_{Cover of the October 1985 issue of Byte}
Byte was among the earliest computer magazines. It was published from 1975 until 1998. It covered a wide range of computers through its life. The October 1985 issue includes:

Features

Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar: Build The SB180 Single-Board Computer Part 2: The Software - This single board computer is small enough to fit inside a kids' metal lunchbox of the type common in the 1980s. There is a photo of this one in a Fraggle Rock lunchbox. This computer is based on the HD64180 which is a successor of the Z80. The first article discussed the hardware while this one discusses software. The operating system chosen was Z-System which was compatible with CP/M 2.2 but with additional enhancements.
EGO: A Homebuilt CPU, Part 2: The Hardware - Part 2 of a step by step guide to the design of a CPU.

Programming Project: Building a Computer in Software - Designing a virtual machine.

Skycam: An Aerial Robotic Camera System - A look at the computer controlled cameras that traverse wires in stadiums to give an aerial view. I guess these were relatively new at the time.

Programming Insight: Simulating The Normal Distribution - A BASIC program for sampling bell curves.

Programming Insight: IBM PC Joystick Control Using Turbo Pascal - Examples of joystick control using Pascal with inline assembly for higher resolution.

_{Table of Contents from the October 1985 issue of Byte}

Themes

Why Models Go Wrong - The importance of getting logic, statistics, and measurement all correct in a model.

The Problem of Overfitting Data - A mathematical model to help you determine when to stop adding terms to a model.

Testing Large-Scale Simulations - How to validate large simulations using TAC THUNDER as an example.

Analyzing Government Policies - Using Lotus 1-2-3 for economic modeling.

Simulating The Arms Race - A model based on weapons stockpiles.

Fighting Fire With Technology - Using dBASE II and a Texas Instruments portable computer to help determine arson risk.

Reviews

The Ericsson Personal Computer - An IBM compatible PC with an 8088 CPU, 256K of RAM, and two 5.25" 360K floppy drives for $3295 or with one floppy and a 10MB hard drive for $5230.

The Stearns Desktop Computer - This PC includes an 8 MHz 8086 CPU, 128K RAM, and two 360K drives for $2995.

The Portable STM Personal Computer - This "portable" PC includes an 80186 CPU @ 8 MHz, 256K RAM, and two 360K disk drives (or optionally two 720K disk drives), and a built-in electroluminescent display for $2759.

BetterBASIC - A powerful version of BASIC from Summit Software Technology.

TLC-LISP - An implementation of LISP for 8086/8088 based machines running PC-DOS, MS-DOS, CPM-86, or Concurrent DOS.

GPSS/PC - A version of General Purpose Simulation System from IBM for the PC. Originally, this was software than only ran on mainframes.

The Toshiba P1340 Printer - An $800 dot-matrix printer capable of speeds up to 120 characters per second.

_{Table of Contents from the October 1985 issue of Byte (continued)}

Kernel

Computing at Chaos Manor: The Lord of the Manor Moves Upstairs - Includes a look at a variety of products including the Kaypro 286i, AT&T Unix PC, Ampro Little Board, XyWrite, and more.

According to Webster: Commodore's Coup - A look at Commodore's impressive new Amiga along with some other products including Lattice C, Aztec C, ClickArt, Mac Spell Right, and more.

BYTE U.K.: Computers as Consultants - A look at some Expert Systems from the U.K. including Expert-Ease and Tess.

BYTE Japan: The Tokyo Microcomputer Show - A look at some new computers in Japan including the NEC PC-98XA, NEC PC-980IU2, the HP-9807, and more.

Editorial: Building BIX With Micros - BIX was a online service offered by Byte that included e-mail and conference functionality among other features. This article is about its initial and future design.

Microbytes - Sony and Toshiba to start producing 3.5" high density disks; Tandy Model 100 laptops cause instrument malfunctions on at least two airplanes; Novix ships NC4000P (Forth Microprocessor) Beta-Board; Acorn Computers announces the Acorn Risc Chip (ARM); IRS to test electronic returns in three cities next year; and more.

What's New - A brief look at new products including the Sharp PC-7000 Portable, TurboTower Jr. Three-User System, Nixdorf 8810/25 CPC, a modem for cell phones, MPC-128 Coprocessor Board, IBM PC 80286 Processor, and much more.

Ask BYTE - Readers ask about ways to avoid telemarketing calls, flux removal, music synthesizers, building a computer clock for the Apple II, multiuser computers, and more.

_{Back cover of the October 1985 issue of Byte} ...and much more! --- Check out some of my other recent posts: Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (309-312) https://ecency.com/@darth-azrael/vintage-photos-lot-6-309 Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (305-308) https://ecency.com/@darth-azrael/vintage-photos-lot-6-305 Compute! (August 1984) https://ecency.com/@darth-azrael/compute-august-1984 Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (301-304) https://ecency.com/@darth-azrael/vintage-photos-lot-6-301 --- Check out my other Social Media haunts: Wordpress: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/darth-azrael Blogger: https://megalextoria.blogspot.com/ Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/darth-azrael.bsky.social Odyssee: https://odysee.com/@Megalextoria:b Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-2385054 Daily Motion: https://www.dailymotion.com/Megalextoria --- Books I am reading or have recently read: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. Thomas Cromwell: A Revolutionary Life by Diarmaid MacCulloch. Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson. --- Mine Monero in your browser! Earn Gridcoin while also helping various scientific projects by sharing your computer's idle CPU time! ---

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