Byte (May 1993)

Byte (May 1993)

Byte was probably the best multi-format computer magazines from the 1970s all the way until the early 1990s. Byte's coverage tended to be a little more technical that other mainstream magazines. The May 1993 issue includes:

Cover Story

• Intel Launches Rocket in a Socket - An introduction to Intel's new Pentium processor. At introduction, the fastest Pentium (66 MHz) was about twice as fast as the 486 DX2-66. The first systems would be announced in May but these would be mostly expensive workstation and server class machines. More affordable Pentium systems wouldn't really be available until 1994.

News

• Microbytes - Researchers build first general purpose optical computer, first Mac clones, British company develops 1 GB CDs, plug and play for ISA, and more.


• First Impressions: AutoCAD Draws on Windows - A look at AutoCAD Release 12 which was the first version for Windows (3.1).


• A Heavy-Hitting Unix for PCs - A first look at Solaris 2.1 for Intel based PCs.


• NetWare 4.0 - A look at the latest version of NetWare which was a network based OS. Windows and Linux server OS variants have since taken over the tasks NetWare used to do.


• Canon's NoteJet 486 - An interesting 486 based laptop that includes a built-in printer.
• HP LaserJet 4Si and HP LaserJet 4Si - Reviews of two network laser printers from HP.

_{Table of Contents from the May 1993 issue of Byte}

Features

• Oberon: A Glimpse of the Future - A look at an object-oriented operating system.

State of the Art

• Should Encryption Be Regulated - I always thought this was a dumb debate. The answer is obviously no. Otherwise encryption isn't very useful.


• Stealth Virus Attacks - A look at new viruses that use stealth to attack network computers.

Reviews

• Lab Report: Hands-On Testing 126 Printers - A massive survey of dot-matrix, laser, ink-jet, and portable printers.


• Making the MPC Upgrade - A look at ten different kits to make your PC multimedia compliant as well as complete multimedia systems. Upgrade kits generally included a sound card, CD-ROM drive and sometimes speakers.


• Personable PIMs - An overview of Personal Information Managers. These days, everybody uses Outlook and/or their phones for these tasks.


• Banyan's "StreetTalk for NetWare" - Software designed to simplify administration of multiserver NetWare networks.

_{Table of Contents from the May 1993 issue of Byte (continued)}

Hands On

• Under the Hood: Computing on Wheels - A look at the latest computer technology being used in cars.


• Some Assembly Required: The Power of Inheritance - A tutorial for using multiple inheritance in C++ programs.

Opinions

• User's Column: Once More into the Breach - Commentary on protectionism, plus a look at UPSes, Intel OverDrive processor, and more.


• Stop Bit: Losing the Human Edge - An article on how computers are getting better than humans at games.

_{Back cover of the May 1993 issue of Byte}

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GamePro (January 1997)

GamePro (January 1997)

Next to EGM, GamePro was probably the most popular gaming magazine in North America. The 100th issue of GamePro from January 1997 includes:

Special Features

• 100th Issue! - A timeline of GamePro dating back to April/May 1989.


• Hanhelds for the Holidays! - A guide to new handheld games available for the holidays. Games covered include Donkey Kong Land 2 (Game Boy), X-Men Mojo World (Game Gear), Tetris Attack (Game Boy), FIFA Soccer '97 (Game Boy), Bugs Bunny in Double Trouble (Game Gear), Pinocchio (Game Boy), Madden '97 (Game Boy), Street Racer (Game Boy), Sword of Hopell (Game Boy), and Battle Zone/Super Breakout (Game Boy).

_{Table of Contents from the January 1997 issue of GamePro}

SWATPro Strategy Section

• Star Gladiator PlayStation ProStrategy Guide - A detailed strategy guide for this sci-fi themed fighting game from Capcom for the PlayStation.


• The Fighter's Edge Power Move Pro Wrestling - Strategies, moves and more for Power Move Pro Wrestling for the PlayStation.


• Silverload - A walkthrough of this difficult point and click adventure for the PlayStation.

_{Table of Contents from the January 1997 issue of GamePro (continued)}

Departments

• Role Player's Realm - A reviews of Suikoden for the PlayStation and a preview of Magic: The Gathering - BattleMage for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn.


• Head-2-Head - Editorial reflecting on 100 issues of GamePro.


• The Mail - Letters from readers about Star Wars games on the Saturn, Nintendo 64 controllers, and more.


• ProNews - Many games facing delays including the PlayStation version of Duke Nukem 3D, Independence Day for the PlayStation and Saturn, MegaMan 8, Marvel Super Heroes, Final Fantasy VII and more. Sega cuts price on highest price Saturn games from $69.99 to $59.99. American Laser Games ceases development of live action games. And more.


• NetPro - A guide to using four online multiplayer gaming services including DWANGO, Mplayer, TEN (Total Entertainment Network), and Engage.

_{Back cover of the January 1997 issue of GamePro}

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Byte (December 1986)

Byte (December 1986)

I'm still amazed at how large some older computer magazines were. While Computer Shopper was known for its phone book sized issues, this issue of Byte comes in approaching 500 pages which is still larger than your average novel. Byte covered whatever computer systems were around at the time though as the years went on, more and more of that coverage was PC related. The December 1986 issue of Byte includes:

Features

• Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar: Build the GT180 Color Graphics Board, Part 2: Hardware - The second part in a series for building a color graphics board for the SB180 and SB180X computer. These computers were single board Z80 based CP/M machines. This article includes a parts list and schematic for the color graphics board.


• Programming Project: Using DOS Functions From Turbo Pascal - A tutorial for using DOS functions from with Pascal. Included are programs for retrieving a disk directory, finding file size, and more.


• Programming Insight: A Program For Approximating Integrals - A program for math geeks. This FORTRAN program calculates integral values using Gauss approximation with Aitken extrapolation.

_{Table of Contents from the December 1986 issue of Byte}

Theme: Graphics Algorithms

• Henon Mapping with Pascal - Useful for simulating the behavior of physical systems such as asteroids or satellites.


• Abstract Mathematical Art - A BASIC program for creating computer-generated art based on the Game of Life.


• The TMS34010 Graphics System Processor - A graphics chip from Texas Instruments that can perform up to 6 million instructions per second and generate bit-mapped graphics and order of magnitude faster than general purpose processors.


• Plotting The Mandelbrot Set - A C program for the Amiga that generates fractal graphics using the Mandelbrot set. I remember a similar BASIC program for my Commodore 64 but that one would take 12 hours to produce an image.

Reviews

• Four IBM PC AT Clones - A review of four AT class machines. Just for reference, XT machines were 8088 based whereas AT machines were 286 based. Machines reviewed here include the Zenith Z-241 (6 MHz), Zenith Z-248 (8 MHz), Epson Equity III (6-8 MHz), and the Western AT (6-8 MHz). Prices ranged from $2395 to $4495 depending on machine and options. More expensive models included a hard drive.


• The Hercules Graphics Card Plus - The original Hercules Graphics Card became the standard for monochrome graphics on the PC. the "Plus" version includes additional features such as support of alternate character sets for improved performance on applications like Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Word. It also came it at a lower price point than the original at "only" $299.


• 23 Modems - An evaluation of 23 different modems. Some were 300/1200 bps and some were 2400 bps. Prices ranged from $199 to $899. Hayes pretty much set the standard at the time and their modems tended to be the most expensive. On this list is the Smartmodem 1200 for $599 and the Smartmodem 2400 for $899 (the most expensive in the list). If I could have afforded it, I would have chosen the US Robotics Courier for $699.


• Pascal for the IBM PC - A survey of four different Pascal packages for the PC including MS-Pascal 3.31, UCSD Pascal 4.2.1, Pro Pascal 2.14, and Professional Pascal 2.5.

_{Table of Contents from the December 1986 issue of Byte (continued)}

Kernel

• Computing At Chaos Manor: The Final Frontier - Highlights of the Space Academy Conference, the lateset on Viasyn's CompuPro equipment, Intel's 80287 math coprocessor, Little Computer People, and more.


• According to Webster: Season's Greetings - New products for the Amiga including a 512k RAM expansion from Access Associates (expandable to 2 MB), the MicroBotics MAS-20 Hard Disk, Instant Music and Marble Madness from Electronic Arts, and more.


• Applications Only: Stocking Stuffers - A look at new software including ComicWorks (art program for the Macintosh), Balance of Power (strategy game for the PC), Blue Chip Simulations (DOS, Apple II, Commodore 64), LogiMouse C7 mouse, and more.

Best of Bix

• Amiga - Discussions of unvalidated disk problems, Trackdisk, the Resident command, and more.


• Atari - Discussions relating to double-buffering techniques (animation), converting Atari 8-bit graphics to the ST, and more.


• IBM PC and Compatibles - Discussion of PC clones, parking the Seagate ST225 hard drive, and more.

Departments

• Editorial: Byte Gets Faster - Byte shortens its lead time.


• Microbytes - Use of surface-mounted technology growing, Maxell develops a disk that can store 100 megabytes using a perpendicular recording technique, 20 hours of week or less exposure to video display terminals found not to cause increased risk to pregnancy, and much more.


• Letters - Letters from readers about sorting speed, CD-ROM software development, Microsoft FORTRAN and arrays, Easy C, calculating CRCs witht he 6809, and more.


• What's New - A brief look at new products including NEC's MultiSpeed (IBM compatible portable running at 4.77 or 9.54 MHz), The S/50 68000 workstation from Convergent, the PayDay payroll system for the Atari ST, the Motorola MC68030, the Paradise EGA chip, the PhotoMetric 200 PC slide making system, SuperSonic stereo sound board for teh Apple IIGS, the Wysepc+ XT-compatible system, the AMQ 286 Model II portable computer, the ITT XTRA/286 IBM PC AT compatible workstation, Rodime RO 3000 3.5" hard drives (45.4 MB and 54.5 MB), 512K-4M memory expansion board for the Apple IIGS, SpeedTerm 128 terminal package for the Commodore 128, Thinking Cap outlining software for the Commodore 64, and lots more.

_{Back cover of the December 1986 issue of Byte}

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Vintage Photos - Oestreicher (1313-1316)

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 I would guess are from the late 1950s or early 1960s. Except the 2nd photo leads me to believe late 1960s is more likely. 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.

The first photo appears to be a shot of some older gentlemen standing outside a tent, perhaps on a hunting trip?

The second features an airplane and presumably its soon to be (or recent) occupants. The registration number is clearly visible giving me something to search for as there are a multitude of websites with info on aircraft registrations, including the FAA itself. However, registration numbers get reused over time. There are two planes with this particular registration (N2569V). The second is far too new but the first looks like a possibility. It belongs to a Cessna 170 that was registered in 1968. However, it looks like this plane was built much earlier than that. The serial number is 18110 which, doing a little research on this model, indicates that this plane was produced in the first year of manufacture for the Cessna 170 in 1948. I couldn't find anything on the first 20 years of that aircraft's history or what ultimately happened to it, except that the registration was cancelled a few years later in 1971.

registration info

Cessna 170 serial numbers

Assuming Google Maps has not led me astray, the person who registered this plane in 1968 lived in this house

The third photo shows a woman holding a boy. Possibly grandmother and grandson?:

I'm not sure what the subject of this photo is supposed to be but there appears to be a pond and ducks in the background:

The entire collection that has been scanned and uploaded so far can also be found here.

VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (February 1993)

VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (February 1993)

VideoGames & Computer Entertainment was my favorite magazine in the years that it was published (late 1980s to early 1990s). It was really sort of the successor to the original Electronic Games magazine, at least until Electronic Games was actually rebooted. The February 1993 issue includes:

Features

• A Matter of Chaos: Player's Guide to Dungeon Master, Part I - VG&CE had some pretty great game guides. However, you had to be disciplined about looking at them because they could ruin the game for you. This one covers the first part of Dungeon Master for the Super NES.


• Much Ado About 3DO: The Real Story - It's a shame the 3DO didn't have more success. This article is a first look at the machine with some technical details and a look at its capabilities.

_{Table of Contents from the February 1993 issue of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment}

Previews & Reviews

• Video-Game Previews - Brief previews of Flashback (Genesis), Bonk 3 (TurboGrafx-16), Street Combat (Super NES), Dungeon Explorer II (TurboGrafx-16), Zen Intergalactic Ninja (NES and Game Boy), Lethal Weapon (NES and Game Boy), Cool World (Super NES and Game Boy), Congo's Caper (Super NES), Malibu Bikini Volleyball (Atari Lynx), Spot - The Cool Adventure (Game Boy), and Exile 2 (TurboGrafx-16).


• Video-Game Reviews - Reviews of The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse (Super NES) - Capcom made some great Disney licensed games and this was one of them, Mega Man 5 (NES) - and there would still be one more Mega Man game on the NES, Roger Clemens' MVP Baseball (Genesis), Cybernator (Super NES), Buster Bros. (TurboGrafx-16 CD), Dragon's Lair (Super NES) - a platform game not really like the arcade version, PGA Tour Golf II (Genesis), Super Strike Eagle (Super NES), Aerobiz (Super NES), Samurai Ghost (TurboGrafx-16), The Adventures of Willy Beamish (Sega CD), Tiny Toon Adventures Cartoon Workshop (NES), and Universal Soldier (Super NES) - another bad licensed game.


• Computer-Game Previews - Short previews of Ultima VII Part 2: The Serpent Isle, Caesar - I think I actually have this one somewhere though I've never played it, Betrayal at Krondor - my roommate in college spent many hours on this game, and Pirates! Gold.

Departments

• Editor's Letter - A look at what's ahead in 1993 including the 3DO, Atari Jaguar, the PlayStation (which at the time was essentially an SNES console with CD-ROM), and more.


• Reader Mail - Letters from readers about RPGs, Nintendo's 32-bit CD-ROM system, portable systems, and more.


• Tip Sheet - Hints and tips for Night Trap (Sega CD), The Guardian Legend (NES), and Cosmic Fantasy 2 (TurboGrafx-CD).


• News Bits - Radio Shack debuts a new interactive CD player called the Memorex MD-2500 VIS, Nintendo cleared of antitrust charges, classic games re-released for the NES (Zelda, Zelda II, Punch-out, Metroid) for $29.99 each, Sunsoft licenses The Pirates of Dark Water, Atari drops price of Lynx to $79.99, and more.

_{Back cover of the February 1993 issue of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment}

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PC Magazine (September 4th, 1984)

PC Magazine (September 4th, 1984)

PC Magazine was one of the earliest successful PC magazines to pop-up after the IBM PC was introduced and one of the most popular and longest lasting. The September 4th, 1984 issue includes:

Cover Story

• The Word on Word Processors - An overview of 19 of the most popular word processors on the PC.

Features

• An Attache from Down Under - Attache Software originated in Australia and sold a line of accounting software.


• Milk, Butter, Cheese, and PCs - How Stew Leonard's World's Greatest Dairy Store uses nine PCs to manage the company.


• Project: Database, Part 7 - A continuing series that covers the latest in database software. This issue includes coverage of Savvy PC, power-base, SALVO, Revelation, DataBlux (version 10), DataFlex (Version 2.0), PC FOCUS, Informia (Version 2.11), dBASE III, and more.

_{Table of Contents from the September 4th, 1984 issue of PC Magazine}

Pro Columns

• Accounting for Contractors - A look at accounting software useful to contractors.


• Coping with Complexity :PCs in Neurobiology - How the PC, along with analog-to-digital converters, is helping scientists at the University of Illinois to study nerve cell plasticity in marine mollusks.


• Bank Market Analysis on the PC - How an integrated software package featuring a database management system can help banks organize customer data.


• Courseware Design - How interactive courseware improves upon books, pencils and paper in a classroom environment.

_{Table of Contents from the September 4th, 1984 issue of PC Magazine (continued)}

Departments

• PC News - New machines from Tava, ACT, and Polo; the possible demise of DOS; a 74 MB drive from Tecmar designed for PCs used as fileservers; and more.


• Consumer Guinea Pigs - How the software industry is using consumers to beta test its software.


• Computers in the Humanities - What computers have to offer in the humanities including preparation, communication art and music.


• Letters to PC - Letters from readers about terminal software, IBM's blinking cursor, macros for Lotus 1-2-3, the future of the PC, and more.


• Support and Control in Flabby Programs - System programs vs. application programs and things that affect program size.

_{Back cover of the September 4th, 1984 issue of PC Magazine}

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Compute!’s Gazette (March 1985)

Compute!’s Gazette (March 1985)

Compute!'s Gazette was a Commodore 8-bit spin-off of Compute! which was a multiformat computer magazine published throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Along with RUN, Gazette was one of the most popular Commodore 64 magazines. The March 1985 issue includes:

Features

• The Peripheral Connection: Enhancing Your 64 - An overview of available expansions for the Commodore 64. These include hard drives, disk drives, modems, monitors and more.


• Peripherals of the Future - A look at input/output devices being worked on for computers in the futures. These include compact discs, laser discs, brain wave input, LCD screens, laser printers and more. Laser discs were never really a big factor but many of the other items sure were. And I guess brain wave input is still coming along.


• Commodore Peripheral Ports - A look at the ports available on the Commodore 64 for connecting devices. These include a serial port, memory expansion/cartridge port, the user port (RS-232), control/joystick ports, A/V output, and cassette port.

Reviews

• Microsoft Multiplan - A version of one of the most popular spreadsheet programs at the time for the Commodore 64.


• Also Worth Noting - Short reviews of MicroLeague Baseball, U.S. Adventure (an educational game), Up n' Down (an arcade style game reminiscent of Moon Buggy), Guitar Master (an aid for learning to play the guitar), and Eliza (an AI for your C64).

Games

• Heat Seeker - A type-in game for the Commodore 64 and VIC 20 in which you have to destroy a base that shoots heat seeking missiles at you.


• Digger - A type-in game for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 in which you must lure goats to their deaths.

_{Table of Contents from the March 1985 issue of Compute!'s Gazette}

Education/Home Applications

• Computing For Families: "Easy-Play" Computer Peripherals For The Family - Using personal computers as self-teaching tools.


• Alpha Anxiety - A type-in educational puzzle game for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 in which you must find all of the letters in the alphabet in order.

Programming

• BASIC Magic: Computer Math For Beginners - The second part of a tutorial for performing mathematical operations in BASIC.


• Machine Language For Beginners: Memory - A look at the memory structure of the VIC-20 and Commodore 64.


• Hints & Tips: Abbreviated Printer Codes - Various codes that can be used in BASIC to do special things on your printer (like changing case, inserting a carriage return, enabling reverse text, etc.).


• Power BASIC: Quick Character Transfer - A machine language routine that helps you create custom character sets on the VIC-20, Commodore 64, Plus/4 and C-16.

Departments

• The Editor's Notes - A preview of the upcoming Winter CES. New machines were expected from Commodore including the Amiga, the Commodore 128, and an LCD laptop based C64.


• Gazette Feedback - Questions from readers are answered about moving multiple things on the screen at the same time, BBS software, INPUT statements without question marks, Commodore file types, the RESTORE key, self modifying BASIC programs, and more.


• Horizons - A look at the Blue Chip Printer.

_{Back cover of the March 1985 issue of Compute!'s Gazette}

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