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

Topic: 1981

In 1981, we started communicating with AT commands and Kermit. Timex/Sinclair released the 1000/ZX-81. We got the BBC Micro and the ABC 800. IBM introduced the PC, for business, no fun allowed. And MS-DOS. And more.

Topic/Feedback links:

• Sony 3.5 drive





• Quick, hide in this closet! (folklore.org)





• IBM PC
  
  
  
  • “Atari” design
  
  
  
  





• MS-DOS





• Osborne 1





• Xerox Star





• IPv4





• Kermit





• kermitproject.org





• C-Kermit 10.0 beta 11 released in early August





• Hayes Smartmodem 300





• Hayes AT command set





• Sinclair ZX81





• Timex/Sinclair 1000





• BBC Micro





• ABC 800





• Donkey Kong





• E-mu Emulator

Retro Computing News:

• Thomas Kurtz obituary (Legacy.com)





• Dartmouth BASIC at 50





• CHM in memoriam Thomas Kurtz





• San Francisco Muni will stop using floppy disks Any Day Now





• Atari ST Notebook (it was real)





• The Pentium as a Navajo weaving (Nat Gallery of Art)





• Ward Christensen passed away





• CBBS for winter contact in the Chicago computer hobbyists’ group. Feb 1978, written up in Byte Nov 1978





• Ward Christensen obituary (NYT)

Vintage Computer(-related) commercials:

• Magnavox TV with built-in Odyssey





• Super Pong





• HayesStack

Retro Computing Gift Idea:

• Floppy disk cookie cutters.

Auction Picks:

• Blake:
  
  
  
  • RARE DCS Industries Slot Box for Tandy EX HX 1000 A SX TX SL TL SL/2 TL/2 RL RLX
  
  
  
  





• Paul:
  
  
  
  • 3D printed TI cartridge tray.
  
  
  
  
  
  • Warez wear.
  
  
  
  
  
  • Omnitronix cassette interface
  
  
  
  
  
  • NeXT Cube.
  
  
  
  
  
  • Programma 101 (sold at $4000, 2 bids)
  
  
  
  

Closing notes:

• Estate Sale (wound up with Super Pong, not much else).

Streams:

• a2stream file for this episode: http://lo-fi.rcrpodcast.com/rcr281.a2stream





• Behind-the-scenes livestream recording of this episode (YouTube)

Feedback/Discussion:

• feedback@rcrpodcast.com





• rcrpodcast@podcast.social on Mastodon





• rcrpodcast.com on bluesky





• Vintage Computer Forum





• RCR Podcast on Facebook





• RCR Podcast on YouTube

Intro / Closing Song: Back to Oz by John X

Listen/Download: