There was another encoding scheme for program distribution on paper. I
can't remember where it originated or when, late 80's seem about right...
But it looked like a (tv) screenshot of static on 8.5x11 or whatever and the
data density was pretty good..
Again, I'm not sure but I think 5-20k/pg. was advertised. Another still
born of the info age....
Mike: dogas(a)leading.net
< > As with all the others, it hung around for a year or so and then folde
< > People just didn't like the concept I suppose, or maybe it just wasn'
< > accurate enough (I don't know since I never actually used it).
Neither, it was an attempt to distribute software. With floppies
becomming more common and genrally dropping in price the floppy became
the preferred mode. At the same time BBS systems were becomming common
place enough to download software as well. In the larger view of
technology it was a attempt to solve a problem that other solutions
would displace.
Other interum solutions included those thin records distributed by
Interface Age that used the KC cassette interface standard.
Allison
>> 'Byte's early years were fun for hardware hackers - I wonder if
>> anybody actually got their 'barcode' software publishing scheme
>> to work. They had a few issues with pages of barcodes you were
>> supposedly able to read in with a wand.
> I can also recall some MacUser's from the mid-80's had some scheme where
> you could read in programs from the magazine with some form of wand, never
> really took of tho.
In Germany 'mc' (a more hardware orientated mag) tried also
this kind of barcode thing in the early 80s - but I think after
a year or so it faded away (the bar code, the magazine lasted
until 94 I think).
Gruss
Hans
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK
> Are the old Kilobauds worth anything?
> Old Bytes? 80 Micro?
> How about the issues of PC magazine that are more than 10 years old?
Shure - One year of Byte generates enough heat
to get a hot bath (I still have acces to a coal
heated shower :)
Gruss
Hans
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK
At 09:06 AM 11/7/98 -0800, Sellam wrote:
>
>Then of course there was the Causin SoftStrip reader. The Apple magazine
>Nibble (among others) used to print strips about 5/8" wide that you could
>cut out and run through the reader to load the published programs into
>your computer instead of typing in listings.
>
>Thanks to Kai's generosity I finally fulfilled my lifelong quest to obtain
>a SoftStrip reader at the VCF. I am complete.
Naw... you are only complete when you find a copy of the software to
generate the Causin bar codes (yes, they did actually sell it!) and start
archiving your software on reams of paper!
...and when you find it, I want a copy too!
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
> PC Magazine back in the early 90's had something that mentioned this. If I
> remember correctly it was one of the Dvorak columns. He mentioned that the
> 486SX was basically a marketing ploy by Intel to allow them to get rid of
> 486DX chips with defective Math CoPro units.
More or less there have been also 486SX with full working but
disabled FPUs, since the 486SX was also used to deploy a lower
price unit without touching the 'real' 486 price.
> As for a Math CoPro for the 486, I'm not sure I ever saw a 487 chip, but I
> always figured that they took the chips that didn't cut it as a normal
> processor but had a good Math CoPro, and sold them as 487's.
No, the 487 was just an 486DX with no modifications to the
processor it self - just (AFAIR) one of the former unused
pins now delivered a signal to disable the 486SX. So systems
with 486SX and 487 just had two complete CPUs (And double
power consumption :).
> I've no idea if this is true, but it made sense to me, since why through
> out a chip with a good processor, with you can just package it as a 486SX,
> and sell it at reduced cost. Sounds to me like everyone won. After all,
> how many people really felt the need for a Math CoProcessor in the early
> 90's?
Gee - I had a 8087 in my first XT - I never used it beside some
tests, but i HAD one - super power computer ! Yes, I wrote some
programms to play with the ability to have two concurent processors
running, but no real world app. And I still don't know for what a
FPU is usefull - Anything can still be done in integer - you just
have to think (sometimes a bit harder) about what you are about to
do.
Gruss
Hans
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK
Hello everybody
Have just subscribed to the list but want to say hi to the members.
My projects involve bringing an Altair back to life and trying to save
some of the software, migrating from cassette to audio CD and adding
to documentation.
Just curious if anyone remembers a magazine called "Kilobaud" - Seems
like it had a short life.
Chuck
cswiger(a)widomaker.com
Hello, all:
While cleaning my lab, I came across a DEC LA100 main board. Does anyone
need this?
Rich Cini/WUGNET
- ClubWin!/CW7
- MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
- Collector of "classic" computers
<========= reply separator ==========>
>>The problem you're encountering isn't an error in math, it's an error in
>>understanding. You're misunderstanding is common becayse Ebay words thier
>>rules rather crappily.
>>You are charged 5% of all sales up to $25 PLUS an additional 2.5% for $25
to $1000.
>>So using the printer that sold for $41, you get charged 5% for the first
>>$25 (1.25) then 2.5% for the additional $16 (.40) for a total of $1.65.
>>I know, it's a weird system :)
You may think that it is wierd for ePay, but it's not uncommon to United
States citizens as a whole. That type of system, called a marginal rate
scale, is used by the Internal Revenue Service (but called "tax brackets")
for calculating your Income Tax. Yes, folks, ePay uses the same system as
the US Government uses. The only difference is that the IRS marginal rate
increases as the scale goes up; ePay's goes down.
Rich Cini/WUGNET
- ClubWin!/CW7
- MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
- Collector of "classic" computers
<========= reply separator ==========>
Speaking of which, does anyone have any 387 chips to go in a laptop?
I guess they're the pinless variety.
>>Speaking of which, I read in a PC repair book that the 486SX is a
>>486DX with certain lines cut to disable the math coprocessor. The
>>thing that went into the coprocessor socket was a rebranded 486DX
>>that took over all functions of the SX when installed. Anyone know
>>about this?
>
>PC Magazine back in the early 90's had something that mentioned this.
If I
>remember correctly it was one of the Dvorak columns. He mentioned that
the
>486SX was basically a marketing ploy by Intel to allow them to get rid
of
>486DX chips with defective Math CoPro units.
>
>As for a Math CoPro for the 486, I'm not sure I ever saw a 487 chip,
but I
>always figured that they took the chips that didn't cut it as a normal
>processor but had a good Math CoPro, and sold them as 487's.
>
>I've no idea if this is true, but it made sense to me, since why
through
>out a chip with a good processor, with you can just package it as a
486SX,
>and sell it at reduced cost. Sounds to me like everyone won. After
all,
>how many people really felt the need for a Math CoProcessor in the
early
>90's? I added one to a 386sx laptop in January of '94 when I was
forced to
>go from my 486DX/33 to a 386SX/16 laptop since I was mainly using it
for
>Linux, and didn't want to have to emulate the math functions, still I
don't
>know that I needed it.
>
> Zane
>| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Adminstrator |
>| healyzh(a)ix.netcom.com (primary) | Linux Enthusiast |
>| healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector |
>+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
>| Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, |
>| and Zane's Computer Museum. |
>| http://www.dragonfire.net/~healyzh/ |
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
