorer, the last issue of Antic) and MSX which was both.

MiniDisc  (actually 1992)

MiniDisc.wiki (home of Web MiniDisc Pro)

MZ-RH1 MiniDisc player/recorder with USB data export support

Photoshop 1.0 

Video Toaster

Retro Computing News:

Interim Computer Museum

Intellivision: How a videogame battled Atari and almost bankrupted Barbie

Adventures in Videoland

Adventures in Videoland playthrough

2-XL

Vintage Computer/discussion-related commercials:

MiniDisc system infomercial

Minute Rice

Family Computing magazine 

2-XL by Mego

Keeping up with the Commodore

Super Breakout

Various 1980s ads (The Clapper)

Lotus 123

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

PBTfans 1984 R2 keycaps

See also: Big Mac at CHM

Auction Picks:

Paul:

CORE remote

CL 9 (company)

Celadon PIC-100 (rebranded CORE, post CL 9)

MagicLink PIC-1000 (no relation, but had IR remote capability)

Oric-1

Oric-1 (Wikipedia)

Pravetz 8D (Oric-1 clone)

Elizabethan typing

Sargon II

MC-10

Chaos the software

Three tiny Apple programs

Lisa floppies

Closing notes:

Kay’s 2025 Wrapped

Softalk for the IBM PC

Enter magazine (at time of recording)

Teaching and Computers

Other ways to experience this episode:

a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr290.a2stream

YouTube episode 290

Feedback/Discussion:

feedback@rcrpodcast.com

rcrpodcast@podcast.social on Mastodon

rcrpodcast.com on bluesky

Vintage Computer Forum

RCR Podcast on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, and Earl Evans

Topic: 1989

Several things happened during the final year to begin prior to The Simpsons hitting the airwaves. For example, Sim City and PKZIP came out. Tim from CERN proposed an information sharing architecture. Everyone on the bus started playing with Game Boys.

Topic/Feedback links:

SimCity

Mac Office (Word 4, Excel 2.2, PowerPoint 2.01, Mail 1.37)

ZIP format introduced

Phil Katz

ARC

Tim Berners-Lee proposed WWW

Microsoft SQL Server announced

Nintendo Game Boy

Macintosh Portable

Ejecting a disk in space

RCR episode 89

Retro Computing News:

MBASIC-2025: Modern MBASIC 5.21 Interpreter & Compilers

Microsoft: the Zork source code is open sourced.

Usagi Electric TI homebrew

Rebecca Heineman (Burger Becky)

Vintage Computer/discussion-related commercials:

Wisk

TRS-80 Model II

SQL Server

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

Max Build More Retro Building Bricks Unboxing Toy

Auction Picks:

Earl:

Atari 600 XL Home Computer Near Mint . Never Used. Was In Storage For 40 Years

Paul:

Myst board game

Tandy 16B.

TS1500 command cartridge player

Timex Computer Corp Winter 1983 catalog

Available cartridges included Supermath and Flight Simulator.

TS 1500 in case

TS 1500 in box

TS 1500 description

Closing notes:

We’re covered in Compute’s Gazette

Issue number 5, in Brian Cox’s Podcast Corner

Other ways to experience this episode:

a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr289.a2stream

YouTube episode 289

Feedback/Discussion:

feedback@rcrpodcast.com

rcrpodcast@podcast.social on Mastodon

rcrpodcast.com on bluesky

Vintage Computer Forum

RCR Podcast on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

Listen/Download:

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, and Earl Evans

Topic: 1988

In 1988, NeXT introduced its cube, bundled with Mathematica 1.0. IRC was developed. Sound Blaster changed gaming. Microsoft Office was announced. Lots of software was developed, and hardware incrementally improved.

Topic/Feedback links:

NeXT cube

Laser 128EX/2

Mathematica

Celebrating 35 Years of Mathematica (YouTube, first few sections show it in action on an SE/30)

The Mathematica Story – A Scrapbook

Sound Blaster (but 1990? 1989?)

Microsoft Office (announced 1988, shipped 1990)

IRC developed – /me likes this

Apple IIc Plus – last 8-bit computer introduced by Apple?

IBM PS/2 Model 70

Lemonamiga games for 1988

Retro Computing News:

Video of production of new Commodore 64s in the factory

Ken Shirrif repairs a Commodore PET

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

Amstrad Portable PC

Microsoft Office System: It’s Showtime

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

Viking Electronics DLE-200B Two-Way Phone Line Simulator

See also: Open House H650 Integrated Voice Networking System

Auction Picks:

Earl:

Altos 580 Computer, Z80 system, supported multi-user MP/M, could accommodate hard drives, 4 RS232 ports

See also: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/altos/580_Series_5/

Paul:

NeXT Cube

NeXT Video Cable

Amstrad PPC 640

Adventure International Buckaroo Banzai

Akalabeth

Contributed Programs

See also: Street Life (Apple II disk image)

Closing notes:

Ivan Loves the 80s

Steve Jobs Unveils the NeXT Computer

Other ways to experience this episode:

a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr288.a2stream

YouTube episode 288

Feedback/Discussion:

feedback@rcrpodcast.com

rcrpodcast@podcast.social on Mastodon

rcrpodcast.com on bluesky

Vintage Computer Forum

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Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

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Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, and Blake Patterson

Topic: 1987

The Acorn Archimedes became the first computer sold based on the ARM chip. Even today, the last does not appear to be in sight. 1987 also bought us Perl, the IBM PS/2, VGA, Hypercard. CompuServe gifted us GIF. Beyond 1987, we talk BBC BASIC, Quantum Link, and more about the Commodore Colt than you ever wanted.

Topic/Feedback links:

Acorn Archimedes

IBM PS/2

VGA

Larry Wall wrote Perl

Bill Atkinson designs Hypercard

CompuServe introduced a proprietary graphics interchange format. Great. Took off like gangbusters. Like a gift to the online world.

So Far; The First 10 Years of a Vision (Apple turned 10)

Retro Computing News:

The Commodore acquisition happened

One line Tetris (Rheolism) (Hackaday)

Rheolism

How Rheolism works

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

Commodore Colt at Best Buy

Acorn Electron 

IBM PS/2

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal (Laine Nooney) 

See also: INIT HELLO wrap-up discussion (YT)

See also: RCR episode 266 with Laine Nooney

Auction Picks:

Paul:

Commodore Colt

Spectravideo Compumate VCS keyboard

CompuMate (Wikipedia)

I turned my Atari 2600 into a REAL COMPUTER (YT, 8-Bit Show And Tell)

Actual Quantum Link software package

Alternate universe (to Apple users) SoftDisk: LoadStar

Cf: SoftDisk

Closing notes:

INIT HELLO

Other ways to experience this episode:

a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr287.a2stream

YouTube episode 287

Feedback/Discussion:

feedback@rcrpodcast.com

rcrpodcast@podcast.social on Mastodon

rcrpodcast.com on bluesky

Vintage Computer Forum

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Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

Listen/Download:

Panelists: Paul Hagstrom (hosting), Quinn Dunki, Jack Nutting, and Blake Patterson

Topic: 1986

IDE, IMAP, IIGS, and even some other things that do not begin with “I” were introduced in 1986.

Topic/Feedback links:

Apple IIGS

MacBook Wheel

SCSI-1

IDE

IBM PC XT/286

IMAP

ShaderGlass

Retro Computing News:

The Myst Graph: A New Perspective on Myst (and Part II)

Postage-stamp-sized Atari 8-bit compatible FPGA hardware device

Ice-T, a VT100/102/52 terminal emulator for the Atari 8-bit

Bill Atkinson passed away (Wired)

Building a dream PC in 1993

Shufflepuck Cafe for the Apple II

Retro Recipes is buying Commodore

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

Gateway

Myst board game

What is the @ (Good Morning America)

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

Strong Magnetic Field warning stickers

Also Magnetic-Field-Warning cookie cutters

Auction Picks:

Blake:

1980s AMust Corp. Mini Robot-1 Simulator Arm HX-3000 Australia (EARLY ROBOTICS)

Paul:

PowerBook Weight Saving Device

The Toy Shop (C64)

Closing notes:

Alien Beast Inspector

INIT HELLO

Other ways to experience this episode:

a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr286.a2stream

YouTube episode 286

Feedback/Discussion:

feedback@rcrpodcast.com

rcrpodcast@podcast.social on Mastodon

rcrpodcast.com on bluesky

Vintage Computer Forum

RCR Podcast on Facebook

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

Listen/Download: