jackb

I was also missing many issues. I am able to download those I was missing. Thanks!

Thank you!!! The scans are of excellent quality.

ThumpNugget.... PLEEEEAAAAAAAAASE COOOOOOOOOME BAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is it a matter of getting another disk drive or is disk space you at your hosting company limited?

ThumpNugget, Thanks for resuming posting the Byte issues. I'm also very glad you solved the IP mystery and PC problem. We know the upload problem was driving you crazy. Cheers!

Thanks again for doing this. Maybe you can figure out how to get a new IP address or something maybe.

No I don't. Also, most of the neater stuff I do for other people, so I can't be posting it. Good point. I should keep that in mind. I hope so, too.

Epobirs, Yes you are right. In my post (#530), I mention that it's actually a good thing that technology moves along. I wrote: "But I suppose if you look at the tools we as engineers/geeks have created, we should be encouraging more of the same." I further allude to that things are better than they have ever been. And yes, hobbyists are indeed very much deserving of the credit for the developments that made much of what we have today. Good point you made. Indeed, imagination does matter. Keatah, yes, I have to laugh, too. They didn't build it, they simply assembled it. Something on the order of monkeys screwing boxes together. LOL.

We think alike! I have done the same as you - designing boards in my own home-lab using the same 0.5mm pitch SMD parts. Yes, it geeky, but we do what we love. The same stuff that we see in the past issues of Byte. Excellent writeup. Thanks for posting it. In the end, we have created a bunch of tools that others are using. I guess you might say we're a victim of our own success. Our baby has grown up and left the house and we're kinda lamenting it. But I suppose if you look at the tools we as engineers/geeks have created, we should be encouraging more of the same. I was just re-thinking about this 'experimentation' thing. It's probably not as bad as we're thinking, as you say - there are probably even more geeks out there than ever before. If one looks/Googles for home hobbyist things, one can find a lot out there. It's not dead, other things are now in the forefront. Having the past issues of Byte available makes me long for those good ol' days, but now that I think about it, it's probably better than it ever has - one can create electronics artwork with PC tools, many of them free. Parts are readily available, many different types of parts can be in our hands within a few days. Plus we can do all this stuff, including ordering tools and parts, off-hours thanks to web commerce. Research and learning is much easier these days and you don't have to go to the library. On top of it all, we can easily find what others are doing via the internet. One cool thing is that one can design an n-layer board with tiny traces/holes (as long as you pay$ for them) and get them in your hands in relatively short order. Heck, getting 2- or 4- layer boards isn't expensive. Then, one can use a toaster oven to do the reflow with parts from Digikey and Mouser! How fun is that???!!!! As for the perception that little experimentation is happening, it might be because there are so many more and bigger goals out there. The boot code, where it once was the main point, is only the means to another end. It's hard/impossible to find someone that writes PC BIOS code, but this is due to the complexity and scale of the PCs we have now. Such is progress. However, it's easy to find people who write their own code for simpler electronics, like for 8051s, Freescale parts, and the like. So, in the end, I guess the geek activities haven't let up, it just looks and feels different. We've scampered off to our own little corners, but at least it still goes on... Again, thanks for posting your response. It was fun to read.

I wonder if they have all the old advertisements because without them, it's only half as fun.

Yes, good point. Back then, computers were novelties. Today, they're everyday objects, nothing special.

I really don't have hope that look and feel of the original Byte will return. Other than having original contributors, the original Byte was in a bygone era. It was a time of exploration, a true paradigm shift, an exciting time. Today, it's a throwaway society and nobody designs, builds computers and then experiments with them anymore. Nobody writes their own boot code. Computers are appliances - you just turn them on. They're tools to get something else done. We don't experiment with them anymore, hence the magic that comes with it doesn't exist enmasse as it once did. The closest people of today come to that is *assembling* pre-built components; this is in no way anywhere close to what hobbyists did back in the 70s and 80s. Back then, computers were a means unto itself. We did it because of its own sake. It was fun, it was new, it was exciting. Today, computers are ho-hum. I also don't see how this is going to be different than the zillions of other online magazines/blogs. However, I'll look forward to reading new articles by Jerry. If you want to read and see what Dr. Pournelle has been up to the last 10 or 15 years, check out his blog. He still writes the same as he did back in the day...

Looks like BYTE Magazine has been relaunched. Jerry Pournelle just made the announcement on his blogsite, which I subscribe to. http://www.informationweek.com/byte/ Jerry Pournelle's blogsite is here: http://jerrypournelle.com/jerrypournelle.c/chaosmanor/

Thanks so much for the work you have done. I look forward to those three BYTEs! Have fun on your vacation!

I read that nuclear effect article just now. It was very interesting!