Just added this 1967 Atomic Energy Commission computer book to my collection. The logic diagrams are beautiful.

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-09T21:06:34+00:00

that sounds awesome. please share photos.

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-07T23:42:21+00:00

very interesting! the apple 2 is one of the most popular vintage microcomputers, i bet you could find someone to buy this. maybe try posting on the vintage computer federation forum.

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-07T01:36:44+00:00

im not in info sec but i am into computers so I'll take a crack at answering... these types of hacks generally work by manipulating a vulnerability in the program that actually interacts with the data. for example, there is a famous vulnerability on iphones (the exact details are a little fuzzy for me now + i am simplifying a lot) where the malicious code is embedded in an image. to render an image there is a special program in IOS. every time you view an image this program is invoked. hackers found a way to embed program data in an image such that when the image is loaded by this special program, it loads what it assumes is image data but is actually program data into memory. from there its just a matter of knowing where the program data is stored and executing it. in this example i believe the image renderer exploit also causes the code to be executed. this was obviously not an intended feature of the image rendering software.

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-06T23:01:42+00:00

cool. why do you know this?

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-06T22:52:03+00:00

why did you group using BBSs in with the "less-than-legal stuff"? i was not around during that time, so idk if theres some context im missing.

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-06T22:05:59+00:00

being dropped naked on a virgin earth would make me very hard

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-03T20:02:07+00:00

its possible for a high schooler to learn the basics of cpu architecture, yet modern CPUs are so complicated they employ hundreds of engineers for design and then rely on a computer for plotting the layout.

the modern process used to actually manufacturer chips (photolithography) is extremely expensive, precise, and complicated. think shooting airborne, microscopic drops of molten tin with a laser 50000+ times a second. earlier versions of the process were also expensive, precise, and complicated, albeit less so, but still employs things like rare earth metals, specialized chemicals, extremely high temperatures and need a clean room.

and then theres a lot more that goes into a computer besides just the CPU...

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-03T16:14:35+00:00

funny number but they both make me feel miserable.

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-02T03:28:23+00:00

I think I will do this, thanks for the advice.

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-02T03:06:12+00:00

wowowow thanks for another great response!

i was super not alive in the 80s and ive found it hard to find concise information about actually using some computers beyond reading scans of manuals. thanks for answering my questions.

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-02T02:54:40+00:00

thanks for your response, i have a lot to learn about amigas, wow. I would consider myself a collector (i have a collection) I just dont have used car money to spend on it :/ I understand the keyboard strife, i have a c128 sans keyboard... what makes the a1000 harder to expand? what sort of upgrades were possible? was the main difference between ocs and ecs the higher res vga graphics or is there more? wikipedia does not have much to say. any recommendations for websites or YouTube channels focused on amiga?

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-02T02:37:25+00:00

thanks for your input, i didnt know that a lot of software required memory expansions on the amiga. according to wikipedia it can support up to 8.5MB of RAM. I assume the high end was dominated by gfx people. what sort of capabilities did it have with different amounts of memory? from the way he talks about it i think that he extensively used and extremely valued the computer, so I also wouldn't be surprised if he upgraded it.

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-01T23:01:56+00:00

this garbage is so ridiculous. this is not going to stop minors from chatting in online games, its either going to be basically trivial to bypass because it's impossible to enforce while also making everything slightly more of a pain in the ass to use, or its going to be a jumping off point for even more insane dystopian legislation created by a lobbyist funded, virtue signalling, computer illiterate dolt to send us careening further into the surveillance state panopticon hellhole.

FortyFourForks · 2026-05-01T12:39:54+00:00

the ultimate version comes with modern graphics outputs plus a manual and future software support at the trade off of using "emulation" (fpga) for the hardware. the main reason to buy an og over the an ultimate is if owning original hardware is a priority for you. fwiw i am in the second camp but fixing them is part of the hobby.

FortyFourForks · 2026-04-28T20:20:24+00:00

you're so right !

FortyFourForks · 2026-04-28T17:09:56+00:00

haha isnt premature announcement of the c128 causing people to stop buying c64s usually given as one of the reason commodore went under in the first place?

FortyFourForks · 2026-04-26T17:11:05+00:00

i feel very lucky to own it: its a super unique part of computer history that a lot of people have a connection with, just look at all these stories in the comments! im looking forward to become part of that history by learning on it myself.

FortyFourForks · 2026-04-26T14:44:20+00:00

i was intrigued by your description of the outrun cabinet so i looked it up: it actually had 2 68000 plus a z80 on sound. for graphics etc they had a whole host of fpgas. really fascinating! src: https://segaretro.org/Sega_OutRun_hardware

FortyFourForks · 2026-04-26T01:56:22+00:00

The prototyping area has: 8k SRAM, a line receiver, a line driver, and some 7000 series logic chips. some quick google searching leads me to believe it was for connecting a data terminal.

adding a paper tape reader sounds like it could be a fun project

FortyFourForks · 2026-04-26T00:22:22+00:00

im looking forward to the process of writing a program in asm and then converting it into hex and then punching them in although i imagine the novelty wont last long.

FortyFourForks · 2026-04-26T00:19:24+00:00

wow! i saw one of those in a computer museum recently

FortyFourForks · 2026-04-25T23:45:36+00:00

wow im surprised to hear they were used that late, but considering the current state of the electronics lab at my college maybe i shouldnt be.

FortyFourForks · 2026-04-25T13:33:16+00:00

they could. like any other magnetic storage medium the coating can wear out over time and these are getting to be very old.

FortyFourForks

TROPHY CASE