Advent of Computing

Welcome to Advent of Computing, the show that talks about the shocking, intriguing, and all too often relevant history of computing. A lot of little things we take for granted today have rich stories behind their creation, in each episode we will learn how older tech has lead to our modern world.

Episode 194 - SpeedCoding Your Way to Software 11/09/2026

Episode 194 - SpeedCoding Your Way to Software In 1957 John Backus developed FORTRAN. It changed the world of programming forever. It was the first high level programming language to see widespread adoptions. In many ways it shaped what programming looks like today. However, it wasn't the first attempt at a replacement for machine code. In fact, it wasn't even Backus's first attempt. In 1953 he designed SpeedCoding, a strange language you've probably never heard of. Use Speedcode Yourself: Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: Join the conversation on the OFFICIAL discord server: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/43676504

Episode 193 - Digital Dating... SCAM? 10/25/2026

Episode 193 - Digital Dating... SCAM? Computers can do anything! They can open new fields of study, connect the world, and solve impossible problems. But can they find you love? The answer may be yes. That is, if you can escape all the scams, hoaxes, and odd happenings in the world of early comptuer dating! Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: Join the conversation on the OFFICIAL discord server: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/43409494

Episode 192 - Local Computer Held Hostage! 10/18/2026

Episode 192 - Local Computer Held Hostage! Have you ever wanted to use your computer, only to realize that it had been taken hostage? Over the decades there have been a number of cases where machines have been used as leverage against their owners. Today we look at tales of these digital kidnappings. Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: Join the conversation on the OFFICIAL discord server: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/43307009

Episode 191 - The BHP Virus 10/11/2026

Episode 191 - The BHP Virus I bet you can't make a virus for a home computer. That challenge was the start of an interesting saga. It would end with an honest to goodness computer virus spreading among Commodore 64 users. That virus may have made it as far as America and Turkey. It at least infected the offices of a computer magazine. Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: Join the conversation on the OFFICIAL discord server: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/43225153

Episode 190 - Machine Room or DEATH TRAP!? 10/04/2026

Episode 190 - Machine Room or DEATH TRAP!? Boo! Welcome to Spook Month 2026! I start off my scary coverage by looking at the dangers of the mainframe rooms of the 50s and 60s. We all know that running computers can be a drag. But can it be deadly? Answering that question takes me through government documents, maintenance manuals, and odd recollections of days gone by. Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: Join the conversation on the OFFICIAL discord server: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/43154143

Episode 189 - The IBM 701 09/27/2026

Episode 189 - The IBM 701 At the end of the 1940s IBM stood at a crossroads. The punch card company had yet to enter the electronic computer market. Forces within and without were pushing them in that direction, but many man in blue suits would resist the coming change. Out of this climate emerged the Type 701, IBM's first commercial machine. How did it beat the odds and make it to market? And what even did folk do with these early machines? Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: Join the conversation on the OFFICIAL discord server: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/43047673

Usagi Electric and the LGP-21 Restoration 09/13/2026

Usagi Electric and the LGP-21 Restoration Who can't resist Librascope hardware? Well, me, for one. And David from Usagi Electric is in the same boat. In this episode we sit down to talk about his LGP-21, how he got it, how he got it working, and what the machine can do! Subscribe to Usagi Electric to see the full project: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/42734515

Episode 188 - Training and Teaching with the Bi-Tran Six 09/01/2026

Episode 188 - Training and Teaching with the Bi-Tran Six How did you learn about computers? And how in depth was your education? For some the answer is the Bi-Tran Six: an educational machine released in 1965. This was one of the first computer trainers, and it represents a very interesting take on design. It's a machine that's small, simple, and can even be disassembled while running. But exactly how was it designed, and what was it used for? What makes the Bi-Tran Six so different from other machines? Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/42663560

Episode 187 - What's Better Than Binary? 08/17/2026

Episode 187 - What's Better Than Binary? Binary is synonymous with digital computing. But is it the only way to crunch numbers? The short answer is no. The long answer, well, that's today's topic. Today we are talking about ternary, aka base 3. From it's early uses in the 19th century, to actual computers, and even theoretical designs; ternary proves to be a difficult topic to track down... and a very unique one. Selected sources: - Information and a reconstruction of Fowler's contraption - Part I of the TERNAC papers, rationale! Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/42378825

LIVE from VCF West - Wait, Is That Really UNIX? 08/03/2026

LIVE from VCF West - Wait, Is That Really UNIX? It's no secret that I've been fascinated by odd UNIX clones for a while. When I got invited back to speak at VCF West this year I decided to share that fascination with a captive audience. In this talk we look at Idris and CROMIX, and ask the simple question: why would you want UNIX free UNIX? VCFed will be posting the video version of this presentation in the coming weeks. I'll add a link here once that's up. SEE my slides, here: Install Co-Idris: Install ST-Idris: And DEFINITELY install CROMIX: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/42300710

Episode 186 - MADDIDA 07/19/2026

Episode 186 - MADDIDA In 1950 Northrup unveiled their MAgnetic Drum DIgital Differential Analyser. The machine is a wild piece of technology; a rendering of an analog computer in digital encoding. But how did we get here? How did a project to guide a missile lead to a mass produced computer? And what does it have to do with suspiciously dry martinis? Selected Sources: https://sci-hub.st/10.1109/MAHC.2003.1179869 - 2003 paper on MADDIDA Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/42139315

Episode 185 - Is EMUL-8ion a Form of Flattery? 07/06/2026

Episode 185 - Is EMUL-8ion a Form of Flattery? EMUL-8 is a fascinating programming language. It's described in just one paper from 1977. It's a mix of features from APL, LISP, ALGOL, and SNOBOL. And, I think, it's a wonderful window into how counterculture and home computing collided. /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/41970005

Episode 184 - What Is A Programming Language? 06/21/2026

Episode 184 - What Is A Programming Language? I mean that both in the specific and the abstract. This episode we are looking at APL, which stands for A Programming Language. APL was developed in the mid 50s, but didn't see a working implementation until 1965. It's a language that truly looks like no others, but has some odd parallels to everything from BASIC to LISP to linear algebra. Learn APL at: - A Programming Language /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/41706965

Dale Biagio - Hello, World! 06/14/2026

Dale Biagio - Hello, World! Dale Biagio(author of Hello, World!) got in touch with me recently. He said he had a book full of short histories of programming languages. Better still, it has sources! How could I resist! In this episode I sit down with Dale to talk about the intersection of technical and human histories. You can find more about Hello, World! at Dale's website: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/41638980

Episode 183 - A Digital Gap? 05/31/2026

Episode 183 - A Digital Gap? I've been browsing old compur surveys and trying to build up a comprehensive data set. What I've found is a little surprising: between late 1945 and 1949 only 10 new computers entered service. Once we get to the 50s that number explodes. What's going on here? What caused the gap between the first digital machines and the explosion of computers in the 50s? In this episode I try to answer that question by finding out just what was going on during this digital gap. Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/41477355

Episode 182 - Spinning Memories 05/18/2026

Episode 182 - Spinning Memories What connects IBM, the NSA, the Third Reich, and high fidelity recordings of symphonies? The answer is: magnetic drum memory. Join me as I lose all track of scope and plot to discovery just how and why magnetic drum memory was invented. Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/41323620

Episode 181 - RAYDAC 05/03/2026

Episode 181 - RAYDAC In 1947 Raytheon signed a contract to make their first computer. It would be their last... at least for many many years. The fruits of this contract was RAYDAC. Early digital computers were odd, to say the least. And RAYDAC distinguishes itself. From zig-zag delay lines to hunting tapes to freon cooling, it truly is a unique machine. Selected Sources: - McGee on his experience programming RAYDAC - A Digital Computer for Scientific Applications - The Logical Design of RAYDAC Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/41129140

Episode 180 - You Wouldn't Magnetize a Tape! 04/19/2026

Episode 180 - You Wouldn't Magnetize a Tape! The image of a mainframe is almost always accompanied by it's companion: the magnetic tape drive. For decades magnetic tape served as the medium of choice for computing. It was faster than punch cards, and more available than hard drives. But where did it come from? Is it a borrowed technology like the vacuum tube? Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/40926910

Episode 179 - Programming Block by Block 04/04/2026

Episode 179 - Programming Block by Block In which we discuss GPSS: the General Purpose Simulation Language. As for as languages go, this is a unique one. It's designed for certain types of simulations. It's code is just a handy way to feed a flowchart into a computer. It's design is closer to an analog computer than it is to a programming language. Yet GPSS is Turing Complete. Step inside and prepare to be... confused! The big source of the show: - The Development of GPSS Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/40733460

Episode 178 - The Programma 101 03/22/2026

Episode 178 - The Programma 101 The Olivetti Programma 101 isn't quite like any other machine. On first glance it looks like a big desktop calculator. Inside, it's a purebred computer... but strange one. It uses twisted spring steel for memory, has no addresses, and it's machine code looks more like a spell than a program. It's existence is due, in no small part, to a man being very mean to GE engineers. Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/40568565

Dan Temkin - Forty-Four Esolangs 03/09/2026

Dan Temkin - Forty-Four Esolangs Dan Temkin has been a long time friend of the show. I finally got the chance to sit down and talk with him about one of his latest projects. Forty-Four Esolangs is a "The first artist's monograph of programming languages". During this interview we keep circling around one very crucial question: what really is a programming language? Get the book and learn more about esolangs here: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/40351490

Episode 177 - Getting Real with RSX 02/23/2026

Episode 177 - Getting Real with RSX Who wants to hear me make incorrect assumptions about old software? RSX is a system that, from the outside, can sound like it has a similar story to that of UNIX. First developed for the PDP-15 in 1969, RSX becomes much more well known when it migrates to the PDP-11. It becomes a multitasking and multiuser system. A key difference is niche. While UNIX is a very general purpose system RSX is built for real time. That leads to something very unique. /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/40191445

Episode 176 - Is That Even UNIX? 02/09/2026

Episode 176 - Is That Even UNIX? UNIX is beloved by many. It's the classic minicomputer operating system. It's big, it's powerful, it's multitasking, and it has some very specific memory requirements. So what happens when you try and get UNIX to run on a microcomputer? Hilarity ensues. Today we are looking at 3 small versions of UNIX: OMNIX, LSX, and CROMIX. And, I'll tell you, one of these is closer to vaporware than the others. /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/40035710

Episode 175 - SNOBOL? That's Disgusting! 01/28/2026

Episode 175 - SNOBOL? That's Disgusting! Today we are talking about one of the most unique languages I've ever come across. SNOBOL emerges from the early days of programming. It's first compiler is implemented on the back of an envelope. It only has one data type, and only one format for every line of code. It's the bane of Chester, and center of an office drama! What's not to love? Selected sources: - Griswold's history of SNOBOL - THE SNOBOL1 Paper /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/39906620

Episode 174 - The Bell Model I 01/12/2026

Episode 174 - The Bell Model I We are getting back to the actual digital family tree. In 1937 George Stibitz built a tiny binary adding circuit on his kitchen table using scraps he "liberated" from his job at Bell Labs. In 1940 he demonstrated a machine he called a computer. That research forms one of the foundations of modern computing. It also forms a weird temporal phenomenon that I have yet to name. Maybe the Curse of '37? Selected Sources: Zeroth Generation by George Stibitz (NOW WITH A 2nd EDITION!) - Stibitz in Datamation /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/39683975

Episode 173 - Hybrid Programming 12/29/2025

Episode 173 - Hybrid Programming Hybrid computers are composed of a digital computer linked to an analog computer. That leads to an interesting challenge: how do you write software for one of these things? The analog side actively resists programming, while the digital side can't comprehend of continuous values. In the 1960s specialized languages appeared that tried to bridge this divide. And, I assure you, they are not at all like what you would expect. /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/39547675

Episode 172 - Analog/Hybrid 12/15/2025

Episode 172 - Analog/Hybrid In 1945 the first electronic digital computers sparked to life. Number crunching was instantly changed forever! The perfect technology had arrived, and there was never even a competition, right? Well, not so much. The simple fact is that computers sucked for decades. Digital machines have all kinds of inherent pitfalls. There was another entire lineage of computers that existed in the shadow of digital machines: the analogs. Eventually the two technologies would merge in an attempt to create the truly perfect machine: one with the flexibility and accuracy of a digital computer, and the speed and interactivity of an analog computer. The result were hybrids! /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/39396525

Episode 171 - What Is a 4GL? 11/24/2025

Episode 171 - What Is a 4GL? Last episode I said that Fourth Generation Languages were a topic for another time. Well... this counts as another time. Today we are trying to figure out what exactly makes a language 4th Generation. Along the way we will see why the term bugs me so much, why 4GLs seem so strange, and how a programmer can increase their productivity by 2,000% (some restrictions apply). /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/39135595

Episode 170 - Thoroughbred/OS 11/10/2025

Episode 170 - Thoroughbred/OS I'm back to normal episodes, and I'm running out the gate with a weird one. Thoroughbred/OS was a multi-user and multi-tasking operating system for the IBM PC. It's mian interface was... BASIC of all things! What exactly is this oddity? - Try Out Thoroughbred/OS yourself /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/38969835

Episode 169.5 - Ben Zotto and the Story of Sphere Computers 11/01/2025

Episode 169.5 - Ben Zotto and the Story of Sphere Computers I recently had the chance to talk to Ben Zotto about his upcoming book: Go Computer Now! - The Story of Sphere Computers. It's all about an obscure machine powered by the Motorola 6800 that released in 1975. I figured it was the perfect faire for my audience. And... I really want to read this book! You can back the project over at kickstarter: And find out more at Ben's sites: /episode/index/show/adventofcomputing/id/38873890

Advent of Computing

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