If you're bored and want a look at the past...
- Thread starter KGIII
- Start date
OP
One thing that I am amused by (I'm not sure if that's the right way to describe it) is the cost for computers.
Go back to those days and start adjusting for inflation, and then computer the amount of work done per KWh per dollar spent...
Though, I wonder how the math would work out on that graphics card. If you want a top of the line graphics card today, it's still absurdly expensive. I mean, they can do a zillion times more work, so there's that...
On that note, I remember being excited when RAM was $1/MB. For some reason, that's the price that stood out to me at the time - and it stayed that way for a while. You don't even want to know what our server rooms cost. Even our network closet was a whole lot of financial investment.
As for the video, graphics sure have advanced these days.
OP
I only intended to watch a few minutes of it, but before I realized it, it was over!
A goodly portion of my YouTube time is spent on stuff like that. I also enjoy a lot of content that's in the 'retro computing' category, with people fixing and using computers going back to the tube days.
Maybe I'm just old and revisiting my youth? Maybe it's just something that interests me and lets me pass some free time?
There's far more good content than I have time to watch. Also, I never used anything that required tubes - as far as computers go. I only used things with transistors.
theLegionWithin
Well-Known Member
nice, thanks for the link! i watch a lot of documentaries, the old ones are fun too.
speaking of documentaries, Ken Burns has a new one coming out at the end of this year - looking forward to that, his Civil War series is in my top 10.
speaking of documentaries, Ken Burns has a new one coming out at the end of this year - looking forward to that, his Civil War series is in my top 10.
theLegionWithin
Well-Known Member
just watched it - was a good one! jeez those 70s hair styles though, rofl
CaffeineAddict
Well-Known Member
Reminds me of comandos game on amiga comodore.
Watching this made me realize that I need to watch more things like this. For years, I was a text-only man. I can read faster than I can watch a video, so I reasoned. But reading and writing gets old after awhile. David, this was just what this old brain needed. Thank you!
Anything else you might have to share would be appreciated.
OP
I'm a pretty big fan.
You should have seen the 80s.
Hmm... I didn't own an Amiga. I did have a VIC-20 at one point. I was using Tandy kit (for the cheap maths coprocessor) and 'big boy' computers during that era. I did have an Atari or two, but just the consoles and not the separate computer. I owned many of the old consoles, including the Magnavox.
I watch a ton of this stuff, at least compared to other stuff. I often at least have YouTube on in the background while I'm doing other things involving a computer.
If folks are interested, I can share more of this stuff. Specifically, more retro computing stuff - not specifically more long-form BBC documentaries (of which there are many).
OP
This computer predates me and is (if I remember correctly) believed to have been used with the moon landing program. This isn't a long video but it's interesting to me. It might interest others.
I share this because he has great retro content that's often about things that predate even me.
And, yes, that was a 'minicomputer' at the time.
I share this because he has great retro content that's often about things that predate even me.
And, yes, that was a 'minicomputer' at the time.
theLegionWithin
Well-Known Member
love his channel, been watching it for a few years. that giant vacuum tube computer restoration series was a lot of fun, as was the Centurion project.
OP
Absolutely. He's one of my favorites.
I figure I'll use this thread to share stuff that fits the title - a place to share some retro stuff for the bored (and curious).
I'll (hopefully) remember to share more.
theLegionWithin
Well-Known Member
short one here (and it could probably go in the Aussie thread as well) -->
OP
I suppose that is the past, though my aim will be past tech (like computers or even video games).
I dunno - I've got some computers that have got to be -almost- that old.
909mjolnir
Member
This thread inspired me to look up an remnants of Apple Macintosh's HyperCard.
And I found a thread about HyperCard on Linux which linked to this(!) interactive MacOS emulation via of all things the WayBackMachine(!):
URL: https... "archive.org/details/hypercardstacks"
Yes, you can point and click and drag, to some degree. Menus work too.
I grew up on HyperCard. Some of the stacks don't exactly work, but others do.
I remember system 6.0.5 quite vividly.
And I found a thread about HyperCard on Linux which linked to this(!) interactive MacOS emulation via of all things the WayBackMachine(!):
URL: https... "archive.org/details/hypercardstacks"
Yes, you can point and click and drag, to some degree. Menus work too.
I grew up on HyperCard. Some of the stacks don't exactly work, but others do.
I remember system 6.0.5 quite vividly.
OP
At the geological age in the video, I don't think we'd yet climbed down from the trees. In fact, I don't think we'd even yet climbed into the trees.
Predates YOU? You mean 19th century?
Heh... Almost...
But, I'm not even the oldest person on the site. There are multiple people who are older than I am. Multiple people!
Depending on my longevity and desire to participate, I may someday be the oldest person on the site. I wouldn't bet on that happening, though it is nice to think that Linux.org will survive that long.
I hope @Rob has made plans for if/when he is incapable of performing the tasks he needs to perform to keep this site up and running. I'm an admin but that ONLY applies to the forum itself. I have no control over anything outside of that - including the ability to license the software that runs the forum.
By the way, this is known as 'the bus factor'. What happens if Rob is hit by a bus and dies? Or, less depressing, survives but isn't able to get online in a timely manner because they're incapacitated? What happens if Rob is abducted by aliens!?!
I suspect if I show the software vendor that our license has expired, they'd possibly let me buy a new license and apply it to this site. Still, that only applies to the forum software. There are also hosting costs (and maybe more infrastructure) and a CDN service provider. There's also domain name registration. If this domain expires, it's going to be snapped up by the registrar and sold for a large chunk of money.
I have no control over any of that, and I'm not entirely sure that I'd want to. I suppose I'd keep the credentials and familiarize myself with the system, just in case I had to step up. There are a lot of cogs we don't see and think about. If any of those fail, the whole thing topples over. If nobody renews the domain name, all is lost. If the hosting bill isn't paid, they shut the server down - and probably won't even give you a backup. They certainly won't give me a backup as I'm not the guy on the invoice.
Well, that got morbid...
Heck, I don't think we'd even -invented- trees yet! But maybe the silicon atoms were around then. I think the half-life of silicon is pretty much forever, so no way to use our electronic chips for dating. #
