Questions tagged [software]
For questions about the applications and programs that can be run on retro devices (computers, etc.)
80
questions
1
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1answer
133 views
What was the reason for AmiPro's limitation in displaying two pages together when scrolling?
I have fond memories of using Lotus AmiPro word processor. If it would run on 64-bit Windows, I'd probably still use it today.
One of the most infamous bugs in the program was its inability to show ...
1
vote
0answers
27 views
Where can I find EVOC20 package for Emagic Logic 2.5?
I know the vocoder was firstly developed by the company Emagic, which then bought by Apple. Now it is part of Logic Pro X and impossible to find the original version, that can work in Windows.
Does ...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
What is the point in interpreting an integer literal differently depending on the machine?
I was reading the user manual for an old program "UNRAVEL": http://www.ml1.org.uk/pdf/Unravel_User_Manual_1971.pdf. On page 9, it describes the syntax for integer constants:
Unsigned ...
4
votes
1answer
92 views
Are there any CHIP-8 games that break if `SAVE` / `RESTORE` *doesn't* change the pointer register?
The CHIP-8 instructions SAVE Vx (Fx55) and RESTORE Vx (Fx65) are originally specified to increment the pointer register I as each register is saved/loaded, so by the end of the instruction, the value ...
2
votes
0answers
92 views
Where can I find software for the Imlac computers?
There is an emulator for the Imlac PDS-1 and PDS-4 computers, but not a lot of software to run on it. I know about this collection: http://www.ubanproductions.com/imlac_sw.html
Is there anything else ...
51
votes
14answers
11k views
Did many programs really store years as two characters (Y2K bug)?
The claim that programs stored dates as two ASCII or similar characters because computers were limited in resources seems wrong to me because it takes more memory than one 8-bit integer would. Also in ...
10
votes
1answer
380 views
How much time and how many people were required to develop Delphi version 1?
I would guess the compiler was primarily a modification of Borland's Turbo Pascal, while the Integrated Development Environment and Visual Component Library required a lot more development from ...
5
votes
1answer
430 views
Where did the lookup table in Entombed come from?
Entombed is an Atari 2600 game where you move through an infinite vertically-scrolling maze and try not to die. This maze is procedurally generated, with two bits from a PRNG (underlined) added each ...
21
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4answers
1k views
Does the “Amiga Client for Novell NetWare” exist?
On page 139 of Brian Bagnall's book "Commodore: The Final Years", there is the statement that at CeBIT Hannover in March 1989, Commodore announced (amongst other things) "Novell Netware for Amiga".
I ...
3
votes
3answers
356 views
Understanding the meaning of the term “Modifying a software program” in a book
In his book The Silicon Jungle David Rothman mentions several times the term "modifying" or "customizing" a software program.
e.g. Chapter 8:
And then the consultant didn’t even supply instructions ...
26
votes
4answers
6k views
Unix Haters Handbook - guaranteeing synchronous, atomic operations
I've come across Filesystems with versioning and have been reading through the Unix Haters Handbook, linked there. I came across page 85:
On the other hand, techniques for guaranteeing synchronous, ...
4
votes
1answer
264 views
SID to WAV converter that exports per channel separately
For a C64 SID project of mine (https://soundcloud.com/c64er) I was using an converter almost 10 years ago, but it is missing now with its name... I researched many sites, but no lucky. Is there any ...
6
votes
4answers
480 views
Were there any games/software that used a resolution or resolution-mode higher than what was advertised available on the machine?
Were there any games/software that used a resolution or resolution-mode higher than what was advertised available on the machine ?
On home / personal computers between anytime - 1984 .
Without ...
5
votes
9answers
577 views
Were there any games/software that used memory beyond what was advertised available to BASIC on the machine?
Were there any games/software that used memory beyond what was advertised as available to BASIC on the machine ?
On home / personal computers any time up to 1984 .
Without needing to plug in any ...
5
votes
1answer
194 views
Can't install El-Fish on MS-DOS 6.22
El-Fish is a fish tank "game", where you have virtual fish on your screen. The game has no goal, it's more like an interactive screen saver.
I got my version from a number of different sources, one ...
30
votes
22answers
7k views
Was self-modifying code possible using BASIC?
Was self-modifying-code possible using BASIC?
Parameters:
On commonly affordable home-computers before 1984
Code that changes its own instructions while it is executing
Using BASIC only
Not using ...
2
votes
1answer
250 views
Historical speed of linear programming solvers
A few years ago, I remember seeing a video of Ray Kurzweil discussing how linear programming was an example of how software (algorithms) - independent of hardware - is also getting faster (...
8
votes
5answers
375 views
Build automation tools before make?
I realized that make was "only" invented in 1976 and seems to be one of the first build automation tools (at least it's probably the oldest still in use). Make with its shell focus seems like a total ...
2
votes
2answers
479 views
What is a .95END file?
While cleaning out some old computers owned by my grandfather I came across some files marked with the file format .95END that had creation dates in early 1995 (though they could be from much earlier, ...
11
votes
4answers
498 views
In what way could the Sperry Univac BC-7 computer “speak and understand” English?
Researching for this question I ran across this 1978 advertisement for Sperry:
The computer is nicknamed "B.C." and the actor says (in part):
What I really like about BC is he speaks and ...
87
votes
20answers
18k views
Have programming languages driven hardware development?
Programming language development has been influenced by hardware design. One example from this answer mentions how C pointers were, at least in part, influenced by the design of the PDP-11. Has the ...
1
vote
1answer
227 views
How was the modem MNP protocol implemented in software?
When first modems for PCs started to appear in the USSR in late 1980s, they usually were in the form of an ISA card, and supported a bare minimum of the Hayes AT commands. Given the quality of Soviet ...
3
votes
3answers
457 views
Pirated spreadsheet software introducing intentional errors?
Was there ever a case of a spreadsheet application introducing intentional floating-point errors when it detected that it had been pirated? Particularly errors that were small enough to go unnoticed ...
3
votes
1answer
193 views
Ways To Test iMac G3 Before Buying
I am going to buy an old iMac G3 Over the next couple of days/weeks, and I want to make sure that I am buying a system with no problems. I usually ask for the serial number and good pictures before ...
3
votes
4answers
640 views
Combination of processor and Windows version
Have an old(ish) laptop with a Pentium T4400 @ 2.20 GHz processor, and some old software1 that requires Windows 95 or NT.
With a view to running this software on that hardware, I tried installing ...
10
votes
1answer
478 views
Colorful print ad in ca. 1990 magazine
I'm trying to find a software ad in a comic book style that I remember from one of my father's computer magazines in the early 1990s. I know this is a long shot, but somebody might recall it or even ...
47
votes
11answers
19k views
Why not use fractions instead of floating point?
Considering all those early home computers, the ZX Spectrum, the Galaksija, the VIC-20, the Apple I/II/III, and all of those, they all have some 8-bit CPU which does integer arithmetic and no floating ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 “DIVIDE BY ZERO” command
I was reading an Wikipedia article named "History Of Microsoft Flight Simulator" and I noticed something weird about Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0:
November 1982
sometime during 1981-82
...
14
votes
5answers
4k views
Security Issues with Bootable Games
I'm not sure if this is the correct place to ask this question or Information Security, but here it goes.
Certain storage mediums can also be bootable, for example USB drives or CD/DVDs. These ...
3
votes
1answer
745 views
How did PC boot games handle saving?
I was reading on this RCSE page about old PC games that you had to boot into to play.
Obviously the machine that the game would run on would at least have enough RAM and necessary graphics ...
5
votes
4answers
716 views
How was corporate training done before PowerPoint?
The usual thing today is a laptop (maybe desktop) PC (or Mac) connected to a video projector to display content from PowerPoint (or Keynote) slides. How was it done, in general, before this hardware ...
4
votes
0answers
417 views
Rainbow Technologies Ltd DRM system for DOS
A number of games from the early 1990s appear to be protected with a DRM system developed by Rainbow Technologies Ltd. The system allows content in the games to be unlocked by sending the manufacturer ...
11
votes
1answer
434 views
How did Drive Overlay programs break BIOS disk barriers on older PCs?
I was just reading a thread on Vogons about OnTrack and EZ-Drive setup, and it occurred to me that I have no idea how they work.
Please explain why the barrier existed and then how the overlay ...
8
votes
3answers
449 views
Is there a non-paging ITS for the PDP-6 or PDP-10?
In the late 60s, the Incompatible Timesharing System ran on a PDP-6 without any paging hardware (i.e. an MMU in modern terminology). See the Jargon entry for BLT, for example, which states (my ...
9
votes
2answers
429 views
Can 6502 programs be transliterated to the SPC700?
The SPC700's instruction set is derived from the 6502's, but moves the instructions around and adds a few. But is it fully backwards compatible?
Assuming that the program fully separates data and ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the (usually lower quality) “software rendering” mode visible in so many “second-generation” FPS games?
During a conversation, a friend of mine sent me this picture:
It's the first Thief (I guess), with so-called software rendering.
I already experienced this effect in Quake 1-2 and to an extent, in ...
18
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2answers
5k views
First commercial DOS game?
What was the first commercial game sold for use on IBM/MS/PC DOS after the IBM August 12, 1981 release.
1
vote
1answer
372 views
What was the name and origin of this security software?
I am trying to find a free software for security, that I downloaded for tracing someone attached to my computer. I remember using this on my Windows 98 system. You could see on a map where the ...
7
votes
1answer
260 views
Did Radio Shack initially attempt to get a monopoly on commercial software for the TRS-80 Model I?
This question is about the era of the TRS-80 Model I, ca. 1977-1979. Originally there was no software you could buy, other than BASIC itself, which was in ROM. You would write your own, or type in ...
6
votes
3answers
680 views
Identification of old text-to-speech voice/engine
I have heard it many times before, but I can't recognize where the TTS file/engine comes from. But what in do know is that it sounds very old, so it seemed appropriate to post this question here.
...
6
votes
1answer
467 views
Need help identifying math game where equations let you move from room to room?
Can anyone help me find an old math game where equations let you move from room to room? I played the game on an Apple II back in middle school and I want to use it with my daughter to teach her math. ...
11
votes
1answer
1k views
Where do command line switches originate from?
In Linux we have command line switches traditionally started with minus ls -al. In Windows those start with slash dir /b.
I remember that on RSX-11M that I used to deal with and later on RT-11 the ...
13
votes
2answers
2k views
Where did Fast InvSqrt() come from?
The fast inverse square root algorithm is probably best known for its use in Quake III Arena, the source code of which was released to the public a few years after its release. However, the algorithm ...
12
votes
4answers
793 views
Old school backup systems: what are they?
So being a sysadmin for several years, I learned that "Jesus saves, but God makes tape backups," several times over.
Watching Season 2 of Halt and Catch Fire, there is some data loss.
Being that ...
9
votes
1answer
859 views
Was there a 'git' in the 1990s?
I seem to remember using a source code control system back in the early- to mid-1990s called git. Am I nuts?
I used to work at IBM way back then. We didn't use it for a big project, but I distinctly ...
14
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2answers
5k views
What is the best way to obtain old versions of MS-DOS and Windows?
I'm wondering what the best way obtain old versions of Windows would be, specifically:
DOS
Windows 95
Windows 98/SE
Windows 2000/ME
Windows XP Professional
Windows 7 Professional
Microsoft Office for ...
3
votes
0answers
679 views
What are some programs known to take advantage of Intel MMX instructions? [closed]
Although MMX techology, introduced in 1997, is long superseded by SSE series of extensions, it's still included in every modern x86 CPU for backwards compatibility.
What are some examples of ...
30
votes
2answers
3k views
How did Windows ME “cripple” DOS?
Windows ME includes the ability to create a bootable DOS floppy. This floppy contains versions of COMMAND.COM and IO.SYS that are "crippled" to remove real mode. This is done with only one changed ...
-7
votes
1answer
677 views
How many old computing methods are still with us today? [closed]
Reading some of the questions here got me to thinking... how many of the old methods, software or hardware, are still with us today?
My two examples:
HTML. It's line oriented, for crying out loud. ...
5
votes
0answers
283 views
Find the PGP SDK
Starting in 1998 (I think) the PGP company run by Phil Zimmerman released the PGP SDK for Mac, Unix and Windows. This was a big event because it was the first time that comprehensive, high grade ...
