ππΎποΈ Day 1: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Apple II ππΎποΈ
We kick things off with the legendary Apple II! Released in 1977, it was one of the first highly successful personal computers, known for its revolutionary design, colorful graphics, and expandability. Created by Steve Wozniak, the Apple II sparked the personal computing revolution.
This was Ladyada's first computer, used at school to learn touch-typing, write essays, LOGO, and make calendars with print shop
The games are now memes - Number Munchers, Oregon Trail, and Odell Lake. Almost 40 years later, we can still hear the teacher telling us to "Kill the Corvus"
and carefully placing our 5.25" diskette in the hard case after class to take it home.
ππΎποΈ Day 4: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - The DEC PDP-11! ππΎποΈ
Released by Digital Equipment Corporation in 1970, the PDP-11 was a 16-bit minicomputer known for its orthogonal instruction set, allowing flexible and efficient programming. It introduced a Unibus architecture, which streamlined data communication and helped revolutionize computer design, making hardware design more modular and scalable. The PDP-11 was important in developing operating systems, including the early versions of UNIX. The PDP-11 was the hardware foundation for developing the C programming language and early UNIX systems. It supported multiple operating systems like RT-11, RSX-11, and UNIX, which directly shaped modern OS design principles. With over 600,000 units sold, the PDP-11 is celebrated as one of its era's most versatile and influential "minicomputers".
Check out the wikipedia page for some great history, photos (pictured here), and more -
And here's a story from Adafruit team member, Bill!
The DEC PDP-11 was the one of the first computers I ever programmed. That program was 'written' with a soldering iron.
I was an art student at the time, but spending most of my time in the engineering labs. There was a PDP-11-34 in the automation lab connected to an X-ray spectroscopy machine. Starting up the machine required toggling in a bootstrap loader via the front panel. This was a tedious process. So we ordered a diode-array boot ROM which had enough space to program 32 sixteen bit instructions.
Each instruction in the boot sequence needed to be broken down into binary (very straightforward with the PDP-11 instruction set). For each binary '1', a diode needed to be soldered into the array. The space was left empty for each '0'. 32 sixteen bit instructions was more than sufficient to load a secondary bootstrap from the floppy disk to launch the RT-11 operating system. So now it was possible to boot the system with just the push of a button.
I worked with a number DEC PDP-11/LSI-11 systems over the years. I still keep an LSI-11-23 system around for sentimental reasons.
Have first computer memories? Postβem up in the comments, or post yours on socialzβ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing β See you back here tomorrow!
ππΎποΈ Day 13: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar -πAmiga 500 πΎποΈ
The Amiga 500 is considered one of Commodore's most important home computers, introduced in 1987; it was important because of how advanced the features were for the time. It was based on a Motorola 68000 CPU running at 7.16 MHz in NTSC versions and at 7.09 MHz for PAL ones, with the main version of 512 KB RAM expandable up to 9 MB. Its OCS provided respectable graphics performance, going up to 736Γ567 interlaced, with 32 colors out of 4096. The sound system consisted of four 8-bit PCM channels and could give out stereo at as high as 28 kHz. With the keyboard integrated and a compact design, it was ready for home users, while the multitasking operating system, AmigaOS, differentiated it from the rest. At a price the market could afford and featuring multimedia capabilities, this combination contributed to its popularity as it went on to sell about 2.6 million units worldwide.
Making of the Amiga bouncing ball.
https://www.generationamiga.com/2020/04/14/amiga-history-the-story-of-the-boing-ball/
Have first computer memories? Postβem up in the comments, or post yours on socialzβ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing β See you back here tomorrow!
ππΎποΈ Day 2: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar brings us the TRS-80! ππΎποΈ
Released in 1977, the TRS-80 (also lovingly called the "Trash-80") was a popular personal computer by Radio Shack and Tandy Corporation. Designed for affordability and approachability, it was one of the first mass-market computers, bringing computers into homes, schools, and small businesses.
Powered by a Zilog Z80 processor running at 1.77 MHz, the TRS-80 Model I came with 4KB of RAM (expandable to 16KB) and an 8KB ROM, preloaded with the Microsoft BASIC programming language. Its black-and-white display supported a resolution of 64x16 characters. It used external cassette tapes for storage, which offered a low-cost solution before floppy drives became more available.
The TRS-80's also had an ecosystem. Radio Shack offered complete setups, monitors, printers, and software - making it easy for beginners. The machine became a favorite for hobbyists and programmers, popularizing early text-based adventure games, educational software, and business applications.
Eventually overtaken by the IBM PC and Apple systems, the TRS-80's legacy lives on!
I had some so-so photos, but these from the Smithsonian are the best I've seen, along with their section on their site -
Have TRS-80 memories, or retro computing memories? Postβem up in the comments, or post yours on socialzβ and tag them #retrocomputing #firstcomputer #electronics see you back here tomorrow!
ππΎποΈ Day 9: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - The Apple Lisa ππΎποΈ
The Apple Lisa, introduced on January 19, 1983, was a pioneering personal computer notable for its graphical user interface (GUI) and mouse input, a big departure from text-based command-line interfaces. Featured a Motorola 68000 CPU running at 5 MHz, 1 MB of RAM (expandable to 2 MB), and a 12-inch monochrome display with a resolution of 720Γ364 pixels. The system initially included dual 5.25-inch "Twiggy" floppy drives, later replaced by a single 3.5-inch Sony floppy drive in the Lisa 2 model. An optional 5 or 10 MB external ProFile hard drive provided more storage.
The Lisa's price of $9,995 (equivalent to approximately $30,600 in 2023) and performance issues held back its commercial success; sales were estimated at about 10,000 units.
It introduced advanced concepts such as memory protection and a document-oriented workflow, which influenced future Apple products and personal computing.
The Lisa's legacy had a huge impact on Apple computers, specifically the Macintosh line, which adopted and refined many of its features. While the Lisa was not exactly a commercial success, its contributions to the evolution of user-friendly computing interfaces are widely recognized in computing history.
These screen pictures come from Adafruit fan Philip " It still boots up from the Twiggy hard drive and runs. It also has a complete Pascal Development System." β¦"mine is a Lisa 2 with the 3.5β floppy and the 5 MB hard disk. In addition all of the unsold Lisa machines reached an ignominious end."
What end was that? From the Verge -
Watch our investigative documentary about the secret burial of the Apple Lisa.
In September 1989, according to a news article, Apple buried about 2,700 unsold Lisa computers in Logan, Utah at a very closely guarded garbage dump. The Lisa was released in 1983, and it was Appleβs first stab at a truly modern, graphically driven computer: it had a mouse, windows, icons, menus, and other things weβve all come to expect from βuser-friendlyβ desktops. It had those features a full year before the release of the Macintosh.
Article, and videoβ¦
Check out the Apple Lisa page on Wikipedia
, the Computer History's article -
CHM publicly releases the source code to Apple's Lisa computer, including its system and applications software.
and the National Museum of American History β Behring center -
The Apple Lisa introduced the graphic user interface (GUI) into the Apple Computer Corporation's line of personal computers. Instead of usin
Have first computer memories? Postβem up in the comments, or post yours on socialzβ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing β See you back here tomorrow!
ππΎποΈ Day 3: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar presents the Commodore VIC-20! ππΎποΈ
The VIC-20 β¨οΈπΊπΉοΈ, released in 1980 by Commodore, was the first computer to sell over a million units. It had a 6502 CPU running at 1 MHz, 5 KB of RAM (expandable), and displayed up to 22 characters per line on a color-capable screen. An affordable and friendly computer, the VIC-20 was great at games and basic programming and was supported by a library of software and peripherals. It connected to TVs for display and included Commodore's BASIC interpreter for programming. Its success allowed other computers like the Commodore 64 to make its mark.
And since this is a #firstcomputer celebration here's a fantastic story from Jeff -
My first home computer was the Commodore VIC-20. I must have been in second grade (1986/1987). My Dad was working somewhere away from home, but one weekend Mom drove us two kids to spend the night at the motel that was his home base.
He had bought this computer, the VIC-20, and hooked it up to the hotel TV. I remember entering the program pictured below (probably Mom typed it in, actually) and being blown away by the birds flapping their wings across the screen.
The other distinct memory I have is the next morning my folks woke me up and asked whether I was hungry. No, I very much wanted to play with the VIC-20, so I made up the most obvious word that came to mind: "No, I'm Vic-y". I think they were very puzzled. We probably went and had breakfast regardless of whether we wanted to see the birds flying again.
Check out the wikipedia page for some great history, photos (pictured here), and more -
And the COMMODORE vic-20 commercial commercial compilation, featuring William Shatner.
Have first computer memories? Postβem up in the comments, or post yours on socialzβ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing - See you back here tomorrow!
ππΎποΈ Day 14: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Atari 400/800ππΎποΈ
The Atari 8-bit computer line was launched in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. Both were advanced for home computers at the time. Both were driven by a 1.79 MHz MOS Technology 6502 CPU, with ANTIC and CTIA/GTIA custom chips for advanced graphics and the POKEY chip handling sound and input/output duties. The Atari 800 was the premium model, featuring a full mechanical keyboard, user-expandable to 48 KB of memory, more metal shielding, and more durability. The Atari 400 was a lower-cost alternative with a membrane keyboard, limited to 16 KB of RAM, and a simplified construction.
With hardware-accelerated scrolling, Player/Missile graphics, and rich sound, the Atari 8-bit systems were known for gaming and creative applications. They were a versatile platform with cartridge-based software, cassette, and floppy disk storage. Atari's proprietary SIO (Serial Input/Output) port allowed daisy-chaining peripherals such as printers, modems, and disk drives, making connecting them easier than with other systems.
Newer models were more compact, combined memory expansion to as much as 128KB, and compatibility with developing software and peripherals improved. Atari's 8-bit computers are remembered for having groundbreaking hardware and a very colorful game library, and they are still being used by the retrocomputing community.
While doing research for this, I saw the XE Game System, never saw it before, very 80s for sure!
The Atari XEGS (XE Game System) was launched in 1987. A repackaged 65XE with a removable keyboard, it boots to the 1981 port of Missile Command instead of BASIC if the keyboard is disconnected.
Have first computer memories? Postβem up in the comments, or post yours on socialzβ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing β See you back here tomorrow!
ππΎποΈ Day 15: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - BBC MicroππΎποΈβ¨οΈπ¬π§
The BBC Micro was an 8-bit microcomputer introduced in 1981 by Acorn Computers under the BBC Computer Literacy Project of the UK, launched with a 6502A processor running at 2 MHz, supported 16 KB to 32 KB of RAM, and featuring a BASIC environment. The machine was versatile, having very good-for-its-time graphics and multi-colors. Expansion capability for educational and experimental use with an assortment of I/O ports, which included a 1 MHz bus, user port, and cassette interface.
The BBC Micro was known for its reliability and emphasis on teaching programming and computer science. The system software, Acorn MOS, was simple and intuitive. With peripherals such as floppy drives and second processors, it performed tasks well beyond its initial use and extended its lifetime by at least a decade or more.
The BBC Micro also pushed forward a lot of gaming and software since this open architecture inspired a thriving community of developers. It also played a big role in the development of the ARM architecture by Acorn Computers, which would change the way modern computers are made in years to come. The BBC Micro has a special place in computing history, which expanded education and brought computing to schools and society through the 1980s.
Have first computer memories? Postβem up in the comments, or post yours on socialzβ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing β See you back here tomorrow!
