8 Jun
2001
8 Jun
'01
11:36 a.m.
In a box of Apple II equipment from a school I found three of what I
understand to be Infocipher receivers. Is anbody familiar with these?
Do any services still exist that use them? I read the devices
communicate at 9600bps and the one is even labeled "Desk Top Data
Demodulator". Are these really much different than cable modems?
Thanks,
Tom
Applefritter
www.applefritter.com
8 Jun
8 Jun
11:49 a.m.
Finally one I know.....
At one time these supported a kind of one way newsfeed... If your cable
system was so equipped these boxes would decode a stream of data and send
it on to a dedicated MAC/PC that would sort articles into catagories. It
was sort of like a newsfeed without it being interactive.
I remember we were given a (postal) mailing address to sent notes
to... they would transcribe the notes and add them to the system.
I already had access to USENET and thought it a bit archaic then... Then
was a long time ago.
Think of it as a teletext service without any graphics....
George Rachor
=========================================================
George L. Rachor Jr. george(a)rachors.com
Hillsboro, Oregon http://rachors.com
United States of America Amateur Radio : KD7DCX
On Fri, 8 Jun 2001, Tom Owad wrote:
In a box of Apple II equipment from a school I found
three of what I
understand to be Infocipher receivers. Is anbody familiar with these?
Do any services still exist that use them? I read the devices
communicate at 9600bps and the one is even labeled "Desk Top Data
Demodulator". Are these really much different than cable modems?
Thanks,
Tom
Applefritter
www.applefritter.com
1:40 p.m.
At 07:36 PM 6/8/01 -0400, Tom Owad wrote:
In a box of Apple II equipment from a school I found
three of what I
understand to be Infocipher receivers. Is anbody familiar with these?
Do any services still exist that use them? I read the devices
communicate at 9600bps and the one is even labeled "Desk Top Data
Demodulator". Are these really much different than cable modems?
I've got one, too. I used it on an Amiga. They had PC software
for them, too. They were quite cool devices. I never figured
out why they didn't catch on. 9600 baud, 24 hours a day, in a
compressed and packeted stream. Megabytes a day, back in the days
of 2400 baud modems.
The software showed a menu of message forums to read, some
user-driven via a dial-up BBS on a mainframe, but most were
news feeds and wire service copy.
There was also a menu of files that you could download.
You selected what you wanted, and presto, it would show up on
your hard disk within 24 hours as those packets flew by.
Mine had an extra card that decrypted the 15-minute delay stock
ticker. The devices were cheap - maybe $100 in 1989 - and
there were no further service charges unless you had the stock
ticker.
I seem to remember that the entire Rogers cable network
broadcast the data, and I could get the data here in SE Wisconsin
even though the modems were not advertised locally. Sometime
within the last three years, the data feed stopped. I think
I have notes about it somewhere.
- John
2:02 p.m.
New subject: new source for ZILOG parts
I just got a notification, in case anyone's interested, that Rochester
Electronics, www.rocelec.com, a "beyond-end-of-life" surplus IC vendor is to
begin offering the Zilog line of discontinued devices. Maybe that will help
some of us maintain our old 1980's 8-bitters. They're not cheap, but they are
better than not getting your machine fixed.
Dick
10:51 a.m.
New subject: new source for ZILOG parts
From: "John Allain"
<allain(a)panix.com>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Subject: Re: new source for ZILOG parts
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2001 22:35:11 -0400
Reply-to: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
they are
better than not getting your machine fixed.
Let's hear it! Everyone Spay or Neuter your old classic
or before you know you whole house will be overrun with
classiccmp's. 
2:57 p.m.
New subject: new source for ZILOG parts
they are
better than not getting your machine fixed.
Let's hear it! Everyone Spay or Neuter your old classic
or before you know you whole house will be overrun with
classiccmp's. 
9 Jun
9 Jun
8:47 a.m.
New subject: new source for ZILOG parts
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12 Jun
12 Jun
1:11 a.m.
New subject: new source for ZILOG parts
> > they are better than not getting your
machine fixed.
> Let's hear it! Everyone Spay or Neuter your old classic
> or before you know you whole house will be overrun with
> classiccmp's.
You mean, they mate?? My stars, man, what disfigured
progeny would result
if my Commodore 128 took an insatiable fancy to the PCjr? I won't tolerate
such rabid immorality betwixt cohabiting systems!
(Besides, how could you tell which one is which
gender? :-)
Just check the plugs ... and in case, they are fast in useing
a gender bender for this purpose ...
Gruss
H.
SCNR
--
VCF Europa 3.0 am 27./28. April 2002 in Muenchen
http://www.vcfe.org/
4:57 a.m.
New subject: new source for ZILOG parts
Hey! I've LONG had the problem that, once you let a computer into your house,
they bring their relatives, and their friends, and eventually your house simply
has a narrow path to the bathroom and kitchen, and, if you're lucky, to the
bedroom, though that may be cluttered with literature ... the rest being filled
with computer hardware. I also find I have about 500 diskettes, of which about
15 have labels, yet each one, when I suddenly decide I need a diskette, has
something of potential value on it ... but no label.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hans Franke" <Hans.Franke(a)mch20.sbs.de>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2001 7:11 AM
Subject: Re: new source for ZILOG parts
> > they
are better than not getting your machine fixed.
> Let's hear it! Everyone Spay or Neuter your old classic
> or before you know you whole house will be overrun with
> classiccmp's.
You mean, they mate?? My stars, man, what
disfigured progeny would result
if my Commodore 128 took an insatiable fancy to the PCjr? I won't tolerate
such rabid immorality betwixt cohabiting systems!
(Besides, how could you tell which one is which
gender? :-)
Just check the plugs ... and in case, they are fast in useing
a gender bender for this purpose ...
Gruss
H.
SCNR
--
VCF Europa 3.0 am 27./28. April 2002 in Muenchen
http://www.vcfe.org/
8 Jun
8 Jun
4:21 p.m.
New subject: new source for ZILOG parts
EGAD! What a twisted bunch.
... reminds me of me ...
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Allain" <allain(a)panix.com>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2001 8:35 PM
Subject: Re: new source for ZILOG parts
they are
better than not getting your machine fixed.
Let's hear it! Everyone Spay or Neuter your old classic
or before you know you whole house will be overrun with
classiccmp's.
John A.
oops, too late
2:59 p.m.
You could also get them for General Instruments Satellite TV descramblers.
There was an Infocipher port on the back.
Brian.
John Foust wrote:
At 07:36 PM 6/8/01 -0400, Tom Owad wrote:
>In a box of Apple II equipment from a school I found three of what I
>understand to be Infocipher receivers. Is anbody familiar with these?
>Do any services still exist that use them? I read the devices
>communicate at 9600bps and the one is even labeled "Desk Top Data
>Demodulator". Are these really much different than cable modems?
11:21 p.m.
I seem to remember that the entire Rogers cable network
broadcast the data, and I could get the data here in SE Wisconsin
even though the modems were not advertised locally. Sometime
within the last three years, the data feed stopped. I think
I have notes about it somewhere.
Is there anything at all these might still be used for?
Tom
Applefritter
www.applefritter.com
12 Jun
12 Jun
2:01 a.m.
At 07:21 AM 6/9/01 -0400, Tom Owad wrote:
I don't think so. Some other details come floating out of my
brain... They were broadcast on channel 66 or 67 cable.
And the company later mutated into a name called Genius.
- John
I seem to
remember that the entire Rogers cable network
broadcast the data, and I could get the data here in SE Wisconsin
even though the modems were not advertised locally. Sometime
within the last three years, the data feed stopped. I think
I have notes about it somewhere.
Is there anything at all these might still be used for?
8596
days inactive
8600
days old
13 comments
10 participants
participants (10)
-
allain＠panix.com -
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
broth＠heathers.stdio.com -
edick＠idcomm.com -
george＠racsys.rt.rain.com -
Hans.Franke＠mch20.sbs.de -
jfoust＠threedee.com -
jpero＠sympatico.ca -
owad＠applefritter.com -
spectre＠stockholm.ptloma.edu