Tohuw.Net

I came across this blog, then stumbled upon this entry. It’s an utterly fascinating insider’s recollection of the Atari ST, from its infancy to the debut at CES 1985. For those of you who aren’t familiar, this was a really sweet machine that, along with the Mac 512k (my first love computer) and the Commodore Amiga (many, many people’s first computer) broke ground on a new step forward for personal computers. This was the first computer with an actual Color GUI, based off Digital Research’s GEM operating system. It had a number of innovations, such as the ability to use the full system memory to render graphics (alternating cycles with the processing jobs), and the first home computer with midi support. Long story short, this is one of the most important nerdboxes in history (especially if you’re an 808 State fan, because they used these boxes back in their glory days). It really was a remarkable and important machine.

I feel a sudden sigh in The Force, as if a thousand voices don’t care. I don’t want to read about computers. I don’t care about clunky gray ugly boxes that are slower than my Blackberry/iPhone/Pocket Calculator. First, the nerd in me screams in protest that your portable whatever can’t do what this baby did, then I want to challenge your device to a FLOPS test, but by then you’ve already left hastily through an unlocked window. So, I’ll accept the apathy, but try and prod you with at least the interest of innovation. The Atari ST brought something new and great to us, and in many ways made possible whatever shiny thing you’re using to read this right now. It’s true that our devices are getting smaller, faster, and better all the time. But these were the glory days, when personal computing was a new(er) world, and every step forward seemed like a giant leap for mankind. And so it was. Even if you’re not the computer-ey type, DadHacker is an interesting read, giving a very personal glimpse into a company and time that forever shaped consumer electronics. When he posts more, I’ll probably write about it again. You have been forewarned.