Category Archives: PC press

Weird Tales

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Michal Necasek

While researching various aspects of the history of computing, sometimes I come across what can best be described as “weird tales” — unsourced claims that sound interesting but are either provably wrong or there’s no evidence to support them. In … Continue reading →

Posted in IBM, Microsoft, PC history, PC press | 22 Comments

The Phantom Intel GM47 Chipset

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Michal Necasek

I spent a bit of time recently putting together technical documentation for Intel’s 4-series chipsets, partly motivated by research into Intel’s support of 4 GB DDR2 memory modules, partly driven by idle curiosity about one of Intel’s many hyped up … Continue reading →

Posted in Intel, PC history, PC press | 7 Comments

It’s In Style Now

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Michal Necasek

Retrocomputing has now made it to the Style section of the New York Times. There is nothing particularly new about the article, except where it appeared. I guess people have noticed that retrocomputing is a thing, and that old gear … Continue reading →

Posted in PC history, PC press | 10 Comments

The Danger of Datasheets

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Michal Necasek

A few days age I came across an article about the 8237 DMA controller in an old German computing magazine (DOS Extra, issue 1 ’87/88, page 123, Schnelle Speicherverwaltung mit dem DMA-Controller, or Fast memory management with the DMA controller). … Continue reading →

Posted in Corrections, PC hardware, PC press | 29 Comments

How Not to Buy a Computer

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Michal Necasek

The following is an unauthorized translation of an article by Jiří Franěk, published in the Czechoslovak computer magazine List sometime in early 1989. Some readers probably remember those times, others have forgotten. As for the rest—consider yourselves lucky. The number … Continue reading →

Posted in PC history, PC press | 27 Comments

Would You Believe It?

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Michal Necasek

The following article was printed in Computer Shopper, June 1992 issue (page 152). Commentary follows. The Big Squeeze Compression Scheme Shatters Storage Logjam Todd Daniel believes he has found a way to revolutionize data storage as we know it. DataFiles/16, … Continue reading →

Posted in PC history, PC press | 65 Comments

Deskpro 386 at 30

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Michal Necasek

30 years ago, in September 1986, Compaq announced the Deskpro 386, a PC as revolutionary as it was conservative. Compaq decided to forge its own path and not wait for IBM to introduce a 386-based PC. At the same time, Compaq … Continue reading →

Posted in 386, Compaq, IBM, PC history, PC press | 19 Comments

PC Tech Journal

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Michal Necasek

One of the better PC magazines back in the day (that is, in the 1980s) was PC Tech Journal (or PCTJ for short), a sister periodical of PC Magazine published by Ziff-Davis. While PC Magazine was targeted at the general computer-buying … Continue reading →

Posted in PC history, PC press | 5 Comments

DOS 4.0, bum rap, and mismatched expectations

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Michal Necasek

While researching the history of DOS extenders, I came across an article written in 1991 and explaining why OS/2 2.0 was going to be horribly incompatible with Windows 3.x. To support the argument, the following statement was used: “When IBM … Continue reading →

Posted in IBM, PC press | 13 Comments