5 ms·
1964 Modem Reaches Out And Touches The Internet
- joshsharp 17y agoThis is a duplicate post from a while ago, but fascinating all the same.
- mgunes 17y agoIndeed: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=629383 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=629383
- jacquesm 17y agoWhat's especially impressive is that the electrolytic capacitors in it haven't failed after all these years.
- jordanb 17y agoI wish he had opened it up and shown the insides. I bet it's some fantastic assemblage of point-to-point circuitry. They may have avoided having to use electrolytic capacitors. Or they might have used especially high-quality ones given that it was a specialized (and probably very expensive) piece of equipment. I would have expected such a device from 1964 to have at least a few tubs in it, but the fact that it didn't require any 'warm up' time after he switched it on suggests that that's not the case.
- jff 17y agoTransistor devices had been around for years at that point; we were already making transistor computers. Also, electrolytic caps are pretty easy to replace--they're big, clearly labelled, and it's not like the functionality has changed (a 100 uF capacitor is still a 100 uF capacitor).
- jodrellblank 17y agoI wish the idea of acoustic couplers still existed and was nicely integrated with things. Imagine the ease of technical support: Customer: Hello? I can't open this Excel file Me: OK, wave your phone near your computer for me {remote control established} No IE slowness, no reading URLs and passwords back and forth, no "did you notice the information bar" or plugin prompts or download prompts or email invitations stuck in spam filters... even if the two just communicated long enough to exchange a URL and key and then connected over the internet. Although it would be better if it could be good enough to see the BIOS, etc.
- CWuestefeld 17y agoI've kinda done this. A year ago I got a One 4 All universal remote that didn't understand my stereo. Their tech support emailed to me a WAV file, and told me to hold the device up to my computer speakers when I played it. Bingo, reprogrammed remote. I remember back ~1986, living in a fraternity house in college. My direct-connect modem died, and I borrowed an acoustic one from a friend. The guy in the room next to me had his stereo cranked up, which seemed to interfere with the modem. I wrapped the acoustic coupler up in a couple of layers of towels, and everything was fine.
- TeHCrAzY 17y agoAt 300 baud, you might be better off driving over.
- mgrouchy 17y agoThis is the most awesome thing I have seen in a long time.
- cvg 17y agoAgreed. I love the craftsmanship. Who makes hardware that can last more than 45 years?
- blhack 17y agoMy current model M is going to turn 23 in April...I suspect that it will live to see 45.
- nitrogen 17y agoThe M is a nice keyboard. I'm typing on one right now. I think every programmer should own a model M. I expect to have this keyboard for the rest of my life, unless I decide to splurge on a Unicomp replacement some day.
- yardie 17y agoI love my Model M but I think this is the last go for it. It already has a DIN-PS2 adapter and now manufacturers are starting to drop the PS2 port (Dell). I feel like I get less enjoyment out of it each passing day. I have to switch to a quieter keyboard at night because of the tapping noise. And with more stuff showing up on my desk, more and larger displays, I'm running out of space.
- pronoiac 17y agoI have a PS2 to USB adapter for keyboards my keyboard (& mouse).
- blhack 17y agoThese fine folks: http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/categories.main/parentcat/11298 http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/categories.main/... Sell what you need. The regular passive USB/PS2 adapters that you can get at best buy won't work.
- esonica 17y agoI would be wary about broadcasting the IP address, username and a filmed typing of the password to a tech community. It would take very little work to determine the password from watching that video a few times.
- hypermatt 17y agoThe linux box was in his lab most likely in a private network, which he dialed into. He didn't dial into an isp.
- tmountain 17y agoGood point, but one could also take note of the number he dialed on the telephone in the video.
- InclinedPlane 17y agoIndeed. It's pretty likely that voice number still has a 300 baud modem hooked up to it. Or... not.
- blasdel 17y agoI remember that someone did that when the video was posted last year, and it was an easter egg..
- esonica 17y agoI have been searching and can't find any info about this? Got any more details/link?
- wheels 17y agoGiven that the guy's nick is phreakmonkey, I assume he took that into consideration and used a throw-away password that was gone before the video was posted.
- InclinedPlane 17y ago
- ra 17y agoIt makes me feel old that 300 baud modems were around 45 years ago.