Category Archives: Other Platform

Thinking Back on ‘Turbo Pascal’ as It Turns 40

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Blake Patterson

November marked the 40th anniversary of Turbo Pascal, the first Integrated Development Environment (or IDE), which allowed a user to quickly and easily write a program in the Pascal programming language and see it compiled and linked — all in … Continue reading →

Posted in Amiga, DOS / Win PC, Down Memory Lane, Just Rambling, Multi-Platform, Other Platform, Programming | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Configure Your Mac to Allow Vintage Computers to “Dial In” [Updated]

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Blake Patterson

As regular readers are aware, I enjoy spending time logged in to a few personal favorites of the myriad telnet bulletin board systems that are presently online and serving as discussion communities for their users. As often as I can, … Continue reading →

Posted in Apple II, BBS, Macintosh, Other Platform, Serial Terminal | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Modern-Day BBSing on the Epson PX-8 CP/M Laptop, Circa 1984

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Blake Patterson

Regular readers and those who follow me on twitter have seen me talking a lot about my new hobby: spending time online logged in to telnet Bulletin Board Systems or BBSs around the net. Here on the blog I recently … Continue reading →

Posted in BBS, Other Platform, Serial Terminal | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

As My Daughter Turns Ten, A Look at the Technology Then and Now

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Blake Patterson

On May 3rd, my daughter turned 10 years old. This is something that is nearly impossible for me to actually believe, given how rapidly the decade has flown by. It really does feel like she was born yesterday. (Or last week, anyway.) … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Rambling, Other Platform, TI-99 | 6 Comments

1997 Wonders: Is There a Future in the ARM SoC?

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Blake Patterson

This morning I reached over and pulled a random issue of Pen Computing magazine off the shelf to use as a backdrop in a photo I wanted to take. After getting the shot, I scanned the cover and noticed the … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Rambling, Other Platform | 1 Comment

That Time I Ran Linux on the Desktop

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Blake Patterson

I stumbled upon a discussion of GNU/Linux on the desktop on Reddit recently, with someone predicting that “next year” will be the year of Linux on the desktop (with tongue-in-cheek and as it ever was). This got me thinking about … Continue reading →

Posted in OS, Other Platform, UNIX | 7 Comments

April 24, 2015 — A Good Day to Stop Wearing Watches

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Blake Patterson

Today might be the last day that I ever wear a watch. It occurred to me when I woke up this morning that it might be worthwhile to mark this moment in time. For as long as I can remember, I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Rambling, Other Platform | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

My Raspberry Pi-Turned-Laptop

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Blake Patterson

I am surprised to find, in looking back, that I apparently never made a post about becoming an owner of the credit card-sized, ARM-based Raspberry Pi computer. As such, belated newsflash: in the summer of 2012, I acquired an early-revision, … Continue reading →

Posted in Other Platform | 3 Comments

i-Opener: The Internet Appliance That Was Made to be Hacked

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Blake Patterson

I scan eBay’s vintage computer area daily — a few times a day, actually — to keep an eye on what’s passing through. The other day I saw a new-in-box Netpliance i-Opener pop up, and that took me back a … Continue reading →

Posted in Other Platform | 13 Comments

An Inside Look At OS/2…And Why It Failed

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Blake Patterson

Just a quick post to point folks to a two-part look (from The Register) at the situation that was the OS/2 operating system and why it failed, from the perspective of an IBM insider. It’s well worth a read. Part One: IBM … Continue reading →

Posted in Other Platform, Windows | 1 Comment