#computerarcana

Compute!'s Gazette was Compute!'s most successful spin-off and one of the longest lasting Commodore 8-bit specific magazines. I preferred RUN but Gazette was a close second. The July 1989 issue includes:

80 Microcomputing was one of only a couple of magazines dedicated to the TRS-80. There were several models of the TRS-80 over the years and the same name was used for some incompatible systems as well

The Sinclair line of computers was not very popular in the U.S. but they did have a presence in the form of a license to Timex. Sync was one magazine dedicated to these computers. The contents of the September

Amiga Computing was originally a U.K. based magazine that was published in both the U.K. and the U.S. There were a total of 117 issues published from 1988 through 1997. The December 1995 issue of the U.S.

K-Power was a relatively short-lived computer magazine by scholastic published in the early/mid 1980s and designed to appeal to kids. The February 1985 issue includes the following: Features A Networking

Compute! was one of the most popular computer magazines for many years. It covered a wide variety of systems throughout its life including the Commodore 64, Apple II, Amiga, Atari ST, and of course PCs

This ad for the Coleco ADAM came out circa 1985. It's quite possible that the ADAM had already been discontinued by the time people saw this ad though stock would no doubt still been available. The ad

Compute!'s Gazette was a spinoff of Compute! dedicated to the Commodore 64. It was the most successful of Compute!'s several spinoff magazines lasting from 1983 all the way until 1995. The September 1987

American People/Link was an early, pre-internet online service. There were a number of them starting in the late 1970s and continuing to the early 1990s when they started to turn into pretty generic Internet

This ad is from the April 1984 issue of Computer Fun. It is by a company called Protecto Enterprises and is for various Commodore 64 and VIC-20 hardware and software. I remember seeing ads by this company

This Atari ST ad from 1987 looks a little shady to me. Is that supposed to be a dog looking shamefully at its own poop? Because that's what it looks like to me... And an address on Old Farm Lane in Illinois?

An analysis of specimen number four in this batch of ancient magnetic media will be pretty short as it appears to be a bunch of binary data files with no indication of what they are or what program might

It seems like every computer maker was using some celebrity to sell there machines in the early 1980s. Commodore had the right idea with William Shatner for the VIC-20. Who better to sell a computer than

Continuing on with this exploration of ancient magnetic archives, this is the third 5.25" floppy disk from a stash discovered in a thrift store long ago. The first two disks revealed some not safe

Computer Play was very briefly a competitor of Computer Gaming World. However, it was short-lived lasting less than a year between 1988 and 1989. The November 1988 issue includes: Departments Letters -

For this expedition I travelled on my bicycle throughout my community and surrounding communities. This was more of a leisurely journey than a true expedition but it was the evening before garbage day

The Commodore 64 has the distinction of being the best selling computer of all time. No other single model has come close. So what made the Commodore 64 so special? The Commodore 64 was not Commodore's

In 1985, my neighbor got a Commodore 64 from his cousin who must have upgraded to something else. At the time, we didn't have a clue how to use it but after reading a few hand written notes and figuring

In the early days of Family Computing, it was very much like other multi-format computer magazines of the time. It supported multiple computers with type-in programs, reviews, and various articles. Family