I know I've said it before, but once upon a time, Gateway (AKA Gateway 2000) used to make awesome systems. Before I started building my own systems, I had a 1993 era 486 from Gateway 2000 and a 1997 era Pentium II from them as well and they were both great computers. At one point i was seriously considering buying one of their Destination systems that came along a couple of years later. I think it was sometime during the Pentium 4 era maybe that they really started going downhill... this particular Gateway with the pretty generic model name of DX4300-11 was being sold in 2009...
Digital Archaeology: Gateway DX4300-11steem
Sunday, December 29, 2024
Saturday, December 28, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (217-220)
This photo was taken at the American Museum of Atomic Energy which originally opened in 1949 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (217-220)Friday, December 27, 2024
PC World (May 2005)
PC World was probably the most widely available PC Magazine throughout the 1990s and 2000s. At some point, they started covering more and more other consumer electronics stuff and it sort of lost appeal (at least to me) as a computer magazine. The May 2005 issue includes:
PC World (May 2005)Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (213-216)
More vintage photos from circa 1959:
https://peakd.com/photography/@darth-azrael/vintage-photos-lot-3-213?ref=darth-azrael80 Microcomputing (April 1980)
80 Microcomputing was a magazine that was dedicated to the TRS-80 line of computers. The Model I was released in 1977. The Model II really doesn't belong to this series as it was largely incompatible and more of a professional workstation, the Model III was released in 1980 and the Model 4 was released in 1983. I never owned one but in my freshman year of high school, we used Mode IIIs and Model 4s in a BASIC programming class. The April 1984 issue includes:
80 Microcomputing (April 1980)Monday, December 23, 2024
How I got my PowerPC Macs Crunching Tasks in BOINC Again
I don't remember when my Power PC based Macs quit receiving tasks to crunch. It was at least 2017, maybe earlier. I think it was something to do with SSL changes in more recent versions of BOINC and the lack of their availability on said platform that was the cause. None of the suggestions I could find online at the time (or since) provided a solution. Updating certificates didn't work.. Installing a newer version of OpenSSL didn't work... Given that the latest version of BOINC available for Leopard and G4s/G5s was 6.12.35 (released in 2011) it was understandable. Nothing lasts forever.
Or does it?
How I got my PowerPC Macs Crunching Tasks in BOINC AgainSunday, December 22, 2024
Digital Archaeology: Floppy Disk #14 – DM0123B.DOC
While most of this Delphi stuff has been related to a Special Interest Group called ‘Close Encounters’, these e-mails seem to be in reference to another group called ‘Friendship Circle’. The e-mails themselves are dated January 23rd and January 24th, 1985.
Digital Archaeology: Floppy Disk #14 – DM0123B.DOCFriday, December 20, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (201-204)
New York City circa 1959.
See the link below for more photos from this set.
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (201-204)Thursday, December 19, 2024
Computer Gaming World (March 1989)
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (197-200)
Sunday, December 15, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (193-196)
Taxaco de Alarcon, Guerrero, Mexico circa 1959. You can see the Church of Santa Prisca in the distance.
Check out more photos from this set by clicking the link below.
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (193-196)Saturday, December 14, 2024
Compute!'s Gazette (November 1984)
Compute!'s Gazette was one of a few popular Commodore 64 magazines that were published in the U.S. Though it covered other 8-bit computers at times like the VIC-20, Commodore 128, and Plus/4, the bulk of its coverage through the years was for the Commodore 64. The November 1984 issue includes:
Compute!'s Gazette (November 1984)Friday, December 13, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (189-192)
A fishing trip, probably near Miami circa 1959. See the link below for more photos from this set.
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (189-192)Thursday, December 12, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (185-188)
The Iowa Monument at Shiloh National Military Park circa 1959. See the link below for more photos from this set.
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (185-188)Waxworks (Amiga)
Waxworks is a horror themed role-playing game released in 1992 by Horror Soft for the Amiga, Macintosh, and DOS based machines.
Click the link below for more...
Waxworks (Amiga)Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (181-184)
Houseboats for rent next to Norris Dam.
See the link below for more photos from this set.
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (181-184)Byte (April 1983)
There was no public Internet to speak of in 1983 so people had to look elsewhere to get info on the latest in computers. Fortunately, magazines like Byte did an excellent job. Their massive novel sized issues at this point in time meant it might take you until next months's issue to finish it. The April 1983 issue weighs in at nearly 550 pages and includes:
Byte (April 1983)Monday, December 9, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (177-180)
Inside the generator hall at Norris Dam circa 1959.
See the link below for more photos from this set.
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (177-180)Brevard Renaissance Fair 2020: The Craic Show (14) - Step It Out Mary
The Craic perform 'Step It Out Mary' at the 2020 Brevard Renaissance Fair. See the linke below for the video.
Brevard Renaissance Fair 2020: The Craic Show (14) - Step It Out MaryVintage Photos - Lot 3 (173-176)
This photo was taken in Cypress Gardens, Florida in 1959. Cypress Gardens is now LegoLand. See the link below for more photos from this set.
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (173-176)Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (169-172)
This photo was taken circa 1959 at Gettysburg National Memorial Park. It features the house General Meade used as a headquarters during the Battle of Gettysburg,
Check out other photos from this set at the link below.
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (169-172)Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Donkey Kong Country (Super NES)
A look at Donkey Kong Country for the Super NES. Check out the link above for more.
Monday, December 2, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (165-168)
Circa 1959 photo from a beach somewhere in Florida.
See more photos from this set here: Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (165-168)Sunday, December 1, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (161-164)
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Zzap! 64 (November 1992)
Zzap! 64 was something we didn't have here in the U.S. and that is a gaming magazine dedicated to the Commodore 64. This issue is from 1992 and there was no longer much going on in terms of gaming (or anything else) for the Commodore 64 at that time. Which explains why this issue was the last (though it would be replaced by Commodore Force (also published in the U.K.) which would continue on for a little while. The November 1992 issue of Zzap! 64 includes:
Read more: Zzap! 64 (November 1992)Monday, November 25, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (157-160)
All of the photos in this set were likely taken in Central Florida in 1959.
The first photo features a sign in Cocoa Beach advertising various motels in the area.
See more from this set here: Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (157-160)
MediEvil (PlayStation)
MediEvil is an action/adventure game released for the PlayStation in 1998. You play the role of Sir Daniel Fortesque, a knight who is resurrected from the dead to battle evil forces in the land of Gallowmere. During his life, Sir Dan was a coward but is resurrected for a second chance to prove his courage after the sorcerer Zarok returns from the grave to infect the land with evil. You, as Sir Dan, must redeem yourself by defeating Zarok and his army of monsters.
Read more: MediEvil (PlayStation)Saturday, November 23, 2024
Vintage Photos - Lot 3 (153-156)
Friday, November 22, 2024
PC World (October 2011)
Once an excellent PC magazine, PC World had declined significantly by 2011. The page count was down of course but also there was a lot of coverage of non-PC items such as HDTVs, phones etc. It was really became more of a consumer electronics magazine. The October 2011 issue includes:
PC World (October 2011)Thursday, November 21, 2024
Digital Archaeology: Fujitsu FMV-BIBLO NF/D70
I picked up this laptop because of its relative uniqueness. First, it's a Fujitsu which I haven't had much experience with (except for one Lifebook I own). Second, it's a bright red color which I really like. Finally, this appears to be a laptop that was released in Japan...whether exclusively or localized for I'm not sure. The keyboard has a slightly different layout and there are Japanese characters on each of the keys in addition to English letters.
The model as printed on the laptop itself in the lower left corner of the keyboard is FMV-BIBLO NF/D70. The hardware consists of the following:
Monday, November 18, 2024
Vintage Photos - Oestreicher (1325-1328)
See the previous post in this series here.
I had the opportunity to pick up a huge batch of slides a while back. These pictures span from as early as the late 1940s to as late as the early 1990s. These came to me second hand but the original source was a combination of estate sales and Goodwill. There are many thousands of these slides. I will be scanning some from time to time and posting them here for posterity.
Getting your pictures processed as slides used to be pretty common but it was a phenomenon I missed out on. However, my Grandfather had a few dozen slides from the late 1950s that I acquired after he died. That along with having some negatives I wanted to scan is what prompted me to buy a flatbed scanner that could handle slides and negatives, an Epson V600. It can scan up to four slides at a time with various post-processing options and does a decent enough job.
This set continues a large batch of slides that originally came from an estate sale and appear to have belonged to a locally well known photographer (or perhaps a friend or family member) from the Spokane Washington area and later Northern Idaho named Leo Oestreicher. He was known for his portrait and landscape photography and especially for post cards. His career started in the 1930s and he died in 1990. These slides contain a lot of landscape and portrait photos but also a lot of photos from day to day life and various vacations around the world. Here's an article on him from 1997 which is the only info I have found on him: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/jan/04/photos-of-a-lifetime-museum-acquisition-of-leo/
Many of these slides had the date they were processed stamped or printed on them. I've found that in cases where I could verify the date, that this date has typically been the same month the photos were taken. In other words, I expect that in MOST cases these photos were taken relatively near the processing date.
Click the link below to also see versions processed with color restoration and Digital ICE which is a hardware based dust and scratch remover, a feature of the Epson V600 scanner I am using. There are also versions processed with the simpler dust removal option along with color restoration.
All of the photos in this set are unlabeled and undated but are likely from the late 1950s or early 1960s. All of these are versions of the images processed with color correction and Digital ICE. Without that they consisted of barely discernible shades of red. I'm not sure what is going on in the first photo but I know it looks too cold to be in a tent. I believe the second photo is from Alaska as the building to the left looks like part of University of Alaska at Fairbanks. The third and fourth feature bees and are definitely in a geographically different location, either in Florida or somewhere else in the Southeast.




The entire collection that has been scanned and uploaded so far can also be found here.
Thursday, November 14, 2024
PC Magazine (May 29, 1984)
PC Magazine was one of the most popular PC magazines around from the early to mid 1980s through the early 2000s. Along with PC World, you could find it at pretty much every bookstore and newsstand as well as most other places that sold magazines. The May 29, 1984 issue includes:
Read more: https://peakd.com/retrocomputing/@darth-azrael/pc-magazine-may-29-1984
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Byte (August 1985)
If you were interested in in-depth technical coverage then I think Byte was the best multiformat computer magazine around. Eventually, as the market became PC only, Byte would also. The August 1985 issue includes:
Features
- The Amiga Personal Computer - An advanced look at the Amiga 1000, the first in the 68000 based Amiga line of computers from Commodore. This is a very detailed preview of the machine.
- Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar: Build The BASIC-52 Computer/Controller - A single board computer designed for running BASIC. It includes an Intel 8052AH-BASIC micro-controller, an 8K BASIC interpreter, and 48K of RAM/EPROM. Basically, this was designed to act as a controller solving a specifi problem.
- The DSI-32 Coprocessor Board, Part I: The Hardware - A look at the hardware of the DSI-32 co-processor board which includes a National Semiconductor NS32032 CPU.

Table of Contents from the August 1985 issue of Byte
Themes
- Prolog Goes to Work - A look at the Prolog programming language.
- Logic Programming - Using a procedural programming language to implement logic processing in a computer.
- Declarative Languages: An Overview - A look at the history of programming language with an emphasis on "declarative" languages (like LISP). SCHEME, a LISP derivative was what my Intro to Computer Science class used back in the day.
- Program Transformation - A program development methodology presented by a professor at Imperial College in London.
Reviews
- The Tandy 1000 - A low cost PC-compatible computer. There would ultimately be many Tandy 1000 models. This first one was like a much better IBM PCjr.
- IBM Pascal 2.00 - A review of IBM's Pascal 2.00 programming language. I remember using Pascal in high-school on an IBM PC but I have no recollection what version it was. This would have been like 5 or 6 years later though.

The Tandy 1000
Kernel
- Computing at Chaos Manor: The West Coast Computer Faire - A look at the 10th annual West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco.
- BYTE Japan: COMDEX in Japan - New products seen at COMDEX in Japan include a Fujitsu lap-size portable based on the MBL8086L microprocessor and 128K of RAM, new laser printers, the NEC PC-9801M2/3 based the 8086-2 CPU at 8MHz and 256K of RAM and supporting CP/M-86 MS-DOS and PC-UX (though not PC compatible), and more.
- BYTE U.K.: Declarative Update - A look at the Hope programming system and a couple of new books (Principles of Functional Programming and Introduction to Logic Programming).
- According to Webster: Greetings and Agitations - Coverage of Turbo Pascal 3.0, Copy II Mac, MacTools, MacASM, MacModula-2, Megamax C and QC-20.

Table of contents from the August 1985 issue of Byte (continued)
Columns
- Editorial - An overview of what's in this issue.
- Microbytes - Sinclair survives bankruptcy; Atari shows CD-ROM device at CES; new products featuring the 65816 processor; C compiler released by Manx Software for the Commodore and 128 Macintosh and Apple II; and more.
- Letters - Letters from readers about the Macintosh, expanding Mac memory, Sanyo computers, Apple dealer support, BYTEnet, the MAGIC/L programming language, and more.
- What's New - A brief look at new products including Zoomracks (framework for creating database, text and appointment applications), Xecom's MOSART 300/1200-bps modem with voice detection, Tektronix AI Systems running Smalltalk-80, the SAM 3001 AT computer, the System/36 PC, the Conquest PC Turbo, the Cardco Digi-Cam and S'more BASIC for the Commodore 64, and more.

Back cover of the August 1985 issue of Byte
Read more: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2024/11/12/byte-august-1985/
Friday, November 8, 2024
Compute!’s Gazette (December 1984)
Compute!'s Gazette was the most successful spinoff of the more general Compute! magazine. It covered 8-bit Commodore computers. For most of its life that really meant the Commodore 64 and 128 but in 1984 it was mostly the VIC-20 and Commodore 64. The December 1984 issue includes:
Features
- What if...? - A feature on simulation games. Games covered here include Ringside Seat (a boxing sim), various Avalon Hill battle simulations, SSI's Rails West! (puts you in the role of a railroad baron), various chess games, and more.
- Electronic Trivia - Trivial Pursuit had been released a few years earlier and had become very popular leading greater popularity of computer based trivia games. This article covers some of them including Trivia Arcade, Trivia Fever, Computrivia, Facttactics, Fax, Master Trivia, Trivia Trek, and Trivial Compute.
- Inside View - An interview with Byron Preiss and Ronald Martinez, software designers for Trillium who create games such as Fahrenheit 451, Rendezvous with Rome, and Dragonworld.
Reviews
- Microfiler - A cartridge based database system for the Commodore 64.
- NATO Commander - A strategy game from MicroProse for the Commodore 64 that pits NATO forces against Warsaw Pact forces.
- Road to Moscow - A strategy game for the Commodore 64 that recreates the Russian/German part of World War II.
Games
- Cosmic Combat - A type-in Space Invaders style game with versions for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20.
- 3-D Labrynth - A 3D maze game for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 in which you must escape the maze (with an optional time limit).

Table of Contents from the December 1984 issue of Compute!'s Gazette
Education/Home Applications
- Computing For Families: An Adventure in Telecommunications - A look at SkiWriter II, a combination word processor and telecommunications program.
- Word Guess - A type-in hangman style game for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20.
- Letter Attack - An educational type-in game for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 that teaches typing.
Programming
- BASIC Magic: A Christmas Assortment - A Christmas themed BASIC tutorial for both the Commodore 64 and VIC-20. Basically a sort of electronic Christmas card with sound.
- Machine Language for Beginners - This tutorial guides you through creating a customized directory command for the Commodore 64.
- Hints & Tips - A guide to controlling the keyboard buffer on the VIC-20 and Commodore 64.
- Auto Line - A type-in program that will automatically number the lines in a BASIC program.
Departments
- The Editor's Notes - A summary of recent happenings at Commodore as well as a look ahead to the year to come.
- Gazette Feedback - Letters from readers about reducing disk drive chatter when using copy protected disks, typing in programs on the VIC-20, programming the SID, cooling the 1540 and 1541 disk drives, and more.
- Simple Answers to Common Questions - Questions answered about converting Atari BASIC programs to the Commodore 64 and transferring files between the Commodore 64 and IBM PC via and RS-232C interface,
- Horizons 64 - A guide to drawing on the Commodore 64 including a look at programs like Tech Sketch and Peripheral Vision as well as options for controllers including a mouse, light pen and KoalaPad among others.

Back cover of the December 1984 issue of Compute!'s Gazette
Read more: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2024/11/08/computes-gazette-december-1984/
Monday, November 4, 2024
PC World (July 1985)
PC World was one of two PC magazines that really dominated in the 1980s and 1990s (the other being PC Magazine). The July 1985 issue includes:
Community
- The DOS Drivers - DOS 3.10 had just recently been released and this article takes a look at Microsoft's future plans for DOS including new networking features and more.
- PC World Advanced Users Quiz - If you know things such as what the default disk drive is, which CPU the PC AT uses, and what a bootstrap loader is then you might be a PC expert.
Review
- Inside Modems - A look at internal 1200bps modems for the PC. Models reviewed here include the Qubic PC212A 1200, Cermetek Info-Mate 212PC, Microcom Era 2, Bizcomp Intellimodem XL, IDEA-Comm 1200, Novation Smart-Cat Plus, AST Reach!, and Hayes 1200B. Prices range from $149 to $549, however, lower priced models often had difficulty interoperating with other brands at high speeds.
- Corona at the Speed of Light - A review of the Corona LP-300 laser printer.
- Better and True BASICs - A look at two new BASIC implementations, including TrueBASIC and True BASIC.

Table of Contents from the July 1985 issue of PC World
PCjr World
- The PCjr Survival Kit - IBM announced and end to the production of the PCjr in March 1985. This article provides advice for finding PCjr software, peripherals, service and support.
State of the Art
- Advanced Screening - A look at the latest in flat screen technology including LCDs, plasma, EL, and flat CRT technology.
Hands On
- Fraternizing With Framework - A detailed look at Framework, widely considered to be the first all-in-one office suite for the PC.
- Transfer of Power - A look at creating menuing systems with Keyworks.

Table of Contents from the July 1985 issue of PC World (continued)
Departments
- David Bunnell -How to become an advanced PC user.
- REMark - The rise and fall of the PC's founder, Don Estridge. He was responsible for bringing IBM into the consumer world with the PC but also responsible for disasters such as the PCjr.
- John C. Dvorak - Large companies vs. small in the PC world.
- Letters - Letters from readers about IBM advertising, parking hard drives in portable computers, accounting software, data management, and more.

Back cover of the July 1985 issue of PC World
Read more: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2024/11/04/pc-world-july-1985/
Friday, October 25, 2024
Computer Shopper (November 1990)
This issue of Computer shopper weighs in at nearly 900 pages. How many people have even seen a magazine with 900 pages? For a while, Computer Shopper was regularly publishing these telephone book sized issues. While there were tons of ads, there was tons of great content too. It's amazing how consolidated the computer market has become since the heyday of Computer Shopper. The November 1990 issue includes:
Features
- 80386SX Systems: Limo or Lemon - The difference between the 386 (or 386DX as it would become) and the 386SX was that the DX was fully 32-bit while the SX was 32-bit internally and 16-bit externally. This meant that theoretically that the DX could access more memory (up to 4GB vs. 16MB for the SX) and that memory access was much faster. The memory limit difference made little difference as few people ever put as much as even 16MB in a 386. The memory access speed was a much bigger deal. Clock for clock, the 386 DX was about 33% faster than a 286. The 386 SX was actually slightly slower at the same clock speed than a 286. 386SX systems were cheaper though and this article compares four systems including the CompuAdd 320s, Swan 386SX, Sunnytech STI 386SX-16, and MicroLab 386/168. All systems came with 40 MB hard drive and memory ranging from 1 MB to 4 MB. Prices ranged from about about $1700 to about $2900.
- Exploding the Myth of the Mail-Order Market - There was a time when the mail order market for computers was a risky endeavor. However, even by 1990, there were many reliable vendors.
- Mail-Order Buying: All About Delays - One person's experience with endless delays when purchasing a variety of products via mail order.
- Tightrope Walking - Concerns with buying a computer from little-known manufacturers.
Buyer's Guide
- 24-Pin Dot Matrix Printers: Still Kicking After All These Years - For a long time, dot-matrix printers were the only affordable printer options for the average person. Eventually ink jet would come along and replace them but it took a while. In the dot-matrix world, there were 9-pin and 24-pin printers with 24-bin being the better quality (and more expensive) option.
- 24-Pin Printers: Technology Overview - A look at how 24-pin dot matrix printers work, or really dot matrix printers in general.
- Comparison Charts - A comparison of 50 different 24-pin dot matrix printers. Prices range from $449 to $3595.
Software
- State of the Apps: Presentation Graphics - An overview of presentation software including Applause II from Ashton-Tate (DOS), Lotus' Freelance Plus (DOS), PowerPoint 2.01 from Microsoft (Macintosh), and Aldus Persuasion (Macintosh).
- Games - Reviews of Ishido: The Way of Stones (DOS, Amiga, Macintosh), Hoyle's Book of Games II: Solitaire (DOS, Amiga), Blue Angels Formation Flight Simulation (DOS, Amiga, Commodore 64), and Railroad Tycoon (DOS).
- New Stuff - A look at some new products including the ATFAX 9600 ($249 9600bps fax/modem board), Pocket Modem (2400bps modem), Envision It (a $399 tracing, shape recognition and raster-to-vector conversion program for DOS), RapidTax (tax software for DOS), and more.

Table of Contents from the November 1990 issue of Computer Shopper
IBM
- Charles Bermant - Commentary on how the current age would be the most chronicled in history due to the personal computer.
- IBM News - Gilbert Hyatt to be awarded to patent on the microprocessor; Intex updates products for new version of Lotus 1-2-3; QuarkXPress 3.0 shipping for $795; and more.
- Northgate OmniKey Ultra - A PC, XT, AT, and PS/2 compatible keyboard for $149.
- Spear 80386SX: A Well-To-Do Commoner - A customized 16 MHz 386SX based machine for $3390.
- Home on the Range with Cote Computers 386/20 - A 20MHz 386DX based system with 4MB of RAM, 64K cache, 200 watt power supply, 40MB Quantum IDE hard drive, ATI Wonder Super VGA with 512K, and more for $3077.
- Micro Express Regal 386LX Lunchbox: Raison D'etre? - A portable 16 MHz 386SX based machine with a 40MB Conner IDE hard drive, Teac 3.5-inch 1.44MB floppy drive, 1MB RAM, and a super EGA 640x400 gas plasma screen for $2599.
- Canon's LBP-8 Mark III Laser Printer: A New Standard Emerges - The latest laser printer from Canon for $2995.
- What Can You Get for $5,000 - For $4897 from CompuAdd you get a 25 MHz 386 based computer with 2MB RAM, 1.2MB 2.5-inch disk drive, 1.44MB 3.5-inch disk drive, and a 150Mb ESDI hard drive among other things.
- IBM's LaserPrinter E: Turning New Ground - A $1495 laser printer from IBM that can be upgraded to support postscript ($499 with 17 fonts, $899 with 39 fonts) and faster speeds ($1099 to go to 10-ppm from 5-ppm), and more.
- Ampro's Little Board/386: The World's Smallest Computer - A 20-MHz 386 based machine that is only 5.75x8 inches for $1695. It also is expandable via mini-modules to add things like modems, networking, etc.
- Big League Teleprompting on Your IBM PC with Econo-Prompt - $40 teleprompting software for DOS. Included in the article is a design for a teleprompting box you can build yourself.
- QEdit Text Editors: Small Size, High Quality - A look at two versions of this simple text editor. QEdit Advanced 2.1 and QEdit TSR 1.1.
- PopDrop Plus: RAM-Cram Manager - A TSR manager that lets you load and unload TSRs from active memory as you need them.
- Off-Track? The PC-Trac Trackball - A review of this somewhat flawed trackball controller for PCs. I know a guy where I work that still prefers to use a trackball to a mouse.

Table of Contents from the November 1990 issue of Computer Shopper (continued)
Macintosh
- Steven Bobker - The dearth of serial ports on the Mac and ways to add more.
- Mac News - New Macs reach retail shelves including the Macintosh Classic, Mac IIsi, and Mac LC; Northgate exists Mac keyboard market; dBASE IV 1.1 released; and more.
- MathCAD And Theorist: Two Math Problem-Solvers - A look at two math software packages for the Mac.
- atOnce! for the Macintosh - Accounting software designed for small businesses.
- Abaton 300/GS: Almost the Supreme Scanner - A monochrome flatbed scanner for $1595.
- MacRIP and Freedom of Press: PostScript Without the Price Tag - Freedom of Press offers 35 fonts for PostScript printing on more than 50 different printers. MacRIP is similar but comes with fewer fonts (17) and more limitations (like lack of color printing for most fonts).
- Rodime Cobra Hard Drives: Take a Bite Out of Your Storage Requirements - The Cobra series of drives is available in a variety of capacities including 45, 70, 100, 210, 330, and 650MB. The 100MB external model is looked at here ($1949).
Unix
- Saul Lubkin - A look at the kinds of changes that had to be made to port Norton Utilities to Unix.
- Unix News - Report titled "Technical Guide to Unix Engineering Workstations" released which compares 119 workstations; Sun positions SPARCstation as direct competitor to high end PCs; and more.
Amiga
- Peggy Herrington - A look at the new Amiga CDTV.
- Amiga News - Delays with NewTek's video Toaster for the Amiga 2000/2500 and more.
- The Art Department: Amiga Graphics Go Pro - A image-conversion and processing utility for the Amiga.
Misc.
- Feedback Forum - Letters from readers about IBM vs. clones, discontinuation of Apple II coverage, the PC3 portable computer, and more.
- Ask Dr. John - Questions answered about upgrading from the Epson FX-80 to an HP LaserJet, getting two computers to communicate via LapLink, printing special characters, and more.
- Coming Events - A list of upcoming computer shows/fairs. There are 17 listed here for November and early December. i don't think these sorts of things even exist anymore.

Back cover of the November 1990 issue of Computer Shopper