Podcast Episodes

US v IBM

Episode 125

My coverage of the IBM System/360 continues! In this episode we look at US v IBM, and the fallout that surrounded the release of the System/360. By 1969 IBM already had a history of antitrust litiga…

Published on 1 year, 10 months ago

VCF SoCal - Interview with Micki and Steve

In this episode I sit down and talk with Micki and Steve about VCF SoCal, a new Vintage Computer Festival! The event is taking place in Orange, California on Febuary 16th and 17th. VCFs are a wonderf…

Published on 1 year, 11 months ago

The Full 360

Episode 124

The release of the IBM System/360 represents a major milestone in the history of computing. In 1964 IBM announced the 360 as the first family of compatible computers. Users could choose a system tha…

Published on 1 year, 11 months ago

The Jupiter Ace

Episode 123

Released in 1982, the Jupiter Ace is a fascinating little computer. It's hardware isn't much to write home about. It's just an 8-bit microcomputer very much in line with other systems of the era. Wh…

Published on 1 year, 11 months ago

To Edit Text

Episode 122

Tools are the most important programs in the world. Without quality tools it's impossible to write quality software. One of those most important of those tools, and the most hotly coveted, is the te…

Published on 2 years ago

Arguments Against Programming

Episode 121

Most accounts of the early history of programming languages all share something in common. They all have a sentence or two explaining how there was great resistance to these new languages, but event…

Published on 2 years ago

Simply COSMAC

Episode 120

Have you ever opined for a simpler time? Have you ever wanted a computer that you can understand all the way down to the silicon? Then RCA's COSMAC might be the architecture for you! COSMAC was a si…

Published on 2 years, 1 month ago

The Batch!

Episode 119

This episode we are looking at a ghost of bygone days: batch processing! Before fancy terminals peppered computer rooms, before there was a microcomputer on every desk, there was the batch. In this …

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Viral Dark Ages

Episode 118

It's finally Spook Month here on Advent of Computing! To kick things off I'm tackling a bit of a mystery. Between 1972 and 1982 there is only one well documented virus. This period is book ended wit…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

What's in a Byte?

Episode 117

Byte has to be one of the most recognizable parts of the digital lexicon. It's an incantation that can be recognized by even the uninitiated. But where does the byte come from? Has it always existed…

Published on 2 years, 3 months ago