Hacker News with Generative AI: Computer History

AT&T Unix PC Reference Manual (1986) (archive.org)
From the bitsavers.org collection, a scanned-in computer-related document.att :: 3b1 :: hardware :: 999-300-1891S UNIX PC Reference Manual 1986
Unix, Hardware, Computer History, Manuals, Archives
8 points by caned 1 day ago | 0 comments
The Golden Age of computer user groups (arstechnica.com)
Long before subreddits, computer enthusiasts used to get together—in-person!
Computer History, Communities, Technology, Nostalgia
10 points by rbanffy 3 days ago | 0 comments
Doom song on the Oldest Digital Computer in America [video] (youtube.com)
Computer History, Music, Video, History
50 points by zdw 12 days ago | 13 comments
NetBSD 10.x Kernel Math_emulation (wordpress.com)
This is my battle-worn, falling-apart laptop rocking an #i486SX CPU from the early ’90s. It’s so ancient that it doesn’t even have an FPU (Actually, that’s not true, they just cut-out FPU from i486DX to make CPU cheaper)! Anyway, I’ve always dreamed of running a modern UNIX-like OS on it.So, I spent some time resurrecting math emulation in the #NetBSD-10.x kernel, and guess what? I did it!
Operating Systems, Kernel Development, Legacy Hardware, Computer History
57 points by jaypatelani 12 days ago | 11 comments
6502 Illegal Opcodes in the Siemens PC 100 Assembly Manual (1980) (pagetable.com)
The 6502’s “illegal” opcodes were of intense interest to home computer enthusiasts, and analyses were published in various magazines. But one would have never expected a company like Siemens to document illegal opcodes in a programming manual from 1980.
Computer History, Programming, 6502 Processor, Siemens, Rare Finds
58 points by matt_d 14 days ago | 47 comments
6502 Illegal Opcodes in the Siemens PC 100 Assembly Manual (pagetable.com)
The 6502’s “illegal” opcodes were of intense interest to home computer enthusiasts, and analyses were published in various magazines. But one would have never expected a company like Siemens to document illegal opcodes in a programming manual from 1980.
Computer History, Assembly Language, 6502 Processor
45 points by ingve 15 days ago | 1 comments
A cycle-accurate IBM PC emulator in your web browser (martypc.net)
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Emulation, Web Development, Retro Computing, Computer History, Software
158 points by GloriousCow 19 days ago | 25 comments
Creating the Commodore 64: The Engineers' Story (ieee.org)
In January 1981, a handful of semiconductor engineers at MOS Technology in West Chester, Pa., a subsidiary of Commodore International Ltd., began designing a graphics chip and a sound chip to sell to whoever wanted to make “the world’s best video game.”
Computer History, Engineering, Hardware, Retro Computing, Video Games
96 points by amichail 24 days ago | 7 comments
Visual Transistor-level Simulation of the 6502 CPU (visual6502.org)
Welcome to Visual6502.org! Here we'll slowly but surely present our small team's effort to preserve, study, and document historic computers.  We aim to present our work in a visual, intuitive manner for education and inspiration, and to serve as a solid verifiable reference for classic computer systems.  See our slides for an introduction and some fun images.
Computer History, Simulation, Education
21 points by tanelpoder 25 days ago | 3 comments
An FPGA-based LGP-30 Replica (e-basteln.de)
The LGP-30 was a commercial computer, released in 1956. Due to its simple design and relatively low cost, it may be seen as the first “personal computer” – to be used by a single user as their “desk computer”. (It could sit by your desk, and was the size of a desk too.)
Hardware, Retrocomputing, FPGA, Computer History
49 points by ofrzeta 45 days ago | 8 comments
Microcomputers – The First Wave: Responding to Altair (technicshistory.com)
In August 1968, Stephen Gray, sole proprietor of the Amateur Computer Society (ACS), published a letter in the society newsletter from an enthusiast in Huntsville, Alabama named Don Tarbell.
Computer History, Microcomputers, Early Computing
87 points by cfmcdonald 47 days ago | 15 comments
Coding Isn't Programming (socallinuxexpo.org)
Join us for a captivating closing keynote with the legendary Leslie Lamport, Turing Award winner and pioneer in the field of distributed computing. We'll discuss computing history, open source and distributed systems.
Programming, Distributed Computing, Open Source, Computer History
155 points by todsacerdoti 59 days ago | 207 comments
The Vectrex Computer (amigalove.com)
Believe it or not, the Vectrex stand-alone unit can now be transformed into a home computer!
Retro Gaming, Hardware, Computer History
96 points by erickhill 62 days ago | 40 comments
Amiga 600: From the Amiga No One Wanted to Retro Favorite (homeip.net)
The Amiga 600 was one of the last Amigas, and it became a symbol of everything wrong with Commodore and the product line.
Retro Gaming, Hardware, Amiga, Computer History
162 points by rbanffy 68 days ago | 103 comments
Two bits per transistor: high-density ROM in Intel's 8087 FPU (2018) (righto.com)
The 8087 chip provided fast floating point arithmetic for the original IBM PC and became part of the x86 architecture used today.
Hardware, Computer History, Intel, x86 Architecture
5 points by Syonyk 88 days ago | 0 comments
The DOS 3.3 sys.com bug hunt (brutman.com)
SYS.COM corrupted a NetDrive image. But why?
DOS, Debugging, Computer History, Operating Systems
71 points by todsacerdoti 89 days ago | 42 comments
How the Atari ST Almost Had Real Unix (improbable.org)
“Walkies!”
Computer History, Operating Systems, Retro Computing, Atari
9 points by rbanffy 104 days ago | 3 comments
Oral History of Andy Bechtolsheim (2015) [pdf] (computerhistory.org)
Oral History, Technology, Silicon Valley, Entrepreneurship, Computer History
19 points by stmw 104 days ago | 6 comments
Urban legend: I think there is a world market for maybe five computers (geekhistory.com)
An internet search of the phrase "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers" will produce dozens of websites claiming those were the words of IBM Chairman Thomas Watson.
Computer History, Business History, Technology, Misinformation
131 points by bschne 121 days ago | 73 comments
Blinkenlights (wikipedia.org)
In computer jargon, blinkenlights are diagnostic lights on front panels of old mainframe computers.
Computer History, Mainframes, Hardware
40 points by prismatic 127 days ago | 20 comments
The Unisys Icon: One Canadian Xennial's Memories of Ontario's Obscure Computer (postgamecontent.com)
One topic that often comes up in retro gaming circles is how aspects of gaming history not part of the American story don’t get enough attention. I personally feel it’s mostly up to the people to whom the stories belong to tell them. So I am going to follow my own advice today and tell the tale of a computer that statistically speaking almost no one has used, and some of that computer’s software.
Retro Gaming, Canadian History, Personal Stories, Computer History, Software
80 points by ecolonsmak 139 days ago | 35 comments
Computer History Resources (landley.net)
This is a bunch of links to computer history pages, research for a book I'm writing. I've provided links to all the originals, as well as local mirrors because I've gotten sick of links going down a year or so after I bookmark them. (I'm sorting through my bookmark list in my copious free time and finding all these dead links from 1998, and it's annoying because some of these were GOOD. Even CNN culls its archives. Sigh...)
Computer History, Web Archives, Internet History, Links
20 points by memalign 141 days ago | 2 comments
About the BBC Micro cassette version of Elite – Elite on the 6502 (bbcelite.com)
The BBC Micro cassette version is the standard, entry-level version of the original Acornsoft Elite. It was released on 20 September 1984, along with the enhanced disc version, at a launch event at Thorpe Park in the UK.
Retro Gaming, Computer History, BBC Micro, Elite (game), 1980s
30 points by rcarmo 151 days ago | 0 comments
DVST Graphic Terminals (vintagetek.org)
Bob Anderson’s invented the bistable Direct-View Storage Tube (DVST) in 1961 and the result was the Tek 564 storage oscilloscope.  Computer researchers began using hacked 564 scopes and CRTs to make desperately needed interactive computer displays – even though it was only a five inch display.
Vintage Technology, Computer History, Hardware
81 points by rbanffy 155 days ago | 6 comments
Knight TV Resurrection (2018) (pdp-6.net)
The Knight TV system was a terminal system made by Tom Knight that was connected to the AI KA10.
Retrocomputing, Computer History, Artificial Intelligence
26 points by rbanffy 165 days ago | 9 comments
Microsoft GW-Basic User's Guide and Reference (1989) [pdf] (computerhistory.org)
Microsoft, Programming Languages, Computer History, Retro Computing, Reference Manuals
52 points by susam 167 days ago | 43 comments
IBM RISC System/6000 Family (computeradsfromthepast.substack.com)
IBM debuted the RISC System/6000 line in February 1990. This family of products included RISC-powered servers, workstations, and supercomputers. It was the first line of computers to make use of the POWER and PowerPC processors. (IBM developed the PowerPC chips with Apple and Motorola.) The RISC System/6000 servers were replaced by the eServer pSeries. Workstations were sold under the RISC System/6000 name until 2002.
IBM, Computer History, Technology, Servers, Workstations
67 points by rbanffy 173 days ago | 52 comments
Ask HN: Greatest books about the history of computing (ycombinator.com)
The Dream Machine is giving me a great appreciation of the time-sharing revolution and ARPANET. What else should I read? Any timeframe or topic is OK, so long as it's strongly related to the history of computing.
Computer History, Books, Recommendations
15 points by kaycebasques 188 days ago | 18 comments
The History of PC Audio (thejpster.org.uk)
This is a brief, abridged, and possibly inaccurate history of audio on the IBM PC compatible. It's based on an exhibition I prepared for Synthesised, a special event at the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge, England.
Computer History, Audio Technology, IBM PC, Retrocomputing
20 points by lapnect 195 days ago | 12 comments
Vintage computer forum: Bosch FGS 4000 (vcfed.org)
This is a stretch, but does anyone have any specs (especially CPU- curious) on this machines or pictures if they own one? The information on Google is lacking, and there's rather few pictures that aren't thumbnails or part of an advertisement.
Vintage Computers, Hardware, Computer History, Computer Forums
12 points by paulpauper 198 days ago | 0 comments