Computer Chronicles Revisited
@deviledeggpress.com
"Computer Chronicles Revisited" is a monthly newsletter reviewing the people, products, and companies featured on the PBS series that aired from 1983 to 2002. Published by Deviled Egg Press. Edited by S.M. Oliva.
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Computer Chronicles Revisited 139
Download the October 2026 issue, where The Computer Chronicles discusses new portable computers
www.computerchronicles.blog
The October 2026 issue of "Computer Chronicles Revisited" is now available. This month, I cover a November 1989 episode on portable computers, including new machines from IBM & Apple, the battle of Poqet vs. Portfolio, and no fewer than three Dynabooks!
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
Sigining off until after the U.S. elections. I'll be back on Friday with the November 2026 issue. Stay safe, everyone!
November 2, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Sigining off until after the U.S. elections. I'll be back on Friday with the November 2026 issue. Stay safe, everyone!
Reposted by Computer Chronicles Revisited
Dotcom bust Etoys dot com was founded 30 years ago this week. What was up with the name? Read this analysis from the former DNS administrator of evacationbibleschoolstudies dotcom. (yes, I knew it was an awful idea.) dfarq.homeip.net/etoys-com-an... #dotcomboom #techhistory
Etoys.com and its rapid rise and fall
The litigation around its demise took more than 13 years to settle
dfarq.homeip.net
November 2, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Dotcom bust Etoys dot com was founded 30 years ago this week. What was up with the name? Read this analysis from the former DNS administrator of evacationbibleschoolstudies dotcom. (yes, I knew it was an awful idea.) dfarq.homeip.net/etoys-com-an... #dotcomboom #techhistory
Frank Tobe and Gary Chapman appeared on a November 1985 “Computer Chronicles” to discuss the role of computers in politics. Tobe, a Democratic political consultant, described how he used computer databases to target voters based on specific issues. Gary Kildall had concerns.
youtu.be/KBGDpgsH44A
youtu.be/KBGDpgsH44A
Computer Chronicles - Computers in Politics (1987)
YouTube video by S.M. Oliva
youtu.be
November 2, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Frank Tobe and Gary Chapman appeared on a November 1985 “Computer Chronicles” to discuss the role of computers in politics. Tobe, a Democratic political consultant, described how he used computer databases to target voters based on specific issues. Gary Kildall had concerns.
youtu.be/KBGDpgsH44A
youtu.be/KBGDpgsH44A
The Democratic road-median sign-trolling game is getting stronger. Saw some decently clever ones while walking to the grocery store: "TRUMP-SUNUNU: FIGHT CANADA" was, I thought, well played.
November 1, 2026 at 9:14 PM
The Democratic road-median sign-trolling game is getting stronger. Saw some decently clever ones while walking to the grocery store: "TRUMP-SUNUNU: FIGHT CANADA" was, I thought, well played.
Reposted by Computer Chronicles Revisited
I wake up to November.
I wake up to Déjà vu.
I wake up to Déjà vu.
November 1, 2026 at 4:34 PM
I wake up to November.
I wake up to Déjà vu.
I wake up to Déjà vu.
Danny Goodman appeared on an October 1987 “Computer Chronicles” to demonstrate “Focal Point,” a business management tool he created for HyperCard and published by Mediagenic. Goodman is a writer by trade and also wrote “The Complete HyperCard Handbook.”
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
November 1, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Danny Goodman appeared on an October 1987 “Computer Chronicles” to demonstrate “Focal Point,” a business management tool he created for HyperCard and published by Mediagenic. Goodman is a writer by trade and also wrote “The Complete HyperCard Handbook.”
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
Reposted by Computer Chronicles Revisited
GEM, developed by Digital Research, brought a graphical desktop to computers long before Windows became dominant. The Atari ST wasn't its only adopter: the BBC Micro, Amstrad PC1512 and PC1640, and even the Apple IIgs had versions of this forgotten rival to Windows.
October 31, 2026 at 12:06 PM
GEM, developed by Digital Research, brought a graphical desktop to computers long before Windows became dominant. The Atari ST wasn't its only adopter: the BBC Micro, Amstrad PC1512 and PC1640, and even the Apple IIgs had versions of this forgotten rival to Windows.
Reposted by Computer Chronicles Revisited
The team behind Skyblivion are facing a legal challenge and looking for volunteer help, please help get the word out.
Also please respect their wishes, and don't turn it into a witch hunt against the former volunteer. This is about helping Skyblivion.
Also please respect their wishes, and don't turn it into a witch hunt against the former volunteer. This is about helping Skyblivion.
October 31, 2026 at 10:38 AM
The team behind Skyblivion are facing a legal challenge and looking for volunteer help, please help get the word out.
Also please respect their wishes, and don't turn it into a witch hunt against the former volunteer. This is about helping Skyblivion.
Also please respect their wishes, and don't turn it into a witch hunt against the former volunteer. This is about helping Skyblivion.
Reposted by Computer Chronicles Revisited
I just mailed out the November issue to subscribers. The PDF will be publicly available next Friday. If you'd like to become a subscriber and receive an actual newsletter in the mail each month, plus 7-days early access to the PDF, click the link below!
www.computerchronicles.blog/subscribe/
www.computerchronicles.blog/subscribe/
Subscribe
Computer Chronicles Revisited is a monthly print subscription newsletter. Each issue reviews an episode of the PBS series Computer Chronicles that aired from 1983 to 2002. You can download the October...
www.computerchronicles.blog
October 30, 2026 at 2:50 PM
I just mailed out the November issue to subscribers. The PDF will be publicly available next Friday. If you'd like to become a subscriber and receive an actual newsletter in the mail each month, plus 7-days early access to the PDF, click the link below!
www.computerchronicles.blog/subscribe/
www.computerchronicles.blog/subscribe/
Reposted by Computer Chronicles Revisited
52 years ago today, Zilog was born. Frustrated with Intel giving him uninteresting work like vending machine parts and reprimanding him for being a night owl, Federico Faggin started his own company and built the legendary Z-80. dfarq.homeip.net/when-federic... #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing
When Federico Faggin left Intel
After the Intel 8080, his next big thing was the Zilog Z-80 CPU.
dfarq.homeip.net
October 30, 2026 at 10:55 PM
52 years ago today, Zilog was born. Frustrated with Intel giving him uninteresting work like vending machine parts and reprimanding him for being a night owl, Federico Faggin started his own company and built the legendary Z-80. dfarq.homeip.net/when-federic... #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing
If there's one thing I'd forgotten about in the years I stayed away from liberal-leaning social media, it's how much some of you folks are obsessed with the New York Fucking Times. 😆
October 30, 2026 at 9:38 PM
If there's one thing I'd forgotten about in the years I stayed away from liberal-leaning social media, it's how much some of you folks are obsessed with the New York Fucking Times. 😆
I'm sure the ex-provost was only using AI to ask how he could get away from AI.
October 30, 2026 at 9:29 PM
I'm sure the ex-provost was only using AI to ask how he could get away from AI.
I switched to Linux full-time in 2013 and never looked back. Fortunately I've worked primarily as a freelance writer, so I've never been dependent on anything like MS Word or Adobe's products. Currently, I use LibreOffice Writer to do the newsletter. Before that I mostly relied on Markdown editors.
History has proven that Windows will never get better. Once you accept that, the practical and ethical need for alternatives becomes crystal clear. It is not an easy ask, but a just future cannot involve Windows. aftermath.site/we-must-kill-w...
October 30, 2026 at 6:52 PM
I switched to Linux full-time in 2013 and never looked back. Fortunately I've worked primarily as a freelance writer, so I've never been dependent on anything like MS Word or Adobe's products. Currently, I use LibreOffice Writer to do the newsletter. Before that I mostly relied on Markdown editors.
Reposted by Computer Chronicles Revisited
Have been trying to find the words for this for the better part of a year. I feel very strongly about this.
History has proven that Windows will never get better. Once you accept that, the practical and ethical need for alternatives becomes crystal clear. It is not an easy ask, but a just future cannot involve Windows. aftermath.site/we-must-kill-w...
October 30, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Have been trying to find the words for this for the better part of a year. I feel very strongly about this.
“Holland’s version of our own FBI has decided to wait out the software age. Its computer system delighted in confusing the good guys with with the bad. Wanted lists included names of innocent citizens. The software remains unnamed, and in Holland’s police department, unwanted.”
October 30, 2026 at 5:14 PM
“Holland’s version of our own FBI has decided to wait out the software age. Its computer system delighted in confusing the good guys with with the bad. Wanted lists included names of innocent citizens. The software remains unnamed, and in Holland’s police department, unwanted.”
My favorite thing about Trip Hawkins' first "Computer Chronicles" appearance in 1984 was that he apparently brought the entire EA catalog with him, which he fanned out on the table, like he was showing off carpet samples.
October 30, 2026 at 3:25 PM
My favorite thing about Trip Hawkins' first "Computer Chronicles" appearance in 1984 was that he apparently brought the entire EA catalog with him, which he fanned out on the table, like he was showing off carpet samples.
I just mailed out the November issue to subscribers. The PDF will be publicly available next Friday. If you'd like to become a subscriber and receive an actual newsletter in the mail each month, plus 7-days early access to the PDF, click the link below!
www.computerchronicles.blog/subscribe/
www.computerchronicles.blog/subscribe/
Subscribe
Computer Chronicles Revisited is a monthly print subscription newsletter. Each issue reviews an episode of the PBS series Computer Chronicles that aired from 1983 to 2002. You can download the October...
www.computerchronicles.blog
October 30, 2026 at 2:50 PM
I just mailed out the November issue to subscribers. The PDF will be publicly available next Friday. If you'd like to become a subscriber and receive an actual newsletter in the mail each month, plus 7-days early access to the PDF, click the link below!
www.computerchronicles.blog/subscribe/
www.computerchronicles.blog/subscribe/
Charlie Oppenheimer of Apple Computer appeared in a 1987 “Computer Chronicles” to demonstrate the Macintosh SE. In a final FU to Steve Jobs, this one came with an internal fan, a necessity to accommodate the 20 MB hard disk. This unit retailed for $3,699.
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
October 30, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Charlie Oppenheimer of Apple Computer appeared in a 1987 “Computer Chronicles” to demonstrate the Macintosh SE. In a final FU to Steve Jobs, this one came with an internal fan, a necessity to accommodate the 20 MB hard disk. This unit retailed for $3,699.
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
Reposted by Computer Chronicles Revisited
For those interested, I've dropped a bunch of updates to my playlist of original arcade game recordings! We've got stuff from Peabody Heights in Baltimore, Boss Battle Games in Ottawa, and @cpi.pinball.horse 's collection (annoyingly, it failed to record a few other machines at her place)
Video recordings of arcade machines - YouTube
Video footage of various arcade machines of interest that I've come across, typically ones that are pretty uncommon, old, or unemulated. Since these are gene...
www.youtube.com
October 30, 2026 at 2:40 AM
For those interested, I've dropped a bunch of updates to my playlist of original arcade game recordings! We've got stuff from Peabody Heights in Baltimore, Boss Battle Games in Ottawa, and @cpi.pinball.horse 's collection (annoyingly, it failed to record a few other machines at her place)
I'd love it if the Vatican press corps asked the Holy Father for his thoughts on the race to fill that seat on the Illinois Third District Appellate Court.
Pope gonna vote. chicago.suntimes.com/pope-leo-xiv...
Pope Leo will vote from the Vatican, by mail, in Illinois' midterm election
That mail ballot had to travel a long way — from Joliet to the Vatican City, where Pope Leo XIV has led the Catholic church since white smoke appeared from the Sistine Chapel in May 2025.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 30, 2026 at 1:15 AM
I'd love it if the Vatican press corps asked the Holy Father for his thoughts on the race to fill that seat on the Illinois Third District Appellate Court.
One of the first "Computer Chronicles" episodes produced in late 1983 addressed computer security, and Stewart Cheifet referenced "WarGames." The episode featured an extended interview with computer security expert Donn B. Parker.
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
October 30, 2026 at 12:30 AM
One of the first "Computer Chronicles" episodes produced in late 1983 addressed computer security, and Stewart Cheifet referenced "WarGames." The episode featured an extended interview with computer security expert Donn B. Parker.
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
www.computerchronicles.blog/computer-chr...
Reposted by Computer Chronicles Revisited
Reposted by Computer Chronicles Revisited
Don't invest in Red Hat he said. Invest in something with safe growth potential like AOL he said. I knew better, I listened to him, I lost money, he lost his license. AOL went into oblivion, Red hat got acquired for $34B. dfarq.homeip.net/ibms-2018-re... #dotcombust #retrocomputing
IBM's 2018 Red Hat acquisition
Its IPO didn't set records in 1999 but Red Hat stood the test of time
dfarq.homeip.net
October 29, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Don't invest in Red Hat he said. Invest in something with safe growth potential like AOL he said. I knew better, I listened to him, I lost money, he lost his license. AOL went into oblivion, Red hat got acquired for $34B. dfarq.homeip.net/ibms-2018-re... #dotcombust #retrocomputing
Well this is a new one. Looking up some information on an old guest and there's an eBay listing for one of her old business cards. I'm sorry, "vintage business cards." Vintage being 1989. 😆
October 29, 2026 at 11:06 PM
Well this is a new one. Looking up some information on an old guest and there's an eBay listing for one of her old business cards. I'm sorry, "vintage business cards." Vintage being 1989. 😆
“The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, whether it’s scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth. It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based.”
October 29, 2026 at 8:28 PM
“The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth, whether it’s scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth. It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based.”