Maximum PC (July 2005)

Maximum PC (and 'boot' before it) was my favorite PC magazine. It was a sister magazine to Mac Addict and both were enthusiast magazines for their respective platforms. The July 2005 issue of Maximum PC includes:

Maximum PC (July 2005)

Zzap! (April 1990)

Zzap! (April 1990)

I spent a lot of time with a Commodore 64 growing up and it was primary gaming program from 1987 to 1993 even though I also had an NES and Super NES along the way. I wish there had been a Commodore 64 specific game magazine here in the U.S. but there wasn't. I didn't know about this U.K. published magazine until many years later. Though it covered the Amiga a little for a short time, it was always primarily a Commodore 64 gaming magazine. The April 1990 issue includes:

The One (February 1991)

The One is a computer gaming magazine that was published in the U.K. in the late 1980s and early 1990s. While it would eventually become an Amiga exclusive magazine, in early 1991 it was still also covering the PC and Atari ST. The February 1991 issue includes:

The One (February 1991)

Byte: The Small Systems Journal (November 1980)

You had to be pretty hardcore to be computing in 1980. However, Byte was there to help you along. It covered all kinds of systems and much of the content was highly technical. The November 1980 issue includes:

Byte: The Small Systems Journal (November 1980)

Mean Streets (Commodore 64)

Mean Streets was the first of a series of games featuring Tex Murphy as the protagonist. Mean Streets, which was released in 1989 by Access, was the only one in the series available on the Commodore 64. This was one of those games I always wanted but never got to play. What’s not appealing about a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk mystery? In addition to being available on the Commodore 64, it was also of course available on DOS based PCs where it was first developed. It was also ported to the Amiga and Atari ST but only in Europe for some reason.

The game is essentially a graphic adventure but there are other elements, including even a 3D flight sim. You, as Tex Murphy are investigating the mysterious death of a college professor who was seen falling from a bridge and had previously been working on a secret project. The police think it was suicide but his daughter is convinced it was murder.

The PC version was one of the first to support 256 color VGA graphics on the PC and also introduced a technique for creating digitized voices and other advanced sound using just the PC speaker without a sound card. The Commodore 64 version paled in comparison in these regards (though it seems they could have done better with the sound if they had wanted to). However, the consensus seems to be that the playability is nearly as good as the PC version and that’s what is most important. I’m not sure how the Amiga and Atari ST ports fared.

Sequels included Martian Memorandum released in 1991, Under a Killing Moon released in 1994, The Pandora Directive released in 2009 and Tesla Effect in 2014. The original was also remade in 1998 as Tex Murphy: Overseer. None of these made it to the Commodore 64 though.

Digital Archaeology: Fujitsu LifeBook N6420

The Fujitsu LifeBook N6420 is a Core 2 Duo based laptop that was released circa 2006. In an era when the laptop market was dominated by HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc., the LifeBook line by Fujitsu was somewhat less common. Unlike various Dell and HP models which came in a multitude of configurations, the LifeBook N6420 seems to have only had two basic configurations. Overall, it seems to have been a relatively high end model though not quite rising to the level of professional workstation or gaming powerhouse.

Digital Archaeology: Fujitsu LifeBook N6420

Byte (December 1985)

Byte was perhaps the best multi-format computer magazine there was, particularly if you wanted something more technical. Eventually, it mostly just covered the PC but that was just a reflection of the market. The December 1985 issue was huge at over 500 pages and includes:

Byte (December 1985)

PC World (September 1986)

If you had an IBM PC or compatible in the 1980s or 1990s, PC World was probably the magazine you wanted. It was certainly one of the most popular and perhaps the best all around PC magazine. The September 1986 issue includes:

PC World (September 1986)

The One (January 1995)

The One is a computer gaming magazine that was published in the U.K. While it originally also covered the PC and Atari ST, by 1995 it was only covering the Amiga. The January 1995 issue includes:

The One (January 1995)

Spectral Associates: TRS-80 Color Computer (1982)

The Color Computer was a fairly popular and one of the longest supported computers of the 8-bit era. It was not at all related to the standard TRS-80 (Models I-IV) and used the relatively unique 6809 CPU which was pretty advanced for the time and had some 16-bit features. For some reason the Color Computer line never really gained a huge amount of third party software support as compared to others like Atari, Apple and Commodore but it had decent support from Radio Shack for more than a decade (and there was SOME 3rd party support).

The above ad by Spectral Associates, a retailer for Color Computer upgrades, accessories and software, is from 1982. There were three Color Computer models throughout the year but in 1982 when this ad appeared they were still on the original iteration. As you can see from the ad, 1982 was early enough in the life of home computers that software just being written in machine language (as opposed to BASIC) was considered a selling point.

Maximum PC (April 2006)

Maximum PC was my favorite computer magazine. It was a relative newcomer to the computer magazine world being introduced as 'boot' in 1998 before becoming Maximum PC a year or two later. This was a magazine for PC enthusiasts, those who liked to build their own PCs, PC gaming, etc. It was somewhat similar to another enthusiast magazine for the Macintosh called MacAddict. In fact, both descended from an earlier magazine called CD-ROM Today. The April 2006 issue of Maximum PC includes:

Maximum PC (April 2006)

Digital Archaeology: Floppy Disk #14 – INTRO.DOC

This post includes the contents of INTRO.DOC. This file is dated September 2nd, 1985 and is in a subdirectory called TELEPSYC. I've posted several documents from this subdirectory and I've been assuming that they came from Delphi since so much of the stuff I've posted from this disk (and others) have been from Delphi. However, based on this file, it looks like all of the files in this subdirectory came from a BBS that operated as a telecommunications counseling service. This document is a log of an initial logon and sign-up on this BBS so it has a ton of introductory information on how the service works. Previous documents from this subdirectory are most likely various 'pamphlets' that could be read on the BBS.

Digital Archaeology: Floppy Disk #14 – INTRO.DOC

PC World (June 1983)

PC World was one of the first and longest running magazines dedicated to the PC. It was also one of the best. The June 1983 issue includes:

PC World (June 1983)

Amstrad Computer User (June 1989)

Amstrad Computer User is a magazine published in the U.K. in the 1980s and 1990s that covered the Amstrad CPC line of computers. The June 1989 issue includes:

Amstrad Computer User (June 1989)

Byte: The Small Systems Journal (June 1979)

Byte was one of the earliest home computer magazines. In at least its early days, it was subtitled The Small Systems Journal. It covered pretty much any computer that might be called a 'small system' or 'home computer' (which was a new term at the time). The June 1979 issue includes:

Byte: The Small Systems Journal (June 1979)

Amiga Force (June 1993)

Amiga Force is a gaming magazine for the Commodore Amiga that was published in in the U.K. in the 1990s. The June 1993 issue includes:

Amiga Force (June 1993)

Byte: The Small Systems Journal (August 1979)

Byte is one of the oldest computer magazines. In 1979 it had already been around for several years and the original IBM PC was still a few years away. Yet there were still plenty of 'small systems' to cover. The August 1979 issue includes:

Byte: The Small Systems Journal (August 1979)

The Wizard of Id’s WizType

At one time there were a variety of software products on the market for teaching you how to type. I’m not sure what that market is like today but in 1984 The Wizard of Id’s WizType by Sierra was one of the better such products out there. It was available for many of the computers available at the type including the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit line, DOS and Apple II.

Like most software of its type, WizType offered various options including practice, a game and testing. The most interesting in the options in WizType were probably the game, own lesson, and paragraphs.

The game, along with the theme for all the other sections, was based on The Wizard of Id comic strip. In the game, typing accurately and quickly enough caused the Wizard to zap the spirit from the well. Too slow or inaccurate and the spirit eventually turns into a dragon and breathes fire on the wizard.

The ‘Own Lesson’ option allowed you to enter words or letter combinations for you to practice. This was useful if you had difficulty with something in particular or were just tired of the provided content.

Paragraphs provided paragraphs out of various literary works (Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities for example) for you to practice on. It also allowed you to enter and store your own paragraphs for practice. This feature is what really gave WizType longevity.

Digital Archaeology: LifeBook N6010

The Pentium 4 wasn't the greatest CPU for a laptop. It used a lot of power which isn't great for either portability or battery life. Nevertheless, there was a brief period of time where the Pentium 4 was the only choice if you wanted a high performance laptop. This meant you were out of luck if you wanted something thin and light but not so bad if you were looking for a desktop replacement.

Digital Archaeology: LifeBook N6010

SupraModem 2400

In the dark ages, before always on high-speed broadband internet connections, people used devices like these to reach out to other machines. Of course in 1989, the year of this ad, there was no Internet to speak of. At least not one that was publicly accessible for most people. However, there were still ways to communicate with the digital world.

From the early 1980s through the early 1990s using dial-up via a modem like the one pictured above to call a local BBS was the way to go about it if you had the right equipment. While you were only connecting to a single machine with your modem, a BBS would provide files to download (freeware/shareware games, apps, etc.), games to play (usually turn based and against other players who would take their turn when they dialed in) and message areas. Many BBSes made use of FidoNet which was a networked messaging system like Usenet in many ways. BBSes that were part of FidoNet would exchange messages and thereby allow you to communicate with people all over the world.

Modems progressed through various speeds throughout the years. In the BBS era these speeds progressed from as low as 300bps (bits per second) to as high as 56kbps. However, one of the longest lasting speeds was 2400bps which is what the SupraModem 2400 provided. Modems providing these speeds were introduced in the late 1980s and were common through the early 1990s. Though faster modems were becoming available at reasonable prices, my first modem was a second hand 2400bps modem for my 486 based computer in 1993. By 1994 I had a 14.4kbps modem which was pretty new at the time but price wars were rapidly driving down modem costs by this point. 9600bps modems were available earlier but they were expensive and by the time the protocol was standardized, work was nearly complete on a standard for 14.4kbps modems.

Supra was known for producing decent modems at a good price. An external model like the one pictured above would work with just about any computer available at the time with the right interface cable (Amiga, Commodore 64, PC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, TRS-80, etc.) and with the right software you could communicate with a BBS running on any type of hardware. I had an internal modem for my 486 based PC that fit into one of the ISA slots because it was cheaper but external modems offered more flexibility (e.g. I couldn’t use my internal modem with anything other than a PC).

The above ad is from the October 1989 issue of Compute!’s Amiga Resource.