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 Discussion on answer by Raffzahn: Why…

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snips-n-snails
Feb 21, 2022 12:43
@epl You're describing the Apple I and asking why it was invented when it was and not sooner.
 

 Discussion on question by Synthetix: …

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snips-n-snails
Oct 24, 2021 09:45
C was really designed for processors with large stacks, not the 8-bit processors that existed in the '80s. So back then, either assembly or Forth was used. I'm sure someone else here will provide a proper answer in more depth.
 

 Discussion on question by StayOnTarge…

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snips-n-snails
Jul 3, 2021 17:39
Turning the question around, why does C++ need official filename extensions?
 

 Discussion on answer by Raffzahn: How…

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snips-n-snails
Apr 15, 2021 18:13
@Raffzahn I concede that the HP laser printer model 2680 was not called a LaserJet, but it appears from the 2686A manual that the original LaserJet had a single interface that could be configured for either RS-232C or HP-IB, and that a Centronix parallel interface could be installed into later models.
snips-n-snails
Apr 15, 2021 18:13
@Raffzahn That manual isn't for the original LaserJet (model 2680). The "HP 2680/85/89 High Speed Laser Page Printer Family" datasheet located at hpmuseum.net/exhibit.php?hwdoc=442 says the 2680 communicated over HPIB a.k.a. IEEE-488 which is an 8-bit parallel interface. It makes sense that HP would add serial on some models as a secondary interface for compatibility, but never as the primary interface.
snips-n-snails
Apr 15, 2021 18:13
"serial 9,600 for a laser" I doubt it.
 

 Discussion on question by Paul Ghobri…

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snips-n-snails
Feb 21, 2021 11:50
Are floppy disks electronic or magnetic, and is the distinction important?
 

 Discussion on question by Schezuk: Ch…

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snips-n-snails
Feb 19, 2021 09:13
So something like mask ROM will be expensive in low volumes but cheap in high volumes, and core rope memory will be the opposite.
 

 Discussion on question by Paul Ghobri…

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snips-n-snails
Feb 17, 2021 16:50
@another-dave If a real-time clock is any electronic device "that measures the passage of time" according to your link, doesn't that fulfill your requirement "(a) a means of tracking the time"?
 

 Discussion on answer by Raffzahn: Why…

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snips-n-snails
Nov 1, 2020 19:00
"performance wise a 4.77 MHz 8088 doesn't deliver notable more processing punch than a 1 MHz 6502" - well, it was certainly much faster than my TI-99/4a! (TMS9900 @ 3 MHz)
 

 Discussion on question by Brian H: Wh…

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snips-n-snails
Jun 18, 2020 08:44
A software "user" implies they cannot easily quit the software and switch to a competitor's just as a drug "user" implies they cannot easily quit the drug!
 

 Discussion on question by Muze: What …

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traal
May 2, 2019 17:12
@Muze Have you tried Lynx?
 

 Discussion on question by Sachiko.Shi…

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traal
Nov 1, 2018 03:46
C80 to the right of the big 8721 chip in the lower middle looks a little strange to me. I don't know how to remove the video shield.
traal
Nov 1, 2018 03:46
Barber poles would be diagonal. Your lines are vertical (jail bars). That problem could be caused by failing capacitors. Could you take a high resolution photograph of the motherboard? It might provide another clue.
 

 Discussion on answer by tofro: Last c…

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traal
Oct 15, 2018 16:10
@supercat +1 for using the word "octet" in place of "byte". (An octet is always 8 bits; a byte is most commonly 8 bits but not always.)
 

 Discussion on answer by Raffzahn: Que…

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traal
Jan 31, 2018 06:11
"Hi, I have a TV that I use as a monitor for my C64 on channel 3/4 with the RF modulator but all the other channels are static. How can I watch broadcast TV on it?"