The Osborne 1 with Lee Felsenstein

Welcome to episode 91 of the Floppy Days Podcast for May, 2019.

In the timeline for personal computer introductions, we are now in the year 1981.  For this episode we are going to be talking about the Osborne 1.

The Osborne 1 was the first commercially successful portable microcomputer, released on April 3, 1981 by Osborne Computer Corporation (OCC).  It was powered by the Z80 CPU at a blazing 4MHz, weighed 24.5 lb, cost US$1,795, and ran the CP/M operating system. It was powered from a wall socket, as it had no on-board battery, but is a portable device since it can be hand-carried when packed.  The computer shipped with a large bundle of software that was almost equivalent in value to the machine itself.

The Osborne 1 was the brain child of Adam Osborne and was brilliantly engineered by Lee Felsenstein.  So, who better to have help me talk about the machine than Lee Felsenstein himself! For this show, we’re going to spend some time with Lee talking about the history surrounding the Osborne 1.  Finally, Lee will leave us and I will cover the usual computer topics such as tech specs, emulators, Web sites, and more.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

New Acquisitions/What I’ve Been Up To

• VCF Southeast April 27, 28, Roswell, GA - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/otherevents/vintage-computer-festival-southeast/
• VCF East May 3-5, InfoAge Science Center, Wall, NJ - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/
• TI-95 Stats Library - https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instrument-Statistics-Guidebook-Cartridge/dp/B00PHOS6SW
• Oric Atmos cassette cable - https://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIC-1-ORIC-ATMOS-CASSETTE-TAPE-RECORDER-CABLE-LEADS/321775032876
• Atari 800 S-video cable - https://www.8bitclassics.com/shop/computers/atari-8-bit-computer/atari-xlxe-5-pin-din-to-s-video-composite-av-cable/
• Nunchuk 64 - https://github.com/djtulan/nunchuk64

Upcoming Shows

• June 8-9 Pacific Commodore Expo NW (PaCommEx) at The Living Computers: Museum + Labs, Seattle, Washington - http://www.portcommodore.com/pacommex, discussion is on the forum at https://www.commodore.ca/forum/viewforum.php?f=14
• KansasFest, July 15-21, 2019, Kansas City, MO - https://www.kansasfest.org/
• VCF West, Aug 3-4, Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, California - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west/
• Fujiama 2019 - Monday, August 26, 2019 to Sunday Sep. 1, 2019 (ONE WHOLE WEEK.  Fujiama 2019 will be held at the Schützenhaus, Lengenfeld, Germany. Visit atarixle's Fujiama page, Krupkaj's parties photos or mathy meetings page.
• VCF Midwest, Elmhurst, IL - Sep. 14-15, 2019 - http://vcfmw.org/
• Tandy Assembly - Springfield, OH, Sep. 28-29, 2019 - http://www.tandyassembly.com
• Portland Retro Gaming Expo Oct 18-20 http://www.retrogamingexpo.com
• Chicago TI International World’s Faire - Nov 2, 2019 - http://chicagotiug.sdf.org/ - The 37th annual Chicago TI International World Faire will take place on the weekend of November 2, 2019, in Evanston, IL

Feedback

• HT1080Z, the Hungarian School Computer - http://zimix.hu/ht1080z-the-hungarian-school-computer/

Popular Magazines/Newsletters

• Portable Companion - http://www.vintage-computer.com/portablecompanion.shtml (Bill Degnan)

The entire run is on archive.org - https://archive.org/details/theportablecompanion

Also at Yesterbits - https://yesterbits.com/scans/the-portable-companion-magazine/ (Paul Hagstrom)

Books/Manuals

• in 1984, Adam Osborne and computer industry author and columnist John C. Dvorak coauthored a book about the experience, from Adam Osborne's point of view - Hypergrowth: The Rise and Fall of the Osborne Computer Corporation.
• Using the Osborne 1 computer Paperback – 1983 by T. G Lewis - https://www.amazon.com/Using-Osborne-computer-T-Lewis/dp/083598141X
• Technical manual - http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/osborne/o1techm.pdf
• User’s Reference Guide - http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/osborne/osborne1/Osborne_1_Users_Reference_Guide_1981.pdf
• Field Service Manual - http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/osborne/2F00040-00_Service2ndEdition_1983.pdf
• Osborne CP/M User Guide by Thom Hogan - https://archive.org/details/osborne-cpm-users-guide_2nd-ed/page/n45

Ads and Appearances

• EZ Money (2005)
• Maniac - Season 1 (2018)  

User Groups

• FOG info at bitsavers.org - http://bitsavers.org/bits/Users_Groups/FOG/
• FOGhorn collection at Computer History Museum - https://www.computerhistory.org/search/?q=foghorn

Modern Upgrades

• If you really want to replace the drives, there are several designs, kits or ready to use flash-to-Shugart replacements available.  An example is the Floppyflash.
• HxC Floppy Emulators supported machines/compatibility list - https://hxc2001.com/download/floppy_drive_emulator/support.htm where it lists the Osborne 1
• Video showing GoTek floppy emulator in Osborne 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZdQVYXK2PM
• Osborne 1 “Portable” Computer Reborn with a Raspberry Pi - https://blog.hackster.io/osborne-1-portable-computer-reborn-with-a-raspberry-pi-51fa82682f3a

Emulation

• Z80-CP/M emulator - http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/sim/z80mu52b.zip
• Z80-CP/M simulator - boots CP/M - http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/sim/myz80cpm.zip
• For Rasperry Pi you need to download the CP/M Emulator software https://github.com/jhallen/cpm
• http://www.archive.org  in-browser emulation
• MAME - https://www.mamedev.org/

Community

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/690000664701397/
• Forums
• • AtariAge - in the Classic Computers section - http://atariage.com/forums/forum/116-classic-computing/

Current Web Sites

• Osborne Computer Corporation. David H. Ahl. - CREATIVE COMPUTING VOL. 10, NO. 3 / MARCH 1984 / PAGE 24 - https://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n3/24_Osborne_Comptuer_Corporat.php
• Osborne! The machine, the man, and the dawn of the portable computing revolution.  By Harry McCracken
• Video of Osborne 1 computer on YouTube by David Larsen
• The Osborne 1. As seen in Tezza's classic computer collection - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_FufKMd-lU
• Osborne 1 (1981) – when the personal computer became portable - By RICCARDO BIANCHINI - 2018-08-05 https://www.inexhibit.com/case-studies/osborne-1-1981-when-the-personal-computer-became-portable/
• Osborne 1 - Complete History of the Osborne 1 Computer - https://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Personal/Osborne.html
• Dave’s Old Computers - Osborne - http://www.classiccmp.org/dunfield/osborne/index.htm
• Osborne 1 3D Model - https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/osborne-1-67f8eafe7a3a4372bde130f31a6b1776
• Retrocomputing Archive - http://www.retroarchive.org/maslin/disks/osborne/index.html
• Transferring files to the Osborne 1 - http://www.toniwestbrook.com/archives/80
• The Computer Chronicles - Computer Entrepreneurs (1984) - https://archive.org/details/Computer1984_5
• VCF1 - Lee Felsenstein and Bob Marsh (1997) - https://archive.org/details/VCF1-LeeFelsensteinAndBobMarsh
• TOSEC Collection at Archive.org - https://archive.org/details/Osborne_OSBORNE_1_and_Executive_TOSEC_2012_04_23

References

• https://www.patreon.com/lfelsenstein
• Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine - https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Valley-Making-Personal-Computer/dp/0071358927
• Stan Veit’s History of the Personal Computer - https://www.amazon.com/Stan-Veits-History-Personal-Computer/dp/1566640237 by Stan Veit

Episode 90 - Interview with Lee Felsenstein (Osborne 1)

Welcome to episode 90 of the Floppy Days Podcast for April, 2019.

In the timeline for personal computer introductions, we are now in the year 1981.  For this episode, and actually the next couple as well, we are going to be talking about the Osborne 1.

The Osborne 1 was the first commercially successful portable microcomputer, released on April 3, 1981 by Osborne Computer Corporation.  It was powered by the Z80 CPU, weighed 24.5 lb, cost US$1,795, and ran the CP/M operating system. It was powered from a wall socket, as it had no on-board battery, but is a portable device since it can be hand-carried when packed.  The computer shipped with a large bundle of software that was almost equivalent in value to the machine itself.

The Osborne 1 was the brain child of Adam Osborne and was brilliantly engineered by Lee Felsenstein.  So, who better to have help me talk about the machine than Lee Felsenstein himself. To kick off this series, we’re going to spend some time with Lee talking about his time before and after the Osborne 1.  And then in the next show we will talk about the history surrounding the Osborne 1 itself. Finally, we will cover the usual computer topics such as tech specs, emulators, Web sites, and more.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

New Acquisitions

• BBC Micro repair/accessories - Mark Haysman http://www.retroclinic.com
• Pi Co-processor for BBC Micro - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ACORN-BBC-MASTER-128-INTERNAL-RASPBERRY-PI-MULTI-CORE-CO-PROCESSOR-KIT/264220089777
• ZX Spectrum +2A RGB to SCART cable - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sinclair-ZX-Spectrum-3-2A-2B-High-Quality-RGB-Scart-Video-Cable-TV-Lead/260830045368
• VIDHD - To order VidHD boards ($135 USD + S/H), email [email protected] and include the desired quantity and shipping address.
• VIDHD video - https://youtu.be/ehQpC2-NEBM
• Exidy Sorcerer Cassette software in WAV format from Terry Stewart - https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2017-01-23-software-for-real-sorcerers.htm

Upcoming Shows

• the Commodore Los Angeles Super Show (CLASS)!  April 27-28, Toolbox LA (https://toolbox.la) Chatsworth, California - The CLASS website is on-line at http://www.portcommodore.com/class and discussion of CLASS is in the shared forum area with CommVEx at https://www.commodore.ca/forum/viewforum.php?f=6
• VCFSE 7.0 is scheduled for April 27, 28, Roswell, GA - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/otherevents/vintage-computer-festival-southeast/
• VCF East May 3-5, InfoAge Science Center, Wall, NJ - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/
• June 8-9 Pacific Commodore Expo NW (PaCommEx) at The Living Computers: Museum + Labs, Seattle, Washington - http://www.portcommodore.com/pacommex, discussion is on the forum at https://www.commodore.ca/forum/viewforum.php?f=14
• KansasFest, July 15-21, 2019, Kansas City, MO - https://www.kansasfest.org/
• VCF West, Aug 3-4, Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, California - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west/
• Fujiama 2019 - Monday, August 26, 2019 to Sunday Sep. 1, 2019 (ONE WHOLE WEEK) - Schützenhaus, Lengenfeld, Germany.  Visit atarixle's Fujiama page, Krupkaj's parties photos or mathy meetings page.
• VCF Midwest, Elmhurst, IL - Sep. 14-15, 2019 - http://vcfmw.org/
• Tandy Assembly - Springfield, OH, Sep. 28-29, 2019 - http://www.tandyassembly.com
• Portland Retro Gaming Expo Oct 18-20 http://www.retrogamingexpo.com
• Chicago TI International World’s Faire - Nov 2, 2019 - http://chicagotiug.sdf.org/ - Evanston, IL

Lee Felsenstein Interview

• http://www.leefelsenstein.com/
• https://www.patreon.com/lfelsenstein

The Apple III - Part 3 with David Fradin

Welcome to episode 89 of the Floppy Days Podcast, where we love our computers and programmable calculators of the 70’s and 80’s (and even into the 90’s).

As mentioned on the last episode, we’ve moved in to the year 1981 for computer introductions and have been discussing the much maligned but misunderstood Apple III for the past couple of shows.  This episode will be the last in the series about that machine. This episode we focus on an interview with someone who was responsible for the Apple III line at Apple in his tenure there, Mr. David Fradin.  David was product manager for that line and has some insights into the challenges of managing and marketing it.

Before we get to the interview, I will briefly talk about what I’ve been up to and about some new-to-me vintage computer acquisitions.  I’ll also run through the upcoming vintage computer show schedule for 2019, which is pretty full, and I have a bit of feedback to share.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

New Acquisitions/What I’ve Been Up To

• Lotharek store - http://lotharek.pl
• Juiced GS - https://juiced.gs/

News

• George Keremedjiev obituary - https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bozemandailychronicle/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=190783242
• Barbara Keremedjiev museum plans - https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/widow-vows-to-keep-and-strengthen-bozeman-s-american-computer/article_7ce68773-e575-5b9f-9f5e-1df61bfdf61c.html
• Floppy Days Episode 5 with George Keremedjiev Interview - http://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-episode-5-the-american-computer-museum
• BASIC 10-Liners Contest - http://gkanold.wixsite.com/homeputerium/kopie-von-games-list-2019-1
• Upcoming Shows
  • VCF Pacific Northwest 2019, March 23-24, 2019 at Living Computers: Museum+Labs in Seattle, Washington - http://www.vcfed.org/vcf-pnw
  • Midwest Gaming Classic, Milwaukee, WI, April 12-14, 2019 - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/
  • Commodore Los Angeles Super Show (CLASS), April 27-28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at the Toolbox LA (https://toolbox.la) Chatsworth, California - CLASS website http://www.portcommodore.com/class , discussion of CLASS is in the shared forum area with CommVEx at https://www.commodore.ca/forum/viewforum.php?f=6
  • VCFSE 7.0, not yet scheduled, Roswell, GA - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/otherevents/vintage-computer-festival-southeast/
  • VCF East, May 3-5, InfoAge Science Center, Wall, NJ - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/
  • Pacific Commodore Expo NW (PaCommEx), June 8-9, The Living Computers: Museum + Labs, Seattle, Washington - http://www.portcommodore.com/pacommex, discussion is on the forum at https://www.commodore.ca/forum/viewforum.php?f=14
  • KansasFest, July 15-21, 2019, Kansas City, MO - https://www.kansasfest.org/
  • VCF West, Aug 3-4, Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, California - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west/
  • Fujiama 2019 - August 26, 2019 to Sep. 1, 2019, Schützenhaus, Lengenfeld, Germany.  Visit atarixle's Fujiama page, Krupkaj's parties photos or mathy meetings page
  • VCF Midwest, Elk Grove Village, IL, Sep. 14-15, 2019 - http://vcfmw.org/
  • Tandy Assembly, Springfield, OH, Sep. 28-29, 2019 - http://www.tandyassembly.com
  • Portland Retro Gaming Expo, Oct 18-20 - http://www.retrogamingexpo.com
  • TI International World’s Faire - late Oct/Nov
• New event page created by Chicago Classic Computing - http://chiclassiccomp.org/events.html?fbclid=IwAR3Fm5hf7PCQj0yXBxXvj9J8Mp8GDwD2w1bfD_qktpPOnNYNoQUmN_EpgB8

Feedback

• https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/HT%E2%80%931080Z

Interview

• “Building Insanely Great Products: Some Products Fail, Many Succeed… This is their Story: Lessons from 47 years of experience including Hewlett-Packard, Apple, 75 products, and 11 startups later” by David Fradin - https://www.amazon.com/Building-Insanely-Great-Products-Hewlett-Packard-ebook/dp/B01N7AKWWS
• David on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfradin/
• “The Mistakes Apple Made With the Apple III” - https://spicecatalyst.com/the-mistakes-apple-made-with-the-apple/
• “Why I Failed with the Apple III and Steve Jobs Succeeded With the Macintosh” - https://blog.aha.io/why-i-failed-with-the-apple-iii-and-steve-jobs-succeeded-with-the-macintosh/ by David Fradin

Floppy Days Episode 88 - The Apple III - Part 2

Hi, all, and welcome to Floppy Days #88 for December, 2018.  I’m your host, Randy Kindig, and it’s hard to believe that 2018 is coming to an end.  I hope you all had a great year! As stated in the last show, we are into the year 1981 for computer introductions and we are covering the Apple II’s more powerful sibling, the Apple III.  This is part 2 of the 2-part series and will again have Paul Hagstrom, prolific podcaster himself, to help me cover this machine. We will continue where we left off the last show, and will cover magazines, books, software, emulators, Web sites and a whole lot more.  Stay tuned to learn more than you ever wanted to know about the Apple III.

New Acquisitions/What I’ve Been Up To

• Tandy Assembly 2018 - http://www.tandyassembly.com/index.html
• Bartlett Labs (Peter Barlett) - MISE/M3SE/MIRE - http://bartlettlabs.com/
• Ian Mavric - The Right Stuff - http://members.iinet.net.au/~ianmav/trs80/
• Peter Cetinski - http://pski.net/category/retro/
• Brendan Donahe - CoCoVGA - http://www.cocovga.com/
• Jim Brain - Retro Innovations - http://store.go4retro.com/
• Thomas McLaren - Digital Dinos - http://www.digitaldinos.com/
• ZZap!64 Annual 2019 book - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/47744432/zzap-64-annual-2019-the-next-chapter
• TI-59 & gummy wheel repair kit - https://www.ebay.com/itm/TEXAS-INSTRUMENTS-TI-59-CALCULATOR-CARD-READER-GUMMY-WHEEL-REPAIR-KIT/264101043234
• Soldering Station - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D57JT3F
• Atari 8-bit SIO cables - https://lotharek.pl/productdetail.php?id=128
• Atari 8-bit SIO2SD p https://lotharek.pl/productdetail.php?id=58
• Atari 8-bit S-Drive Max - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EUVJYME
• Atari 410 Cassette Drive belt - https://www.ebay.com/itm/123508444012?ViewItem=&item=123508444012
• Pi1541 - https://www.ebay.com/itm/PiDRIVE-Raspberry-Pi-HAT-1541-1581-Commodore-64-128-Vic-20-Emulator-OLED-Pi1541-/332860073409
• Amiga External Drive Cable and Boot Selector - http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?88687-Gotek-Floppy-Drive-External-ROUND-cables

Upcoming Shows

• The Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network will have three tables at the second annual Retro City Festival, taking place January 5-6, 2019 at the famous Fairplex, Expo Hall 9, 1101 W McKinley Ave. in Pomona, California (east of Los Angeles). - http://retrocityfestival.com - a yearly celebration of video game history
• VCF Pacific Northwest 2019 will take place March 23-24, 2019 at Living Computers: Museum+Labs in Seattle, Washington.  Details can be found at http://www.vcfed.org/vcf-pnw.

Feedback

• “Sophistication and Simplicity: The Life and Times of the Apple II Computer” by Steven Weyhrich - https://www.amazon.com/Sophistication-Simplicity-Times-Apple-Computer/dp/0986832278
• Jupiter Ace resources - https://jupiter-ace.co.uk

Popular Magazines/Newsletters

• Apple III Dimensions (Apple) - https://www.apple2scans.net/magazines/apple-dimensions/ - 4 issues (tied to the recall/upgrade program)
• OnThree - https://www.apple2scans.net/magazines/on-three/ - ‘83 to ‘90 - Bob Consorti put in link to interview on Drop III Inches
• Open Apple Gazette - https://www.apple2scans.net/magazines/open-apple-gazette/ - ‘82 to ‘84
• Apple Orchard - http://yesterbits.com/scans/apple-orchard-magazine/ - ‘80 to ‘84
• Call-A.P.P.L.E. - https://www.callapple.org - ‘78 to (‘90, ‘02 to ‘11, ‘15 to) present
• Softalk - https://archive.org/details/softalkapple - ‘80 to ‘84
• Washington Apple Pi Journal - https://www.wap.org/journal/showcase/ -‘79 to ‘94

Books

• Osborne-McGraw Hill Guide to your Apple III - Stanley M. Miastkowski - http://www.apple2scans.net/apple-iii-documents/osborne-mcgraw-hill-guide-to-your-apple-iii/
• Exploring Business BASIC - an almost-book by Taylor Pohlman: http://www.apple2scans.net/apple-iii-documents/exploring-business-basic/
• "Using Apple Business Computers" by Kenniston Lord Jr - https://www.ebay.com/itm/1984-Operating-Programming-Apple-III-Computers-rare-book-on-the-Apple-III-/252985598982
• Business BASIC for the Apple III by Eddie Adamis - https://www.amazon.com/Business-BASIC-Apple-Eddie-Adamis/dp/0471883883 — http://www.apple2scans.net/apple-iii-documents/business-basic-for-the-apple-iii/
• BASIC Keywords for the Apple III also by Eddie Adamis - http://www.apple2scans.net/apple-iii-documents/basic-keywords-for-the-apple-iii/ [nearly identical to other Adamis book, just sorted differently]

Software

• Resource Guide for Apple III and Apple III Plus Harware and Software (Apple): http://www.apple2scans.net/apple-iii-documents/resource-guide-for-apple-and-apple-plus-hardware-and-software/
• Software - http://apple3.org/iiisoftware.html

Ads & Appearances

• Night Shift (1982) - Chuck, the morgue night attendant, uses Visicalc on an Apple III to keep his girls' finances in order.
• Dick Cavett TV ads - Apple IIII easy to use -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOk-gA_j_Cw
• Dick Cavett TV Ad - Electronic Worksheet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk80YJ0H-ZU -

Modern Upgrades

• CFFA2 / CFFA3000 - http://dreher.net/?s=projects/CFforAppleII&c=projects/CFforAppleII/main.php , http://dreher.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=490
• Floppy Emu - https://www.bigmessowires.com/floppy-emu/
• SD Floppy II - http://www.a2heaven.com/webshop/index.php?rt=product/product&product_id=124
• X/ProFile - Profile/Widget Emulator Board for Apple Lisa&Apple3 - https://www.ebay.com/itm/X-ProFile-Profile-Widget-Emulator-Board-Apple-Lisa-Apple3-Hundreds-SOLD-/202428018286 - $369.99
• APPLE III PROFILE INTERFACE - (this is a vintage era card) - http://vintagemicros.com/catalog/apple-profile-interface-p-170.html

Emulators

• Sara - http://www.blackcatsystems.com/software/sara.html
• MESS/MAME - https://www.mamedev.org/release.html See also: apple3rtr https://github.com/datajerk/apple3rtr “Ready to Run”
• Open Emulator - https://github.com/OpenEmulatorProject/OpenEmulator-OSX , Unofficial snapshot builds: https://archive.org/details/OpenEmulatorSnapshots

Buying One Today

• Interview with Bob Cook, Founder and former President of Sun Remarketing - https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-classic/classiccomputingcom-bob-cook-fmin7S5wdps/

Community

• Facebook
• • https://www.facebook.com/groups/appleiii/
• Twitter
• • Drop III inches (podcast twitter feed): https://twitter.com/drop_iii_inches
• Forums
• • Applefritter - https://www.applefritter.com/forum/84 - Apple II and III forum
• Podcasts
• • Drop III Inches - http://drop-iii-inches.com
  • Open Apple - http://www.open-apple.net - Apple II podcast but with occasional Apple III mentions

Current Web Sites

• Centre for Computing History - http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/210/Apple-III/
• Vintage Micros - http://vintagemicros.com/catalog/apple-c-29.html
• Apple3.org - http://www.apple3.org/ - Documents, magazines, software, emulators, ads
• Washington Apple Pi Apple III FAQ - https://www.wap.org/a3/a3library/a3faq.html
• Yesterbits Apple III Software and Scans - https://yesterbits.com/topics/apple-iii-software-and-scans/
• Mike Maginnis 6502Lane - http://www.6502lane.net/
• David T. Craig scans of a vast amount of material, internal documentation - https://archive.org/search.php?query=dtca3%2A
• Apple ///: A New Beginning by Apple Computer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY7HRyXgeek
• Why I Failed with the Apple III and Steve Jobs Succeeded With the Macintosh - https://blog.aha.io/why-i-failed-with-the-apple-iii-and-steve-jobs-succeeded-with-the-macintosh/ by David Fradin, Apple III Product Manager https://twitter.com/davidfradin1 https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfradin/
• The One Thing Melinda Gates Will Keep Forever Is an Apple III - https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a22824572/melinda-gates-apple-iii
• Archive.org - https://archive.org/search.php?query=apple+iii
• Cult of Mac - https://www.cultofmac.com/?s=apple+iii
• Digibarn - http://www.digibarn.com/collections/systems/appleIII/index.html - Apple III documentation, manuals, interviews, photos

References

• https://www.mac-history.net/computer-history/2007-07-14/apple-iii-and-apple-iie
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_III
• http://www.vectronicsappleworld.com/archives/appleii/0002.php
• http://lowendmac.com/2015/apple-iii-chaos-apples-first-failure/
• http://www.applelogic.org/AIIIDesignBugs.html

Tandy Assembly - http://www.tandyassembly.com 

Ian Mavric - [email protected]

PSKI Software - http://www.pski.net

The Apple III - Part 1

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Episode 87 of the Floppy Days Podcast for November, 2018.  In the timeline, we continue to cover machines that were released in the year 1980. The topic of this show is a machine that while it came from a very well-known computer company, was never popular enough to make a large splash in the computer market.  Nevertheless, it was an important piece in the history of personal computers and I’m happy to bring it to you this month. Of course, the machine that we’re talking about, as you already know from the excellent memories intro by Mike Maginnis, is the Apple II’s more powerful brother, the Apple III.

I’m very happy to have one of the well-known members of the Apple III community today, and co-host of the Apple III podcast “Drop III Inches” as well as a cohost of the RetroComputing Roundtable Podcast, Mr. Paul Hagstrom, assist me with this month’s topic.

New Acquisitions/What I’ve Been Up To

• Little Darling Designs - (http://www.littledarlingdesigns.com)
• arcade joystick from Benj Edwards -  https://twitter.com/benjedwards/status/1025119835179634689
• Mega ST-1 - https://www.ebay.com/itm/ATARI-MEGA-ST-1-WITH-GOTEK-EMULATOR-VINTAGE-RETRO-COMPUTER-FULLY-WORKING/283035614842
• voltage up/down transformer - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MPR3XQ
• ST trackball - atarifreakz on ebay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-520-1040-ST-STE-Mega-Falcon-computer-Amiga-500-600-1200-2000-Trackball/163273344945
• Mega ST manual - MyAtari on eBay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mega-ST-Owners-Manul-New-Mint-Atari-Original/13089043845

Upcoming Shows

• Tandy Assembly - http://www.tandyassembly.com , Nov. 10-11, Springfield, OH
• TI International World’s Faire - http://ctiug.sdf.org/ - Nov. 10, Evanston Public Library, Evanston, IL
• World of Commodore - https://www.tpug.ca/category/woc/ - December, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Feedback

• DEC Legacy - http://declegacy.org.uk
• 3D Monster Maze Copyright - https://www.sinclairzxworld.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2802

Peripherals

• III Plus IIe - http://www.6502lane.net/tag/titan/

References

• https://www.mac-history.net/computer-history/2007-07-14/apple-iii-and-apple-iie
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_III
• http://www.vectronicsappleworld.com/archives/appleii/0002.php
• http://lowendmac.com/2015/apple-iii-chaos-apples-first-failure/
• http://www.applelogic.org/AIIIDesignBugs.html

The Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81

Welcome to the Floppy Days Podcast with myself, Randy Kindig, and a whole host of vintage computers surrounding me, each one wanting their time in the limelight.  This will be part 2 of the 2-part series on the Sinclair ZX80 & 81 computer line. Once again, I will have one of the grand-daddy’s of vintage computer podcasting, Earl Evans, co-hosting with me as we complete the journey through one of the historically significant computers from across the pond.  We will be covering the normal topics from where we left off the last show, so we’ll be talking about peripherals, software, books & magazines, ads, emulators, Web sites and whatever else comes to mind. Before we do that, though, I do want to talk a bit about my new acquisitions and projects, let you know about upcoming shows so you can make your plans, and I might even have a little feedback.

I want to thank Ian Bucknell for providing his thoughts and memories of the ZX81.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

Memories

• Ian Bucknell’s Frankensteined ZX81 and other retro-computers - https://imgur.com/a/dD4xq

New Acquisitions/Projects

• REX for Tandy Model 100/102 - http://bitchin100.com/wiki/index.php?title=REX
• Atari ST RGB to SCART cable - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-ST-High-Quality-RGB-Scart-Lead-Video-Cable-TV-AV-Lead-2mtr/250978089310
• High Resolution VGA Cable for Atari ST - https://www.ebay.com/itm/142767407804
• Sofia Atari 8-bit video board - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/274004-sophia-revc-dvi-board/

Upcoming Shows

• VCF West - https://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west/ , August 4-5, 2018 - Computer History Museum, Mountain View, CA
• Commodore Vegas Expo v14 - http://www.commodore.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12676 , Aug. 11-12, 2018, Las Vegas, NV
• VCF Midwest - http://www.vcfmw.org/ - September 15-16, 2018, Elk Grove Village, IL
• Portland Retro Gaming Expo - http://www.retrogamingexpo.com/ - Oregon Convention Center on October 19-21, 2018
• Tandy Assembly - http://www.tandyassembly.com , Nov. 10-11, Springfield, OH
• TI International World’s Faire - http://ctiug.sdf.org/ - Nov. 10, Evanston Public Library, Evanston, IL
• World of Commodore - https://www.tpug.ca/category/woc/ - December, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Peripherals and Expansion

• list of ZX81 Peripherals in the Centre for Computing History collection - http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/cgi/archive.pl?type=Peripherals&platform=ZX81
• Early Sinclair ZX81 peripheral adverts - http://www.retrogamescollector.com/early-sinclair-zx81-peripheral-adverts/
• Cheetah 32K RAM Expansion
• Memopak 16K
• Memopak 64K
• Memotech 48k Ram Expansion
• ZX Panda 16K Expandable RAM for ZX81
• Fuller FD System for ZX80/81
• Mapsoft Keyboard for ZX81
• Memotech ZX81 Keyboard and Buffer
• ZX81 Keyboard Upgrade
• ZX81 Push-Button Keyboard
• ZX81 I/O Board
• Sinclair ZX81 QS-Sound
• ZX81 QS-Mother Board
• ZON X-81
• BASICARE Micro Systems

Magazines and Newsletters

• Syntax ZX80 - https://archive.org/details/syntaxvol1no2
• ZX Computing - http://magazinesfromthepast.wikia.com/wiki/ZX_Computing
• Sync - Jan/Feb ‘81 - https://archive.org/details/syncmagazine
• Sinclair Programs
• Sinclair User - http://magazinesfromthepast.wikia.com/wiki/Sinclair_User
• Timex/Sinclair User - https://archive.org/details/TimexSinclairUser
• ZX91 Newsletter - http://zx81.de/andre/zx91/_frame_e.htm

Books

• Mastering machine code on your ZX81 Paperback – 1982 by Toni Baker - https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-machine-code-your-ZX81/dp/0835942619/
• The ZX-81 Pocket Book by Trevor Toms - https://www.amazon.com/ZX81-pocket-book-Trevor-Toms/dp/0835995259/
• 49 Explosive Games for the ZX-81 by Tim Hartnell - https://www.amazon.com/explosive-games-ZX-81-Reward-book/dp/0835920860/
• Making the Most of Your ZX-81 by Tim Hartnell - https://www.amazon.com/Making-Most-Your-Zx-81-Hartnell/dp/0835941884/
• Timex Ts1000 Computer/Sinclair Zx-81 Computer (Sams Computerfacts) Paperback – November, 1986 - https://www.amazon.com/Timex-Ts1000-Computer-Sinclair-Computerfacts/dp/0672089696/
• Ins and Outs of the Timex T.S.1000/Z. X. 81 Paperback – April, 1983 by Don Thomasson (Author) - https://www.amazon.com/Ins-Outs-Timex-T-S-1000-Z/dp/0861611187/
• Fifty 1K/2K Games for the Zx 81 and Timex Sinclair 1000 by Alastair; Walsh, James and Holmes, Paul Gourlay (Author) - https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Games-Timex-Sinclair-1000/dp/0835919781/
• Understanding Your Z. X. 81 ROM Paperback – December, 1981 by Ian Logan - https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Your-Z-X-ROM/dp/0861611039/
• Aerospace and Communication Satellite Applications of the Z. X. 81/Spectrum Computers: Programs for Cruise Missile Trajectory Simulation and Communication Satellites Orbital Position, with GraphicsPaperback – Import, November 1, 1983 by H.S. Bluston (Author) - https://www.amazon.com/Aerospace-Communication-Satellite-Applications-Computers/dp/0907350089/
• Turing Criterion: Machine Intelligent Programs for the 16K Z. X. 81 Paperback – November, 1982 by Dilwyn Jones (Author), etc. (Author) - https://www.amazon.com/Turing-Criterion-Machine-Intelligent-Programs/dp/0907563201/

Software

• 3D Monster Maze
• ZX81 Software Catalogs - http://www.retrogamescollector.com/sinclair-zx81-software-catalogues/
• 1K ZX Chess - http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/tape/1KZXChess
• Revival Studios (modern games) - http://www.revival-studios.com/sinclair.php
• ZX-80 Programs site - http://zx80programs.yolasite.com/
• TOSEC at archive.org - https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_ZX81_TOSEC_2012_04_23
• This webiste has a very good start on creating a definitive list of ZX81 software - http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/
• ZX81 Download Page - http://www.zx81.nl/dload/

User Groups and Shows

• ZX-TEAM: THE active user group for the legendary Sinclair ZX81- http://www.zx81.de/zxcms/ , next international meeting March 29-31, 2019

Modern Upgrades

• The Tynemouth Software Minstrel ZX80 clone - https://www.tindie.com/products/tynemouthsw/minstrel-zx80-clone/
• Andy Rea’s ULA Replacement - https://www.sinclairzxworld.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2928
• ZX-TEAM mod for 16 or 32K on the ZX81 motherboard - http://www.zx81.de/english/_frame_e.htm
• ZXMore Complete Z80 System - https://www.sinclairzxworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=1696
• ZXBlast - https://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/zxblast-512k-(ready-to-use)--_-ram-pack-and-usb-flash-drive-support-22781
• ZX8-CCB for new and modern TVs like Plasma and LCD. - https://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/zx8-_ccb--_-video-output-for-zx81-3712
• Chroma81 Adds Color to ZX81 - http://www.fruitcake.plus.com/Sinclair/ZX81/Chroma/ChromaInterface.htm
• ZXpand, a combined SD card interface, 32K configurable memory expansion, and optional joystick port and AY sound interface

Emulation

• XTender - https://web.archive.org/web/20141207130136/http://www.delhez.demon.nl/  
• EightyOne
• • Current - https://sourceforge.net/projects/eightyone-sinclair-emulator/
  • Original - https://web.archive.org/web/20180320020429/http://www.chuntey.com
• ZEsarUX - https://github.com/chernandezba/zesarux/releases
• NO$Z81 - http://problemkaputt.de/zx.htm
• SZ81
• • Main site: http://sz81.sourceforge.net
  • macOS - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8RnV5G0TZFZRTlJbzdWemtkRm8/view
• Spud81 - https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AM71r6k8oPHndJs&cid=4A4ECC65657FDA53&id=4A4ECC65657FDA53%21357&parId=root&action=locate
• Clock Signal - https://github.com/TomHarte/CLK/releases
• JTYone - http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/zx81/jtyone.html
• jszeddy - http://rullf2.xs4all.nl/jszeddy/jszeddy.html
• iOS ZX81 - https://zx81-ios.weebly.com
• Other links mentioned by Kevin:
• • http://www.fruitcake.plus.com/Sinclair/ZX81/Chroma/ChromaInterface_Software_ZXFileConverter.htm
  • http://problemkaputt.de/zxdocs.txt

Community

• Facebook
• • Keeping the Sinclair ZX80 and ZX81 Alive - https://www.facebook.com/groups/133345396703664/
• Forums
• • https://www.sinclairzxworld.com/index.php
  • http://forum.tlienhard.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=2 (German)
• User Groups
• • Timex Sinclair North American User Group - http://ncmedals.com/tsnug/index.html

Current Web Sites

• Article in Kilobaud Microcomputing, Dec. 1980 - https://archive.org/stream/kilobaudmagazine-1980-12/Kilobaud_Microcomputing_1980_December#page/n169/mode/1up
• ZX-80 at Planet Sinclair - http://rk.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/computers/zx80/zx80.htm
• ZX-80 at OldComputers.net - http://oldcomputers.net/zx80.html
• Paul Farrow’s ZX-80 Software - http://www.fruitcake.plus.com/Sinclair/ZX80/
• ZX-80 at old-computers.com - http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=262
• Sinclair ZX81 FAQ - https://www.landley.net/history/mirror/8bits/zx81faq.html
• http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/index.html
• The Sinclair ZX81: As seen in Tezza's classic computer collection - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KsuTg1qHIE
• Sell My Retro - https://www.sellmyretro.com/category/retro-computers/sinclair/sinclair-zx81 - has many ZX80/81 upgrades/replacement parts
• ZX81 Forever - http://zx81.de/andre/
• ZX81 The Archive - http://www.imarshall.karoo.net/zx81/

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX80
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX81

Advertisement for Tandy Assembly 2018

November 10 & 11, 2018 in Springfield, OH

http://www.tandyassembly.com

Interview with John Grant - Developer of the OS & BASIC for the Sinclair ZX80

In the last show Earl Evans and I covered part I of the Sinclair ZX80/81 line of home computers; its history and tech specs.  Before delving into part II, we’re going to have a topic-relevant interview this month. I was able to, with the help of Kevin Palser, track down and interview Mr. John Grant, a man whose name we mentioned several times last month when going through the Sinclair ZX80 history.  You see, John is literally the gentleman who wrote the operating system and BASIC for the ZX80. He still owns Nine Tiles today and still has the rights to that OS. I think you’ll enjoy this discussion with a true vintage computer pioneer.

• Nine Tiles - http://www.ninetiles.com/
• John Grant at LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johngrantninetiles/
• John’s current work - https://uk5g.org/discover/read-articles/packet-routing-for-the-other-two-corners/

The Sinclair ZX-80

Hello and welcome to the Floppy Days Podcast for May, 2018, where we remind everyone of the days when everyone knew how to program a computer, not just use it for social media.  My name is Randy Kindig and I host this podcast.

We are coming near the end of the computers to be covered on this podcast that were introduced at the beginning of the 8-bit era, when things really started to take off, that being the year 1980.  This month, we will be talking about a limited, inexpensive, but definitely historically significant line of computers known as the Sinclair Z80, ZX81, and Timex Sinclair 1000 and 1500.

I was very happy to get an old friend, and vintage computer podcasting legend, Earl Evans to help me host this episode.  Earl does a great job of researching and discussing vintage computers and his help was great. In addition, I was able to get some members of the Sinclair ZX80/81 community to provide memories and to help provide information, as well as assisting with going through the topic of emulation.  As a result, there turned out to be so much information to present that it turned into 2 episodes. So, this month we will cover the history of the ZX80 computer line and tech specs and next month we will cover the remaining topics such as peripherals, software, emulation, magazine & newsletters, Web sites and more.  I’m also working on a special interview with someone key to the development of the ZX80 that I’m hoping will come to fruition.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

New Acquisitions and What I’ve Been Up To

• VCF Southeast 6 - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/otherevents/vintage-computer-festival-southeast/
• Streaming video and audio on an Atari 8-bit (from Nir Dary) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ9RllBv1pg
• Michael Tomczyk interview on Floppy Days - http://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-70-michael-tomczyk-vic-20
• Sofia RGB board for Atari 8-bit - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/258702-new-development-gtia-in-cpld/page-1
• F18A (TI-99) - http://codehackcreate.com/store#!/F18A-V1-8-Video-Board/p/14022176/category=0

Upcoming Shows

• Pacific Commodore Expo NW - http://www.portcommodore.com/pacommex - June 9-10, Living Computers: Museum + Labs, Seattle, Washington
• KansasFest - https://www.kansasfest.org/ , July 17-22, 2018, Kansas City, Missouri
• VCF West - https://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west/ , August 4-5, 2018 - Computer History Museum, Mountain View, CA
• Commodore Vegas Expo v14 - http://www.commodore.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12676 , Aug. 11-12, 2018, Las Vegas, NV
• VCF Midwest - http://www.vcfmw.org/ - September 15-16, 2018, Elk Grove Village, IL
• Portland Retro Gaming Expo - http://www.retrogamingexpo.com/ - Oregon Convention Center on October 19-21, 2018
• Tandy Assembly - http://www.tandyassembly.com , Nov. 10-11, Springfield, OH
• TI International World’s Faire - http://ctiug.sdf.org/ - Nov. 10, Evanston Public Library, Evanston, IL
• World of Commodore - https://www.tpug.ca/category/woc/ - December, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Feedback

• Memotech MTX sites from Claus Baekkel
• • www.mtxworld.dk
  • http://www.nyangau.org/memotech/memotech.htm
  • http://www.primrosebank.net/computers/mtx/mtx512.htm
  • http://www.primrosebank.net/computers/cpm/cpm.htm

Interview with Earl Evans

• Pi1541 - https://cbm-pi1541.firebaseapp.com/

History

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX80
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX81