Bits and Bytes OnLine: Those were the days

Friday, September 9, 2022

Those were the days

When I attended high school, computers were not yet in the classroom; the only keyboard I used was attached to a Smith Corona typewriter.

In 1981, I worked at the local telephone company and realized computers and software would play a prominent role in the future of telecommunications.

So I purchased an inexpensive Sinclair ZX81 computer manufactured by the Timex Corporation in Dundee, Scotland, for $100, which, in 2022, would cost around $325.

The Sinclair ZX81 was lightweight and compact.

It did not have a dedicated monitor; its video display output was connected via a cable to my portable black-and-white TV.

I recall typing humorous messages on the TV screen for visitors, who usually smiled upon seeing them.

The computer’s operating system was a form of BASIC (Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) called Sinclair BASIC.

I taught myself to code some software programs, typing on a pressure-sensitive membrane (flat) keyboard. The data was stored on cassette tapes using my tape cassette recorder.

A program was loaded into the computer from a cassette tape in the tape player through a connected cable.

The Sinclair ZX81 computer used an NEC Zilog Z80-compatible central processor running at a clock rate of 3.25 MHz.

It included 8KB of ROM and 16KB of RAM.

I also used a small ZX Printer plugged into the Sinclair ZX81’s expansion bus via a short-length cable.

It printed the output for BASIC commands and simple reference data onto an aluminum-coated 4-inch thermal paper attached to the printer.

The ZX Printer resembled a packaging tape dispenser.

I purchased VHS tapes (what are those, grandpa?) and books about personal computers, BASIC, MS-DOS, and how to write code to execute batch commands and run utility programs.

By 1983, I was using an IBM personal computer with a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 processor, 256KB (which I expanded to 512KB) of RAM, and a 20MB hard drive the size of an eight-slot toaster.

This computer included a large cathode ray tube monitor and an IBM dot matrix printer using a parallel cable plugged into the computer’s DB-25 connector.

Software programs were written on 5.25-inch floppy disks and loaded into the computer via a single-sided 160KB 5.25-inch floppy drive.

At the end of 1985, Microsoft released its Windows 1.0 platform, Microsoft MS-DOS Executive. It was a graphical user interface shell program of MS-DOS and allowed navigation using a mouse.

In 1983, a Friday evening television program called “The Computer Chronicles,” based in San Mateo, CA, began broadcasting over the local PBS channel.

Stewart Cheifet was the Executive Producer and host.

During each 30-minute episode, he discussed and demonstrated the latest in computing technology and interviewed people with expertise in computers, peripherals, and software.

Cheifet, a journalist, covered the high-tech industry in the Silicon Valley of California as a correspondent for the PBS “Nightly Business Report,”

Each Friday, he greeted us with: “Welcome to the Computer Chronicles.”

Cheifet talked about computing technology in an easy-to-understand manner, demonstrating how personal computers, their peripherals, and software could improve our lives at work and home.

“The Computer Chronicles” regularly included representatives from those companies manufacturing and selling computer hardware and software.

These representatives demonstrated their computing products and answered questions from Cheifet.

The show was enjoyable to watch, and I learned something new each week.

“The Computer Chronicles” not only covered IBM and Microsoft; it included segments featuring Apple and other computer manufacturers and software companies.

One of the show’s segments, “Random Access,” discussed the week’s latest computing news.

“The Computer Chronicles” was fitting for the times as fast-evolving personal computer technology descended upon us. Cheifet’s analysis, interviews, and professional presentation significantly contributed to the audiences’ learning and understanding.

“The Computer Chronicles” episodes kept me informed on the recent computing news.

One episode from July 14, 1988, began with a Commodore Amiga personal computer sitting on a desk Stewart Cheifet was seated at.

“Welcome to the Computer Chronicles,” the Commodore Amiga said through its speaker.

“A computer that talks!” a very surprised Cheifet exclaimed.

For nearly 20 years, this program covered most facets of personal computing, the internet, and the world wide web — the final episode of “The Computer Chronicles” aired in 2002.

According to Cheifet, “The Computer Chronicles” was seen in over 100 countries worldwide and was the first 30-minute television program streamed on the internet in 1990.

The early 1980s was a time of excitement and enthusiasm as interest in home computing hardware and software began in earnest.

Original episodes of “The Computer Chronicles” are stored on the Internet Archive at https://bit.ly/3eqAHas.

YouTube also contains many episodes at https://bit.ly/3RyjYQC.

In 2018, Cheifet was the keynote speaker at Tandy Assembly and discussed his days hosting “The Computer Chronicles.” You can watch this video at https://bit.ly/3wS3CKz.

He described his work on “The Computer Chronicles” as “A hobby of love for me,” adding, “It was great fun.”

Stewart Cheifet will turn 84 on September 24. He lives in San Mateo, CA.

And yes, I still have the Sinclair ZX81 computer.

Those were the days.