Retrocomputing
Encyclopedia
Computer hardware
Personal computer hardware are component devices which are typically installed into or peripheral to a computer case to create a personal computer upon which system software is installed including a firmware interface such as a BIOS and an operating system which supports application software that...
and software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
today. Retrocomputing is usually classed as a hobby and recreation rather than a practical application of technology; enthusiasts often collect rare and valuable hardware and software for sentimental reasons. However, some do make use of it.
Retrocomputing often gets its start when a computer user realizes that formerly expensive fantasy systems like IBM Mainframes, DEC Supermini
Supermini
A superminicomputer, or supermini, is “a minicomputer with high performance compared to ordinary minicomputers.” The term was an invention used from the mid-1970s mainly to distinguish the emerging 32-bit minis from the classical 16-bit minicomputers...
s, SGI workstation
Workstation
A workstation is a high-end microcomputer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by one person at a time, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems...
s and Cray Supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
s have become affordable on the used computer market, usually in a relatively short time after the computers' era of use.
Many people have personal computer museum
Computer museum
A computer museum is devoted to the study of historic computer hardware and software, where a museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates, and exhibits the tangible and intangible...
s, with collections of working vintage computers such as Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
s, IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
s, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
s, Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
, Commodore
Commodore International
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
, Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
s and BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
s. Early personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s based on the S-100 bus
S-100 bus
The S-100 bus or Altair bus, IEEE696-1983 , was an early computer bus designed in 1974 as a part of the Altair 8800, generally considered today to be the first personal computer...
are also very popular among collectors, as well as a wide variety of machines running the CP/M
CP/M
CP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
, such as Kaypro
Kaypro
Kaypro Corporation, commonly called Kaypro, was an American home/personal computer manufacturer of the 1980s. The company was founded by Non-Linear Systems to develop computers to compete with the then-popular Osborne 1 portable microcomputer...
s and Osborne
Osborne
- Places :Australia* Osborne, South Australia, an industrial suburb of Adelaide in South Australia* Osborne, New South Wales, a rural community in the Riverina regionCanada* Osborne Village, a neighbourhood in Winnipeg...
s. However, many users use emulation
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
software on more modern computers rather than using real hardware, in order to enjoy the experience, while preserving the aging electronics of the original. This is not considered to be retrocomputing by some, as it is rather an application of modern computer hardware. A third option is the use of home computer remakes, dedicated appliances, which do the emulation using dedicated hardware.
Historical retrocomputing
A more serious line of retrocomputing is part of the history of computer hardware. It can be seen as the analogue of experimental archaeologyExperimental archaeology
Experimental archaeology employs a number of different methods, techniques, analyses, and approaches in order to generate and test hypotheses, based upon archaeological source material, like ancient structures or artifacts. It should not be confused with primitive technology which is not concerned...
in computing. Some notable examples include the reconstruction of Babbage's Difference engine
Difference engine
A difference engine is an automatic, mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions. Both logarithmic and trigonometric functions can be approximated by polynomials, so a difference engine can compute many useful sets of numbers.-History:...
(more than a century after its design) and the implementation of Plankalkül
Plankalkül
Plankalkül is a computer language designed for engineering purposes by Konrad Zuse between 1943 and 1945. It was the first high-level non-von Neumann programming language to be designed for a computer. Also, notes survive with scribblings about such a plan calculation dating back to 1941...
in 2000 (more than half a century since its inception).
"Homebrew" computers
Some retrocomputing enthusiasts also consider the 'Homebrewing'(designing and building of retro- and retro-styled computers or kits), to be an important aspect of the hobby, giving new enthusiasts an opportunity to experience more fully what the early years of hobby computing were like. There are several different approaches to this end. Some are exact replicas of older systems, and some are newer designs based on the principals of retrocomputing, while others combine the two, with old and new features in the same package. One such example is offered by IMSAI, a modern, updated, yet backward-compatible version and replica of the original IMSAI 8080
IMSAI 8080
The IMSAI 8080 was an early microcomputer released in late 1975, based on the Intel 8080 and later 8085 and S-100 bus. It was a clone of its main competitor, the earlier MITS Altair 8800. The IMSAI is largely regarded as the first "clone" computer. The IMSAI machine ran a highly modified version of...
, one of the most popular early personal systems. Several Apple 1 replicas and kits have been sold in limited quantities in recent years, by different builders, such as the "Replica 1", from Briel Computers: http://www.brielcomputers.com/wik/index.php?title=Main_Page. A currently ongoing project that uses old technology in a new design is the Z80-based N8VEM
N8VEM
N8VEM is a homebrew computing project. It features a variety of free and open hardware and software. N8VEM builders make their own homebrew computer systems for themselves and share their experiences with other homebrew computer hobbyists...
.
Vintage computers
The personal computer has been around since approximately 1976. But in that time, numerous technological revolutions have left generations of obsolete computing equipment on the junk heap. Nevertheless, in that time, these otherwise useless computers have spawned a sub-culture of vintage computerHistory of computing hardware
The history of computing hardware is the record of the ongoing effort to make computer hardware faster, cheaper, and capable of storing more data....
collectors, who often spend large sums to acquire the rarest of these items, not only to display but restore to their fully functioning glory, including active software development and adaptation to modern uses. This often includes so-called hackers who add-on, update and create hybrid composites from new and old computers for uses for which they were otherwise never intended. Most of this hobby centers on those computers manufactured after 1960, though there are collectors who specialize in pre-1960 computers
History of computing hardware
The history of computing hardware is the record of the ongoing effort to make computer hardware faster, cheaper, and capable of storing more data....
as well.
MITS Inc.
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry SystemsMicro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems was an American electronics company founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico that began manufacturing electronic calculators in 1971 and personal computers in 1975. Ed Roberts and Forrest Mims founded MITS in December 1969 to produce miniaturized telemetry...
(MITS) produced the Altair 8800
Altair 8800
The MITS Altair 8800 was a microcomputer design from 1975 based on the Intel 8080 CPU and sold by mail order through advertisements in Popular Electronics, Radio-Electronics and other hobbyist magazines. The designers hoped to sell only a few hundred build-it-yourself kits to hobbyists, and were...
in 1975, which is widely regarded as starting the microcomputer revolution.
IMSAI
IMSAI produced a machine similar to the Altair 8800, though considered by many to be a more robust design.Processor Technology
Processor TechnologyProcessor Technology
Processor Technology Corporation was a microcomputer company founded by Bob Marsh and Gary Ingram in April 1975. Its best known product is the Sol-20 computer.-History:...
produced the Sol-20. This was one of the first machines to have a case that included a keyboard; a design feature copied by many of later "home computers".
SWTPC
Southwest Technical Products Corporation (SWTPCSWTPC
The U.S. company SWTPC started in 1964 as DEMCO . It was incorporated in 1967 as Southwest Technical Products Corporation of San Antonio, Texas...
), produced the SWTPC 6800 and later the SWTPC 6809 kits that employed the Motorola 68xx series microprocessors. The 68xx line was to be followed later by the 6502 processor that was used in many early "home computers", such as the Apple II. This is the beginning of the Intel/Motorola (aka IBM PC vs. Mac) schism.
Apple Inc.
The earliest of the Apple Inc. personal computers are among some of the most collectible. They are relatively easy to maintain in an operational state thanks to Apple's use of readily available off-the-shelf parts.- Apple 1: The Apple 1 was Apple's first product and has brought some of the highest prices ever paid for a microcomputer at auction.
- Apple IIApple IIThe Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
: The Apple II series of computers are some of the easiest to adapt, thanks to the original expansion architecture designed into them. New peripheralApple II peripheral cardsThe Apple II line of computers supported a number of Apple II peripheral cards, expansion cards which plugged into slots on the motherboard, and added to and extended the functionality of the base system....
cards are still being designed by an avid thriving community, thanks to the longevity of this platform, manufactured from 1976 through 1993. Numerous websites exist to support not only the legacy users, but new adopters who weren't even born when the Apple II was discontinued by Apple. - MacintoshMacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
: Perhaps because of its friendly design and first commercially successful graphical user interfaceGraphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
as well as its enduring Finder application that persists on the most current Macs, the Macintosh is one of the most collected and used of the vintage computers. With dozens of websites around the world, old Macintosh hardware and software is put into daily use. Many maintain vast collections of functional and non-functional systems, which are lovingly maintained and discussed on worldwide user forums. The Macintosh had a strong presence in many early computer labs, creating a strong nostalgia factor for former students who recall their first computing experiences.
IBM
- IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
1130IBM 1130The IBM 1130 Computing System was introduced in 1965. It was IBM's least-expensive computer to date, and was aimed at price-sensitive, computing-intensive technical markets like education and engineering. It succeeded the IBM 1620 in that market segment. The IBM 1800 was a process control variant...
computing system from 1966 which still has a following of interested users, albeit mostly via an emulator rather than the actual machine. - The 5100IBM 5100The IBM 5100 Portable Computer was a portable computer introduced in September 1975, six years before the IBM PC. It was the evolution of a prototype called the SCAMP that was developed at the IBM Palo Alto Scientific Center in 1973. In January 1978 IBM announced the IBM 5110, its larger cousin,...
also has an avid collector and fan base. - The PCIBM PCThe IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
series (PC, PC/XT, PC/AT) has become very popular in recent years, with the earliest models (PC) being considered the most collectible.
Acorn BBC & Archimedes
- The AcornAcorn ComputersAcorn Computers Ltd. was a British computer company established in Cambridge, England, in 1978. The company produced a number of computers which were especially popular in the UK. These included the Acorn Electron, the BBC Micro, and the Acorn Archimedes...
BBC MicroBBC MicroThe BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
was a very popular British computer in the 1980s with home and educational users, and enjoyed near universal usage in British schools right into the mid-1990s. It was possible to use 100K 5¼" disks and it had many expansion ports. - The ArchimedesAcorn ArchimedesThe Acorn Archimedes was Acorn Computers Ltd's first general purpose home computer to be based on their own ARM architecture.Using a RISC design with a 32-bit CPU, at its launch in June 1987, the Archimedes was stated as running at 4 MIPS, with a claim of 18 MIPS during tests.The name is commonly...
series - the de facto successor to the BBC Micro - has also enjoyed a following in recent years, thanks to its status as one of the first computers to be based around ARM's RISC microprocessor.
Tandy/Radio Shack
- The TandyTandy CorporationTandy Corporation was a family-owned leather goods company based in Fort Worth, Texas. Tandy was founded in 1919 as a leather supply store, and acquired RadioShack in 1963. The Tandy name was dropped in May 2000, when RadioShack Corporation was made the official name.-History:Tandy began in 1919...
/RadioShackRadioShackRadioShack Corporation is an American franchise of electronics retail stores in the United States, as well as parts of Europe, South America and Africa. As of 2008, RadioShack reported net sales and operating revenues of $4.81 billion. The headquarters of RadioShack is located in Downtown...
Model 100 is still widely collected and used as one of the earliest examples of a truly portable computer. Other Tandy offerings, such as the TRS-80TRS-80TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
line, are also very popular, and early systems, like the Model I, in good condition can command premium prices on the vintage computer market.
Sinclair
- The Sinclair ZX81 and ZX SpectrumZX SpectrumThe ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
series were the most popular British home computers of the early 1980s, with a wide choice of emulators available for both platforms. The Spectrum in particular enjoys a cult following due to its popularity as a games platform, with new games titles still being developed even today. Original "rubber key" Spectrums fetch the highest prices on the second hand market, with the later AmstradAmstradAmstrad is a British electronics company, now wholly owned by BSkyB. As of 2006, Amstrad's main business is manufacturing Sky Digital interactive boxes....
-built models attracting less of a following. The earlier ZX81 is not as popular in original hardware form due to its monochrome display and limited abilities next to the Spectrum, but dissembled ZX81 kits still appear on eBay occasionally and have been known to fetch prices running into hundreds of pounds.
Robotron
- The Robotron Z1013Robotron Z1013The Z1013 was an East German home computer produced by VEB Robotron. It had a U880 processor and a membrane keyboard....
was an East German home computer produced by VEB Robotron. It had a U880 processor, 16 kByte RAM and a membrane keyboard. - The KC 85KC 85The KC 85 were models of microcomputers built in East Germany, first in 1984 by Robotron and later by VEB Mikroelektronik "Wilhelm Pieck" Mühlhausen ....
series of computers was a modular 8 bit computer system used in East German schools
Internet
There are a number of sites on the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
catering to vintage computer hobbyists, including web pages, mailing lists, newsgroups, discussion forums, etc. Some are dedicated to certain specific systems while others are more generic and cover many different systems. Erik Klein's Vintage Computer Forum is one example of a discussion page covering all aspects of the hobby.
cctech, also known as the "Classic Computers Discussion List", is an electronic mailing list
Electronic mailing list
An electronic mailing list is a special usage of email that allows for widespread distribution of information to many Internet users. It is similar to a traditional mailing list — a list of names and addresses — as might be kept by an organization for sending publications to...
about old computer technology, and is run by the Classic Computing organization.
See also
- RetrogamingRetrogamingRetrogaming, also known as old-school gaming, is the hobby of playing and collecting older computer, video, and arcade games. These games are played either on the original hardware, on modern hardware via emulation, or on modern hardware via ports or compilations...
- Computer museumComputer museumA computer museum is devoted to the study of historic computer hardware and software, where a museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates, and exhibits the tangible and intangible...
- History of computer scienceHistory of computer scienceThe history of computer science began long before the modern discipline of computer science that emerged in the twentieth century, and hinted at in the centuries prior...
- History of computing hardwareHistory of computing hardwareThe history of computing hardware is the record of the ongoing effort to make computer hardware faster, cheaper, and capable of storing more data....
- Computer Conservation SocietyComputer Conservation SocietyThe Computer Conservation Society is a British organization, founded in 1989. It is under the joint umbrella of the British Computer Society, the Science Museum in London, and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Many of the society's meetings are held at the Science Museum...
- Computer History MuseumComputer History MuseumThe Computer History Museum is a museum established in 1996 in Mountain View, California, USA. The Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting the stories and artifacts of the information age, and exploring the computing revolution and its impact on our lives.-History:The museum's origins...
- SIMHSIMHSIMH is a highly portable, multi-system emulator which runs on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, OpenVMS, and other operating systems...
, the multi-system emulator. - Vintage Computer FestivalVintage Computer FestivalThe Vintage Computer Festival is an international event celebrating the history of computing. It is held annually in various locations around the United States and various countries internationally...
- KansasFestKansasFestKansasFest is an annual event for Apple II computer enthusiasts. Held every July at Rockhurst University of Kansas City, Missouri, KansasFest typically lasts five days and features presentations from Apple II experts and pioneers, as well as games, fun events, after-hours hallway chatter,...
- Home computer remake
- TrashwareTrashwareTrashware in North America or Totally reconditioned hardware in the UK and Ireland is computer equipment that is assembled from old hardware, using cleaned and checked parts from different computers, for use by disadvantaged people to bridge the digital divide.Trashware, with its social aims, is...
External links
- Retro Computer Museum, A computer museum in Leicestershire, UK with regular "come and play" open days.
- Vintage Computing Festival, Sponsoring vintage computer hobbyist gatherings around the world.
- The Classic Computing and Gaming Show, Yearly event held at the end of May in Cleveland, Ohio
- Mid Atlantic Retro-Computing Hobbyists (MARCH), Covering the east coast US, centered about the InfoAge MuseumInfoage Science/History Learning CenterThe Infoage Science/History Learning Center is a science center founded by Fred Carl that is located on the grounds of the former Camp Evans military base in Wall Township, New Jersey, approximately 30 miles from New York City, USA. Camp Evans is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
. - Eric S. RaymondEric S. RaymondEric Steven Raymond , often referred to as ESR, is an American computer programmer, author and open source software advocate. After the 1997 publication of The Cathedral and the Bazaar, Raymond was for a number of years frequently quoted as an unofficial spokesman for the open source movement...
's Retrocomputing Museum for reimplementations of old programming languageProgramming languageA programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
s. - RETRO - German paper mag about digital culture
- The Centre for Computing History The Centre for Computing History - UK Computer Museum
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbbf_NFYnAU Video Dr. Thomas Haddock "Guide to Collecting Microcomputers"