Advent of Computing

Programming doesn't have to be a very serious discipline. In fact, sometimes it's better if it's a little silly. Today we are talking about INTERCAL, the first esoteric programming language. Is it a joke? Is it a form of hacker folk art? Is it even a good language? To answer those questions we need to asses what makes a programming language "good" in the first place. Program INTERCAL online today! (https://www.tutorialspoint.com/compile_intercal_online.php) Selected Sources: https://archive.org/details/intercal-ref/mode/1up?view=theater - 1973 INTERCAL Manual https://esoteric.codes/blog/don-woods - Interview with Don Woods https://sci-hub.se/10.1145/800197.806048 - 1965 TRAC paper

It's no secret, I'm a big fan of memory. Not only is memory crucial for the functioning of a computer, it's also plain weird. This episode we are looking at magnetic core memory; a technology that defined computing for more than two decades. We'll be talking about how it works, the impacts of ferrite, and the surprising controversy surrounding it's creation. Selected Sources: https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_datamation_31792007/page/n161/mode/2up - Datamation coverage of the patent disputes http://johngustafson.net/pubs/pub57/ABCPaper.htm - Recreation of ABC https://amhistory.si.edu/archives/AC0196_wang701029.pdf - Wang Oral History http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/core.html - Diagrams and photos of magnetic cores

This episode we blast off at warp speed! We're looking at Star Trek, a game written in BASIC in 1971. Examining this game gives us some insight into the early spread of BASIC. Along the way we will see the issue with paper, why strings matter, and how software was distributed before the Internet. Selected Sources: https://web.archive.org/web/20181106092235/https://gamesoffame.wordpress.com/star-trek/ - Games of Fame article with a few interviews https://www.atariarchives.org/bcc1/showpage.php?page=275 - Super Star Trek! https://archive.org/details/d64_Star_Trek_1983_Jeff_Lewis - c64 version of Trek, good middle ground between the original and more fully featured versions

Cybernetics is broadly defined as the study of control and communications, with a special emphasis on feedback-based systems. Put another way: cybernetics is the study of the flow of data. Predating computer science by decades, cybernetics offers up an interesting view of computing. But of course, there's a lot more to the picture than just computers. This episode we are looking at Project Cybersyn, an attempt to automate Chile's economy via cybernetics. To talk about this specific case we are going to dive deep into the history of cybernetics itself. Selected Sources: https://sci-hub.se/10.1086/286788 - Behavior, Purpose, and Teleology https://sci-hub.se/10.1057/jors.1984.2 - The Viable System Model, by Beer https://web.archive.org/web/20181222110043/http://ada.evergreen.edu/~arunc/texts/cybernetics/Platform/platform.pdf - Beer on Cybersyn https://web.archive.org/web/20200619033457/https://homes.luddy.indiana.edu/edenm/EdenMedinaJLASAugust2006.pdf - Designing Freedom, Regulating a Nation, by Eden Medina

Discover the elegance of LISP and why it's considered the mother tongue of artificial intelligence. Explore its unique features, like first-class functions, that set it apart from other languages. Delve into the pivotal Dartmouth Workshop where AI was born and the challenges John McCarthy faced in its creation. Learn about LISP's evolution from early list processing languages to its impact on computability and the development of AI. The journey reveals how LISP shaped the thinking machines of today.

Dive into the intriguing world of artificial intelligence and its historical roots. Discover the quirks of Information Processing Language, a precursor to LISP, and its significance in bridging human reasoning with machine logic. Uncover the origins of linked lists and how they revolutionized decision-making in computing. The podcast also explores chess-playing machines and a groundbreaking program capable of solving logic proofs, highlighting the blend of AI and symbolic logic in early technology.

Viatron's System 21 was the computer of the 1970s! ...At least that's what their marketing claimed. Started in 1967 Viatron was set to be one of the most exciting companies of the coming decade. They were offering a desktop sized computing machine, the System 21, that promised to break IBM's domination of the office. The System 21's heart, the so-called "micro-processor", was slated to be built from cutting edge LSI chips. It could automate data processing, replace bulky IBM hardware, and do away with the punch card. And this marvel could be yours for just $39 a month. Sounds like a good deal, right? Maybe too good. According to some Viatron was strait up stock fraud. Selected sources: http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/viatron/ViatronSystem21Brochure.pdf - 1969 Viatron Brochure http://vintagecomputer.ca/viatron-system-21-model-2111-restoration/ - The beast itself https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP80-01794R000100200043-2/mode/2up - CIA review of System 21

No matter how you cut it the MOS Technology 6502 is an important chip. The chip was cheap, simple, and plentiful. This made it perfect for the home computing boom of the late 1970s. But how was this classic created? Today we are looking at Motorola's earliest attempts to seize the microprocessor market, how economic factors impact history, and how trends and forces can conspire to create better technology. Selected sources: https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2015/06/102702020-05-01-acc.pdf - 6800 Oral History Panel https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/08/102739939-05-01-acc.pdf - Check Peddle Oral History

NLS, or the oN-Line System, is often looked at as a mile marker in the development of modern computing. It was the first system to use a mouse, one of the first functional examples of hypertext, pioneered remote collaboration, and so much more. But how much do you know about NLS itself? In this series of episode I'm picking apart the system behind the legend. In Part 2 we are looking at the development of NLS itself. Along the way we talk timesharing, strange custom hardware, and complex programming practices. Does NLS live up to the hype? You'll have to listen to find out. Selected Sources: https://dougengelbart.org/content/view/374/ - Go watch the Mother of All Demos https://www.dougengelbart.org/content/view/140/ - 1968 NLS progress report http://web.archive.org/web/20160210002938/https://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/library/extra4/sloan/mousesite/EngelbartPapers/B2_F5_ARNAS1.html - 1966 progress report

NLS, or the oN-Line System, is often looked at as a mile marker in the development of modern computing. It was the first system to use a mouse, one of the first functional examples of hypertext, pioneered remote collaboration, and so much more. But how much do you know about NLS itself? In this series of episode I'm picking apart the system behind the legend. Part 1 deals primarily with the early roots of NLS, Augmenting Human Intellect, and Doug Engelbart's vision of hypertext. Surprisingly, a lot of this episode has to do with punch cards and a more obscure related technology: the edge notched card. Selected Sources: https://dougengelbart.org/content/view/138 - Augmenting Human Intellect https://americanhistory.si.edu/comphist/englebar.htm - Engelbart Oral History, with the Smithsonian