Most Popular
1500 questions
44
votes
3 answers
Origin of the 8.3 file names scheme
On microcomputers, the famously laughed 8.3 file names (by Amiga and Mac users!) were used by PC/MS-DOS, which in turn inherited this limit from CP/M. But why did Gary Kildall use this scheme of eight plus three for CP/M?
Did Kildall impose the…
Krackout
- 1,528
- 11
- 20
44
votes
5 answers
Why didn't C++ specify filename extensions?
Apparently even today there is no single "official" standard for C++ file extensions. There are just common conventions.
To me this stands out as an anomaly... file extensions are heavily ingrained and I can't think of any other examples of such a…
StayOnTarget
- 3,856
- 1
- 24
- 41
44
votes
7 answers
Who invented the clipboard?
Just as the wheel, the clipboard on a computer is indeed a very useful invention!
Who came up with such bright idea?
Additionally, did it exist on non-graphical environments as well ?
Eric Cartman
- 6,760
- 5
- 35
- 59
44
votes
3 answers
How can I visit HTTPS websites in old web browsers?
I'm having trouble accessing HTTPS websites using Netscape Communicator 4.8. This is the error message I get:
Is there a way I can configure some sort of proxy that will allow me to access HTTPS websites over HTTP? Or any other solution to this…
Jaap Joris Vens
- 1,016
- 6
- 18
44
votes
11 answers
Was it actually possible to do the cartoon "coin on a string trick" for old arcade and slot machines?
In cartoons, you often see characters like Scrooge McDuck with a coin where they have drilled a hole in the middle and attached a string, enabling them to insert the coin multiple times and keep pulling it out from the machine repeatedly, tricking…
Dailey
- 407
- 4
- 4
44
votes
3 answers
Where did the free parameters of IEEE 754 come from?
It's clear where many of the design decisions of IEEE 754 floating point come from. For example, the binary format maximizes efficiency on binary hardware. And 32 and 64 bits for single and double precision make sense on machines with power of two…
rwallace
- 60,953
- 17
- 229
- 552
44
votes
3 answers
Were any of the books mentioned in this scene from the movie Hackers real?
In this scene from the 1995 movie Hackers, Cereal pulls out several books referred to by different colors of the "technicolor rainbow", including a "green one", "luscious orange", the "Pink Shirt book", the "Devil book", "Dragon book", and a very…
Neil Meyer
- 6,275
- 9
- 29
- 44
43
votes
7 answers
Latest web browser compatible with Windows 95 / 98
Do you know which is the latest web browser compatible with Windows 95 / 98?
At the moment I have an Opera 10 working fine; it is very lightweight but very outdated.
I assume that software that works in Windows 95 will work in Windows 98.
Daniel Perez
- 639
- 1
- 5
- 8
43
votes
1 answer
How did Super Mario Bros. 3 create this tunnel vision effect?
In a certain section of World 8's map, the screen is black except for a small circle surrounding Mario (as seen below during this speedrun).
After doing a little research, I discovered that the game's cartridge contains a special mapper chip. This…
user8077
43
votes
3 answers
How did Apple II BASIC programs protect against listing?
I seem to recall from my high-school days that certain Apple II programs protected themselves from being listed and therefore modified.
If you tried to do it, the machine would simply reboot.
How did they achieve this, and can it be bypassed to get…
user6464
43
votes
2 answers
What kind of keyboard or computer am I typing on?
What am I typing on? Is it a peripheral for the ZX81 in the back, or is it a computer in its own right?
Simon
- 532
- 4
- 7
43
votes
7 answers
Did any computers use the Z80B?
The Z80 was one of the most popular CPUs of the seventies and eighties. In almost all cases that I know of, the version used was the Z80A, rated for 4 MHz, sometimes clocked a little slower in order to match display hardware.
The Z80B, rated for 6…
rwallace
- 60,953
- 17
- 229
- 552
43
votes
1 answer
What do the keys on this Symbolics Space Cadet keyboard do?
Old keyboards like the one below seem to have contributed a lot to the design of modern keyboards. So, obviously, some of the keys are familiar because they are on my own average (modern Windows and Mac) keyboards, such as space bar, tab, return,…
Laurel
- 1,720
- 13
- 27
43
votes
2 answers
How did Windows ME "cripple" DOS?
Windows ME includes the ability to create a bootable DOS floppy. This floppy contains versions of COMMAND.COM and IO.SYS that are "crippled" to remove real mode. This is done with only one changed byte in each - it is easy enough to change this back…
wizzwizz4
- 18,543
- 10
- 78
- 144
43
votes
1 answer
What's this computer in the 1988 movie "Vampire's Kiss"?
This is a grab from a 1988 movie called Vampire's Kiss.
It has twin disk drives (5.25" from the looks) and what looks like a built-in printer?
Jonathan Potter
- 533
- 4
- 7