Exactly 50 years ago: The first issue of BYTE, the dawn of a revolution: "Computers -- the World's Greatest Toy!" And more....
Discussion
Loading...
@jeffjarvis
In 1975 I was taking computer science and learning to program using routines saved on IBM punch cards.
In 1985 I had an Olivetti luggable 52 pound PC with 640K RAM and a 10MB hard drive running Lotus123 and WordPerfect on DOS 4.2. Fabulous.
…
In 2025, I get the best performance and hasslefree productivity by disconnecting from the cloud and running 15yr old desktop software from those tech co’s that have all moved to #enshitification
I think i want to stay in 2010.
@jeffjarvis I remember being tasked with setting up an accounting system on a TRS-80 which used a cassette for storage. It was painful.
@jeffjarvis I fondly remember picking issues off the shelf in the library and finding algorithms to try on the Apple II's sitting on plynths in same library. Circa 1984.
@jeffjarvis Good old times...
@jeffjarvis I have the last 3 editions in my bookshelf. One of the columnists at that time was @judell from whose writings I got so many ideas as we tried to transform corporate thinking into the internet era. I was grateful to him then and remain so now.
@jeffjarvis it was one of my favorite readings in the early 90's
@jeffjarvis Love that Joyce scholar Hugh Kenner was BYTE’s book reviewer. Didn’t love that Jerry Pournelle hit on a coworker of mine…
@jeffjarvis
I enjoy going back and rereading the first seven or eight years of BYTE. Now, the advertisements are often just as interesting as the articles.
I enjoy going back and rereading the first seven or eight years of BYTE. Now, the advertisements are often just as interesting as the articles.
@jeffjarvis My math teatcher told us about that. OK, I was reading popular electronics.
@jeffjarvis What a delightful tagline!
@jeffjarvis I miss when computers really were the greatest toy. I don’t know what to call what they are now, but it’s not great and it’s a terrible toy
@jeffjarvis Wayne Green was the man!
@jeffjarvis I guess I should sell my collection. I loved Byte. In the early days when it was thin I’d read it cover to cover on the day it arrived.
@jeffjarvis loved that mag. Got to write some articles for them in the web Java security early days
@jeffjarvis Not wrong
@jeffjarvis I loved Byte back in the day but Ted Nelson might disagree about 1975 being the dawn of the revolution.
@MartyFouts
Revolutions have many parents.
Revolutions have many parents.
@jeffjarvis Well, I was thinking more of the date than the parentage. Ted would probably place the date of the dawn a few years earlier with the founding of the People’s Computing Company.
Byte played an important role as a chronicle of the era, of course; but they arrived a little later than the dawn, it seems to me.
@jeffjarvis still an enjoyable read today! Check out this site that was recently trending, you can search every issue. https://byte.tsundoku.io/
@jeffjarvis I loved every issue of Byte. It was a tidal wave of discovery for me. It changed my life , a path I still follow.
Here's the complete first issue so you may answer the question, Which microprocessor for you?
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Byte/70s/Byte-1975-09.pdf#page=46.07
@jeffjarvis That is fascinating.
I came to it mid-80s so things had moved on a lot.
Ads for electronic components, edits giving their home addresses, lots about building more than buying a computer and coding in Assembler in Issue 1.
Straight in at the deep end.
I came to it mid-80s so things had moved on a lot.
Ads for electronic components, edits giving their home addresses, lots about building more than buying a computer and coding in Assembler in Issue 1.
Straight in at the deep end.
@jeffjarvis
I'm still deciding.
@jeffjarvis already pretty modern... or astonishing how little has changed.
bonfire.cafe
A space for Bonfire maintainers and contributors to communicate
Automatic federation enabled