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1500 questions
16
votes
5 answers
Did the original Macintosh not have any MIDI or similar music capabilities?
The original version of Shadowgate for the Macintosh is an eerie experience after you have played the NES version, with its amazing soundtrack. The Mac version is entirely mute, save for some random sound samples which seem to be recorded with a…
user27284
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4 answers
Is it possible to detect a CGA card on an IBM PC 5150 by write/reading the Motorola 6845?
I am trying to programatically detect the CGA card on old IBM 5150-ish PCs.
The Paku Paku game source code doesn't directly detect it. The strategy is to detect VGA, EGA, Tandy, PCJr, etc etc, then if none of those "hit", assume it is CGA. Similar…
don bright
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16
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2 answers
What's this mysterious dynamic RAM board in my Heathkit H8?
I recently acquired a Heathkit H8 computer. It only has two boards plugged into the bus: the processor board that every H8 has, and another board, which is apparently a dynamic RAM board.
I can't find any identifying markings on the DRAM board. It…
Willis Blackburn
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16
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1 answer
Did Digital Research clean-room MS-DOS?
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DR-DOS
DR-DOS (written as DR DOS, without a hyphen, in versions up to and including 6.0) is a disk operating system for IBM PC compatibles. Upon its introduction in 1988, it was the first DOS attempting to be…
rwallace
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16
votes
2 answers
Long Term Prevalence of 8080 Code Over Z80 Code in Software Packages
TL;DR:
The Z80 was introduced not long after the 8080 and replaced it quickly and almost entirely for personal computing. Still, a large chunk of new software written stayed with 8080 code, making no or only very limited use of Z80 instructions.
Are…
Raffzahn
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16
votes
4 answers
Computers with integrated monitor (all-in-one form factor)
The Commodore PET had an all-in-one form factor where the monitor was fused into the rest of the computer, making a single unit, not dissimilar to some early terminals like the VT100. This is undesirable; it makes the computer hard to lift safely,…
rwallace
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16
votes
1 answer
Why did the Atari 800 have a flying RF lead?
The Atari 800 had a nice range of output sockets: four joystick ports at the front:
Along the right hand side, a serial interface (SIO) port, an S-video type output, and a power jack socket:
However, at the rear there was a (rather daft) flying…
Greenonline
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16
votes
2 answers
What was the last terminal to include a physical bell?
Drew asks:
… what was the latest terminal produced which rang a physical bell rather than beeping through a speaker?
scruss
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16
votes
2 answers
Why did Microsoft start Windows NT at all?
A related question is: why was the existing Windows not ported to the Intel i860?
In 1985 Windows 1.0 was released. AFAIK it had everything: Win32 API, DOS support, multi-tasking. The last OS of this production line was Windows ME in 2000.
Why did…
zomega
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16
votes
1 answer
Was any DRAM ever slower than 2 MHz?
4096-bit dynamic RAM chips were commonly used for main memory in microcomputers of the late seventies. According to the Mostek MK4096 datasheet, it was sold in various speed grades, with the slowest having a cycle time of 500 ns, corresponding to a…
rwallace
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16
votes
7 answers
Was any indentation-sensitive language ever used with a teletype or punch cards?
Most programming languages delimit block structure with punctuation e.g. { ... } or keywords e.g. begin ... end. However, some languages such as Python and Haskell delimit it with indentation (sometimes called the 'offside rule') on the theory that…
rwallace
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16
votes
3 answers
Z80 is making weird relative jump errors. How can that be?
My little Z80 breadboard project got stuck in the mud where I am pulling my hair out. It looks like the CPU is making a calculation error on a relative jump. Here is my code, and I don't think ZX Spectrum or things like this. I don't have any I/O…
Gunther Schadow
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16
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4 answers
Can the CSG 65CE02 CPU be used to accelerate an Apple //e or //c?
The CSG 65CE02 is an improved 6502 microprocessor that was shipped in small quantities by Commodore around 1988. It is used in the Amiga A2232 multi-port serial controller card, and that would be the source for scavenging one for the Apple.
The…
Brian H
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16
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3 answers
Is there any significant difference in Sinclair BASIC of ZX80, ZX81 and ZX Spectrum?
I'm trying to write some programs from an old magazine that were specified to run on an ZX80/ZX81 but I'm using a Sinclair BASIC interpreter for the Spectrum.
Is there any significant changes in BASIC instructions for those computers?
d'Arby
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16
votes
5 answers
What were the incentives behind WinWord.Concept computer virus?
I've just read this passage on the October 1995 issue of Virus Bulletin:
WinWord.Concept
The WinWord.Concept virus reported in last month’s Virus Bulletin has been found on at least one CD-ROM. Shortly after the journal’s September edition went to…
sourcream
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