Slashdot Mirror

The Linus Write-top was a beige laptop which used handwriting recognition. It's essentially a very large precursor to the Palm Pilot. My dad has one.

Anyway, here's a few more British historical computing links for those who like nostaligia. If anyone would like to add some links to sites about other historical computers- of any nation- I'd be most interested.

• The Vintage Computer Festival (version 3.0 coming in October!)
• The Blinkenlights Institute
• The Computer History Association of California (Currently inactive, but still lotsa links)
• My own Classic Computer Collection (plug, plug)

There are plenty more, but those should give you enough to get started, and each has lots of links to explore.

"What's the chronology of Altairs, Z-80s, Apples, Macs, XTs, ATs?"

And don't forget the Vintage Computer Festival.

Then, of course, there's always my collection. 8^)

In the last day or so, I've received inquiries from someone using a Canon Cat (Early work processor) and from someone still using an Epson HC-40 (early portable CP/M machine.)

They contacted me because of my classic computer collection.

There are, however, still plenty of people out there using Altairs and Model 100's and GRiD's and all the other well-known and not-so-well-known personal computers, probably going all the way back to the very first.

Not everyone has succombed to the idea that if it isn't the latest and greatest computer hardware and software, it doesn't work. I drive a 1959 Land Rover; it still gets me where I want to go. Likewise, a lot of people still use computers that do what they need to do without the cost, complexity, and learning curve that newer machines represent.

Unfortunately, Dell is ignoring the fact that the IBM PC and its successors more than anything else to destroy the innovation, creativity, and variety that had existed previously in the computer industry. Very few desktop "PC's" are collectible; virtually none would be of interest to a museum of any quality or reputation.

If you really want to see older computers, come to the Vintage Computer Festival this fall.

Some of the ideas and innovations you mentioned should rightly be credited to Douglas Englebart. They worked together, and Englebart wasn't the only one on the team, but the work at PARC came after the work done in the late 60's at the Stanford Research Institute.

(I know a web page where a supposedly knowledgeable person tells a reputable interviewer that the Gavilan was the first laptop computer. (Not even close.))

And contrary to popular opionion, the MITS machine was not the first PC. (Not even close.)

Furthermore, he left out all kinds of important milestones:

• Doug Englebart and co's work with the mouse, user interfaces, and more (1969)
• The Xerox Parc innovations, including GUI's, ethernet, laser printers, and more (mid-70's)
• Dynalogic, Kyocera, GRiD, Sharp, and more, who gave us portable computing as we know it (early 80's)

There are plenty of others, of course. Some of the names he left out -- Englebart, Metcalfe, Kay, Berkeley, Sutherland, and so on, are equally, if not more, important than the names on his list.

To find out more [plug:] check out the Vintage Computer Festival or my site.

This guy did a bad job of research resulting in another incomplete and misleading web page.

See also http:/ /www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/compi lers/free/part2/faq.html for a PL/M compiler, and http://home.sol.no/~egilk/download.html for a PL/M to C converter.

While you're at it, [Plug] check out my classic computers site and the Vintage Computer Festival.[/Plug]

P.S., Don't forget to check out the Vintage Computer Festival if you're interested in computer history (which, of course, has a direct bearing on the future of computers.)