12 May
1997
12 May
'97
4:57 a.m.
On Mon, 12 May 1997, A.R. Duell wrote:
Of course many things (sound, hi-res graphics, etc)
were impossible, but
the system did work to some extent. Programs were transmitted on
broadcast-band radio (the BBC radio 4 station transmitted them in the
middle of the night as something called the 'chip shop takeaway service'
(!) - the 'chip shop' was a radio programme that covered home computing at
that time). You recorded these programs off-air using a normal tape
recorder and played them back into your machine after loading the
translator tape.
I must say quite bluntly, that's fucken cool. That is unadulterated,
undisputable, irrepressible coolness to the nth degree. Wide-band, mass
software distribution. There's something you won't see today.
Sam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass