Silicon Underground (Dave F)

Computer security pro specializing in vulnerability management, vintage computer enthusiast, blogs a lot. #fedi22 #retrocomputing #infosec #c64 #amiga #atari800

Web:: https://dfarq.homeip.net
Twitter:: Silicon Underground (Dave F) (npub1pzf…27xm)
Pronouns:: He/Him

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Last Notes

2024-09-10 12:26:11

What's a Tengen? Besides a Japanese board game term, it was the largest unauthorized producer of Nintendo cartridges. It was 32 years ago today that it lost one of several legal battles with Nintendo. It won some and lost some. #nintendo #nes #retrogames https://dfarq.homeip.net/tengen-and-its-legal-battles-with-nintendo/

2024-09-09 13:31:53

21 years ago, the RIAA started suing people for sharing MP3 files, including a 12-year-old. This blog post explores their infamous lawsuits, why they did it and what finally brought the lawsuits to an end. https://dfarq.homeip.net/that-time-the-riaa-sued-a-12-year-old-for-mp3-usage/

2024-08-15 12:31:39

What was it like teaching Andy Warhol how to use a computer? One person alive can answer that question: former Commodore employee Jeff Bruette. He shared his stories with me a few days ago, which I collected in this blog post. #commodore #amiga #retrocomputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/working-with-andy-warhol-jeff-bruettes-recollections/

2024-08-08 11:39:46

29 years ago, on Aug 8, 1995, investors thought they'd found the next Microsoft when Netscape, maker of a web browser, launched its IPO. Netscape started the dot-com boom, but wasn't around for the finish. Their legacy is the Firefox browser. https://dfarq.homeip.net/netscape-the-ipo-that-went-boom-on-its-way-up-and-down/

2024-08-05 11:32:21

In 1985, #commodore commissioned Andy Warhol to demonstrate its new #amiga computer. Jeff Bruette, the software engineer who assisted Warhol, was one of only two people who thought to keep copies of the original files. Last week, he came forward. #retrocomputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/andy-warhols-lost-amiga-art-found/

2024-08-01 11:53:18

42 years ago this month, Coleco made a big splash in the game console business with a console that could go toe-to-toe with home computers and even become a computer. But it turned out 1982 was a terrible, terrible year for this kind of launch. #retrogames https://dfarq.homeip.net/colecovison-the-hard-luck-1982-console/

2024-07-30 12:20:21

Sir Clive Sinclair doesn't get as much attention in the United States as he deserves. He had more staying power in the UK, but his effect on the US market lasted longer than his sales. Since today is his birthday, let's look at the influence he had. #CliveSinclair #sinclair #retrocomputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/clive-sinclair-a-us-perspective/

2024-07-09 11:28:48

On this day in 1981, #donkeykong made its debut. It turned #nintendo into a major force in arcade games. But in this blog post, I traced Donkey Kong's unexpected role in Nintendo taking over home video game consoles from #atari as well. #retrogaming https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-donkey-kong-toppled-atari/

2024-07-08 12:40:45

In July 1982, Timex started importing a slightly souped up version of the Sinclair #ZX81 in the USA. They sold half a million units in six months. But sales fizzled in 1983. In this blog post, we look at what went wrong, and the indignity it suffered next. #retrocomputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/timex-sinclair-1000/

2024-06-12 11:25:25

On June 12, 1997, the biggest name in networking merged with the biggest name in modems. In this blog post, I analyze how this $8.4 billion megamerger went wrong and turned 3Com into an acquisition target. #retrocomputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/the-failed-3com-and-us-robotics-merger/

2024-06-04 12:18:07

When the labels fall off #Activision #atari2600 carts, here's how to reattach them without resorting to replacing them with reproductions. #AtariVCS #retrogaming https://dfarq.homeip.net/reattach-activision-atari-2600-cartridge-labels/

2024-06-03 12:13:44

When it came to C-64 copiers, there was a rivalry between Maverick and the others. But Maverick certainly had a case, so it became and remains a favorite with many #commodore fans. #retrocomputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/maverick-final-generation-c-64-copier/

2024-05-31 11:58:51

It seems that Atari is well on its way to owning classic era retro in its entirety. Why Atari? I guess we have to ask Sonny Bono. #atari #retrogaming https://dfarq.homeip.net/should-atari-own-all-of-classic-retro/

2024-05-29 22:07:27

Why can a valuable vintage computer chip, like a SID chip from a C-64, test good, then fail after a year of just sitting on a shelf? I dug into this question in this blog post. #commodore #commodore64 #retrocomputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/why-sid-chips-are-failing/

2024-05-22 11:14:57

I don't know why putting CD-ROM drives in 286 and 386 PCs is controversial. It's true most people didn't have them back in the 286/386 heyday, but they still wanted them. So why not hotrod your AT #retropc with a CD-ROM? #retrocomputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/cd-rom-drives-in-286-and-386-pcs/

2024-05-21 11:58:57

Commodore's MOS subsidiary made some failure-prone chips, but this one may be the most commonly failed MOS chip of all. This blog post tells you what goes wrong, and what you can replace it with. #commodore #retrocomputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/commodore-pla-the-breadbin-killer/

2024-05-20 12:16:10

The #Vectrex video game console was completely unlike any other console before or since. After a promising 1982 debut, sales tailed off. 40 years ago this month, Milton-Bradley agreed to sell to #Hasbro as a result of the fallout. #retrogaming https://dfarq.homeip.net/how-the-vectrex-game-console-sunk-a-124-year-old-company/

2024-05-18 17:18:21

In today's Adrian's Digital Basement, you can see the delays using a large disk image on an 8088 PC. I wish more people knew about this utility to speed that up. It works, I use it and recommend it. #retrocomputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/fix-slow-hard-drive-access-on-early-pcs/

2024-04-05 19:31:25

The Interact was an #Intel 8080-based microcomputer from 1978 that sure didn't look like an #Altair or #imsai . In this blog post, we dig into this computer that didn't last long on the market but still gained a dedicated, if small, following. It's rare and valuable today. #RetroComputing https://dfarq.homeip.net/interact-home-computer-from-1978/