Episode 149 - IDRIS Is Not UNIX
Advent of Computing
This episode we are taking a trip back to UNIX world. We're looking at IDRIS, the first clone of UNIX. It was supposed to be highly compatible, but use no code from Bell Labs. IDRIS ran on everything from the Intel 8080 up to the IBM System/370. There was even a version that could run MS-DOS programs. Sound too good to be true? Well, that may be the case. Selected Sources: - A Quarter Century of UNIX - Co-Idris disk images and executables
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Episode 148 - Is BLISS Ignorance?
Advent of Computing
In 1970 a little language called BLISS emerged from Carnegie Mellon University. It was a systems language, meant for operating systems and compilers. It was designed, in part, as a response to Dijkstra's famous Go To Considered Harmful paper. It had no data types. It used the most bizzare form of the pointer I've ever seen. And it was a direct competitor to C. Sound interesting, yet? Selected Sources: - Readings on BLISS - A History of BLISS
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Episode 147 - Molecular Electronic Computer
Advent of Computing
In 1961 Texas Instruments unveiled the Molecular Electronic Computer, aka: Mol-E-Com. It was a machine that fit in the palm of your hand, but had all the power of a much larger computer. This was in an age of hefty machines, which made the achievement all the more marvelous. How was this even possible? It was all thanks to the wonders of molecular electronics, and a boat load of funding from the US Air Force. Selected Sources: - Invention of the Integrated Circuit, Kilby - Investigation of Silicon Functional Blocks, TI - Silicon Semiconductor Networks, TI
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Episode 146 - The Z4
Advent of Computing
The Z4, completed by Konrad Zuse in 1945, is a computer with a wild story. It was made from scrounged parts, survived years of bombing raids, moved all around Berlin, and eventually took refuge in basements and stables. In this episode we will follow the Z4's early days, and look at how it fits into the larger picture of Zuse's work. Along the way there is looting, rumors, and even... IBM! Selected Sources: The Computer, My Life - Konrad Zuse's autobiography - Plankalkul, F.L. Bauer and H. Wossner - Architecture of the Z4, Rojas
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Episode 145 - Zuse's Mysterious Machines
Advent of Computing
In 1933 Konrad Zuse, a German civil engineer, caught the computing bug. It would consume the rest of his life. According Zuse he invented the world's first digital computer during WWII, working in near total isolation within the Third Reich. How true is this claim? Today we are looking at Zuse's early machines, the Z1, Z2, and Z3. Selected Sources: The Computer -- My Life, by Konrad Zuse - Z1 Architecture paper by Rojas - Z3... Turing Complete? also by Rojas
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Episode 144 - RABBITS
Advent of Computing
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Episode 143 - The Haunted Hard Drive
Advent of Computing
Have you ever felt like a computer just refuses to work? Like a machine has a mind of it's own? In 1970 a hard drive at the National Farmers Union Corp. office decided to do just that. That year it started crashing for apparently no reason. It would take 2 years and 56 crashes to sort out the problem. The ultimate solution would leave more questions than answers. Was the hard drive haunted? Or was something else at play? Selected Sources: - Computer Crime - Computer World article
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Episode 142 - OS and JEDGAR
Advent of Computing
This time we are diving back into the Jargon File to take a look at some hacker folklore. Back in the day hackers at MIT spent their time spying on one another's terminals. That is, until some intrepid programmer found a way to fight back. Selected Sources: - OS and JEDGAR - ITS restoration project
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Episode 141 - Computer Ruins Grocer
Advent of Computing
In 1962 Food Center Wholesale Grocers Inc installed a new IBM 305 RAMAC. That's when things started to go wrong. The faulty machine seemed to have a mind of it's own, and would spread chaos to grocery stores all around Boston. Selected Sources: - Computer Insecurity - Computers and Automation article - Computerworld
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Episode 140 - Assembling Code
Advent of Computing
Programming, as a practice and study, has been steadily evolving for the past 70 or so years. Over the languages have become more sophisticated and user friendly. New tools have been developed that make programming easier and better. But what was that first step? When exactly did programmers start trying to improve their lot in life? It probably all started with assembly language. Well, probably… Selected Sources: - Coding for ARC - The EDSAC - IBM Applied Sci Tech Newsletter
info_outlineI'm currently out traveling. Due to my poor planning I managed to score back to back trips, for both business and leisure. While I'm not able to get an episode out on time, I do have a replacement!
In 2023 I was invited to speak at the Intelligent Speech conference. So, today, I present the audio of that talk. The topic is, of course, the wild path of the Intel 8086's creation and rise to power!
If you prefer to watch, here's the video of the same talk: