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The Laptop, Circa 1968

Posted by timothy on from the some-turtles-have-nice-shells dept.

Harry writes "In 1968, computers tended to occupy entire rooms, and were therefore hard to take with you. But Computerworld reports on Anderson Jacobson's 75-pound Teletype-terminal-in-a-case, an early attempt to let folks compute from anywhere. (Well, anywhere they had power and access to a telephone for the Teletype's acoustic coupler.) Wheels were optional."

10 of 120 comments (clear)

  1. Aristotle by flyingfsck · · Score: 4, Funny

    Even Aristotle commented 2300 years ago, about how men and things were always purported to be bigger and better in the distant past. It really seems that geeks must have been much bigger and stronger in 1968.

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    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  2. Even back then... by coolgeek · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Can't wait till they come out with the 300 baud version"

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    cat /dev/null >sig
    1. Re:Even back then... by Mitchell314 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Nah. 64 baud is all you'll ever need.

      - "But can they run asynchronous?"

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      I read TFA and all I got was this lousy cookie
  3. Re:Once upon a time by ZiakII · · Score: 3, Funny

    Think about what could porn could you look at back then, then tell me if you would still make the trade.

  4. The true first portable modern computer... by galaad2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    However, the true* first portable computer began its early development in 1956, got approved in 1958 and entered active service in 1962: (*=The one that melts your face off)

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/05/tob_minuteman_1/print.html

    quote from TFA:

    the American government was already rocking a line of cutting-edge portable computers that -- had they only been more widely released -- would have melted any tech lover's heart. And their face. And probably most everything within a mile radius.

    We're speaking, of course, of the first-ever guidance system baked into the US Minuteman 1 nuclear missile. Maximum portability: about 9,700 km (6,000 mi). Target demographic: Commies.

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    root@127.0.0.1
  5. Re:Portables vs. Transportables by Korin43 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Based on my experience with LAN parties, anything that isn't bolted to the ground is "portable".

  6. Re:CFLAGS by Culture20 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Have anyone installed gentoo on it? I would like which CFLAGS to use whit it so to have lightning fast system.

    Still compiling the kernel. I'll let you know in 2014.

    BTW Anyone had compiz running on it?

    Now you're pulling my leg.

  7. Re:Once upon a time by Fishchip · · Score: 2, Funny

    You know how excited we got at porn dithered to CGA-grade grayscale and took at least 20min per picture to download?

  8. Slashdvertizement! by snikulin · · Score: 3, Funny

    Shame on you, astroturfers.

  9. Re:I used one of these... by kv9 · · Score: 3, Funny

    (Yes, I'm a bit above the median age for slashdot readers.)

    I could have never guessed by your username...

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    Stop Computers/Cars Analogies on S