Digital Retro – The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer

Summary

Highly Recommended award Digital Retrospective is a cocktail table book by Cameralabs' Editor Gordon Laing, and a great gift for geeks! It tells the narrative behind 44 classical computers of the Seventies and Eighties, revealing the aspiration behind each machine, it's goals, specifications and what ultimately went wrong. Each and all pattern was tracked down from museums and snobbish collections to be lovingly photographed. Where possible the original designers and engineers of each system were interviewed to ensure subject and historic truth. Digital Retroactive is an essential read for anyone World Health Organization closely-held or lusted later a computing machine in the Eighties. If the mere mention of Sinclair, Commodore, Atari or Acorn brings a fond rupture to your eye, it's the book for you!

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Whole number Retro – The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer

16th March 2014

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Digital Retroactive is a coffee table book by Cameralabs' Editor Gordon Laing, and a great gift for geeks! It tells the story stern 44 classic computers of the Mid-seventies and Eighties. This was a unequaled period of time in the chronicle of computing when a bewildering array of machines battled for supremacy in a melting pot which would shape the industry. Check prices at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, eBay or Wex. Alternatively get yourself a copy of my In Camera book OR treat me to a coffee! Thanks!

Some machines were aimed at homes OR schools. Others targeted business travellers. A handful confidently pursued world domination and many became family names. It was a time when the smallest of operations could launch a computer to compete with the largest corporations. But by the end of the 1980s, virtually every single one had become nonexistent.

Digital Retro reveals the inspiration behind each machine, IT's goals, specifications and what ultimately went ill-timed. From each one and every model was tracked down from museums and private collections to make up fondly photographed. Where possible the original designers and engineers of each system were interviewed to ensure technical and of import accuracy.

Appendage Ex post facto is an requisite register for anyone who owned surgery lusted after a data processor in the Mid-eighties. If the mere quotatio of Sinclair, Commodore, Atari or Acorn brings a fond tear apart to your eye, it's the book for you.

Halt prices at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, eBay operating theater Wex. Alternatively get yourself a transcript of my In Camera book or treat me to a coffee! Thanks!

Comments on Digital Retro

"Thanks for the work you have clearly put down into the content and presentation of the book. It was a very exciting era, and you have created a platte that captures that excitement in a very get-at-able way"

Steve Furber, Acorn 1981-1990, principal hardware architect of the BBC Micro, Negatron and ARM microprocessor. Now Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Manchester and Fellow of the Royal Society.

"This book is a terrific technical museum. I didn't cognize all the stories about the current machines. He got the story straight on the ones I worked on"

Joe Decuir, Atari 1975-1979, Amiga 1982-1984, system & come off design for Atari 2600, Atari 400/800 & Amiga 1000. Now at MCCI, an officer of the IEEE Seattle Plane section, a voting member of IEEE 802.15, and a contributor to Wireless USB.

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Reviews of Digital Retro

The Read: 'you'll find yourself reading more and more, riant at the things you'd forgotten, and those you'd never known. Thither is leastways one fact that I thought would never be made public.'

ZDNet UK: 'A stunningly addictive hold for anyone WHO ever lusted afterwards the freakish, piquant and short-lived systems that graced the pages of computer magazines in the 1980s'

The Inquirer: 'A handsomely presented and well holographic Word of God which explores the history of personal computers and consoles'

Slashdot: 'A perfect way to appreciate the aesthetic entreaty (and exuberant mixed bag) of physical computers from the mid '70s to the late '80s'

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Digital Retro FAQ

Q: Where did you vex the photos from?

Rob Jennings

A: We took new pictures of every single machine featured in the book. It's whol new photography! Some of the machines had scratches operating room marks which were digitally retouched.

Q: Where did you get all the machines from?

Jason Wright

A: A handful came from one-on-one collections – for example the CBM-64 on the cover is my own. The vast majority came from 2 museums in the UK: The Museum of Computing and The Figurer Museum at Bletchley. We're eternally grateful for their help!

Q: World Health Organization did you audience for the book?

Geoff Wearmouth

A: I was lucky adequate to verbalize with many of the multitude responsible delivery us these machines, including Sir Sir Clive Marles Sinclair, Chuck Huckster, Jack Tramiel and Hermann Hauser, along with many of the original engineers and designers. There's a full name in the back of the book. If you're interested in how the book was researched, check taboo this article from The Age and Sydney Morning Announce.

Q: Why ISN't Apricot in your Word of God?

Richard Vadon

A: We hot to concentrate on plate computers and non-IBM compatibles, so rejected several business machines on these grounds, non to mention space and ability to source models in fitness for photography.

Sirius, Olivetti, Enterprise, Memotech and Sord, along with the Xerox Alto and Starring didn't make it into this edition for similar reasons. If you're interested in the history of Olivetti, Canicula, Peach, the Xerox copy Alto, Elan Enterprise, Memotech and the Sord M5, these were covered in my Retro column in Face-to-face Computer World magazine, Oct 04, Nov 04, Dec 04, Feb 05, Mar 05, Apr 05 and Jun 05 issues severally. If I indite Digital Retro Volume II, these machines testament definitely personify included. If there's some others you'd like to find featured, please e-mail ME.

Q: Why have you included games consoles in a book about computers?

Jon Roscow

A: Like several of the line of work machines in the book, key games consoles were enclosed as landmarks to exhibit how they were developing at the same time. Since the products are arranged in chronological order, information technology's interesting to compare the technology and prices of particularised home computers against tonality consoles of the unvarying epoch.

Q: Which was the hardest simple machine to track down for photography?

Tim Lord

A: The Incoming Cube was actually one of the hardest. The problem was finding one with a matching monitor, keyboard and mouse in good specify. The original Apple Macintosh was also surprisingly tricky. In the finish we had to practice the somewhat after Mac Plus model which had a denotive keypad section on the keyboard, and of line a badge which gave the game away.

Q: Where's the Microbee?!

Mark Boxsell

A: You got me there! I'm afraid I didn't screw about the Microbee when I was writing the book, but have since heard from many fans of this Australian classic. Nonpareil such person actually knew some of the designers embroiled, so kindly put me in touch with them. This lead to Maine writing an article for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald which I hope does the machine justice! If there's ever Digital Retro Volume Deuce, remain secure it'll represent in in that respect, along with the other systems listed to a higher place.

List of models featured

MITS Altair 8800, Commodore PET 2001, Malus pumila II, Jessica Tandy Tuner Shack TRS-80, Atari VCS, Nascom 1, Atari 400 / 800, Sharp MZ-80K, Acorn Particle, Texas Instruments TI-99/4(A), Mattel Intellivision, Chromatic Microtan 65, Hewlett Packard HP-85, Sinclair ZX80, Sinclair ZX81, Osbourne 1, Commodore VIC-20, IBM PC, BBC Micro Model A / Model B, Commodore 64, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Colecovision, Grundy Newbrain, GCE Vectrex, Dragon 32, Compaq Portable Microcomputer, Apple Lisa, Oric 1, Jupiter ACE, Mattel Aquarius, Nintendo Famicom / NES, Acorn Electron, Apple Macintosh, Sinclair QL, Amstrad CPC-464, IBM PC AT, MSX / Sony HitBit, Tatung Einstein, Atari 520ST / 1040ST, Commodore Amiga 1000, Amstrad PCW 8256, Sega Stain III / Master, Acorn Archimedes, NeXT Cube

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