4 ms·

Oh wow! I had to cringe at the "Why Pay $4000 For A Complete Accounting System" ad. That's probably the worst copy I have seen. First it rambles on about a ver

Oh wow! I had to cringe at the "Why Pay $4000 For A Complete Accounting System" ad. That's probably the worst copy I have seen. First it rambles on about a very boring history of this company took over that company that licensed this thing that ... Then just incase you haven't fallen asleep and you still want to buy, they put you off by telling you you'll get bad support and a buggy product. Then finally past that hurdle, and if anyone is left with their wallet open, thinking of spending their hard earned $100, it inflates the price to $450 because there is some technical dependency on some runtime thingy. I wonder; Did anyone buy?

abecedarius 9y ago
Followed by a full-page ad for a Forth interpreter! Those were the days. I suspect many companies like this could make money for lack of competition, but I dunno, I was 10 years old then.
- quickthrower2 9y ago
  Yeah now there are so many free programming languages, you have to pay me (with $ or an awesome language) to use your interpreter!
  - rbanffy 9y ago
    It's interesting how free software drove huge advancements. In the early 386 days few people used Unix because a seat license would cost more than the computer. At first I thought we were attaining a critical mass, when enough free software was available for us to build even more, better free software but now I realize it's more like an exponential curve I can't quite see where it ends. And if feels great.
    - pjmlp 9y ago
      The side effect of it is that the majority of RAD like tools are only available in enterprise space, because only those companies are willing to pay for developer tools. Hence why companies like Qt or JetBrains are selective what they allow with their free versions. Then we get Electron apps, because many devs don't feel like paying for such tools.
- simmons 9y ago
  I occasionally thumb through these old magazines, and I'm always impressed with how many small technology businesses were making niche products and placing these ads in the 80's. What I find more astonishing is how geographically diverse they were. For example, of the 14 ads in this article with addresses, only 3 were from the Bay Area.
oldcynic 9y ago
Yeah but all the ads were bad until well into the 90s. You'd be happy to thumb through them all, searching for a highlight that you could afford, or a terrible ad for some tape game (pg214), that eventually became MS Flight Sim, or just on the way to the listings!
- madengr 9y ago
  I remember buying FS back in the early 80’s. It was using CGA graphics by then.
Stratoscope 9y ago
I think my favorite ad is the Ceco ORIGINAL SMOKE SCREEN, if only for the... FULLY JUSTIFIED TEXT IN A MONOSPACE FONT ALL OF IT CAPITALIZED LIKE THIS. https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n7/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... I take it back. Industrial Micro Systems outdid them: Hard and Fast... https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n70/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... Do any other old-timers remember HARDHAT Software's WHATSIT? (Wow! How'd All That Stuff get In There)? https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n89/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... Microsoft had two ads with two different logos! https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n36/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n100/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... Who could forget Smoke Signal Broadcasting or Pickles & Trout? https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n66/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n105/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... "And now the news... CompuServe announces the availability of international, national, and regional news through your personal computer or terminal... A 300-baud modem is all your personal computer or terminal needs to access all the services available via local phone calls in more than 175 North American cities from 6 PM to 5 AM weekdays, weekends and most holidays. And the basic charge is only $5.00 an hour, billed in minute increments, to your charge card. Want more information? Write." https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n186/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... But you'll need this: "Put your computer in touch with the world. AJ [Anderson Jacobson] makes it possible for only $185 with the A 242 acoustic data coupler." https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n231/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... Or "A Modem Inside a Telephone. A switched-network, 300 bits-per-second (bps) full-duplex Bell 103/113-compatible modem, housed inside a standard telephone set, is now being produced by Racal-Vadic." https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n255/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... JADE Computer Products offered Knockout Prices, certified by Kid Jade herself! "Bargain prices on magnificent magnetic media. 5¼ double sided, double density, box of 10. $39.95" https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n272/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... If you weren't into the newfangled "glass teletypes", you could get "The DATA-TRANS 1000. A completely refurbished IBM Selectric Terminal with built-in ASCII Interface. $1495" https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n301/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT...
EvanAnderson 9y ago
It got me interested in the backstory. InfoWorld covered it in 1981: https://archive.org/stream/Infoworld-1981-01-19#page/n2/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/Infoworld-1981-01-19#page/n2/mode... https://archive.org/stream/Infoworld-1981-06-22#page/n5/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/Infoworld-1981-06-22#page/n5/mode... Presumably the Peachtree of today (now "Sage 50") traces its lineage back to the COBOL product mentioned in the second article. Edit: I also turned-up this fun little gem, too: http://deramp.com/downloads/mfe_archive/040-Software/Retail%20Sciences%20(Peachtree)/Peachtree%20Foundation.pdf http://deramp.com/downloads/mfe_archive/040-Software/Retail%...
Gargoyle 9y ago
Omikron's ad for the hardware product reviewed in the column (that let TRS-80s run CP/M software) in 1981 is a lot more colorful. http://www.trs-80.org/omikron-mapper/ http://www.trs-80.org/omikron-mapper/ And the obituary for George Gardner, the man who founded Omikron. He led a very interesting life. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/times-standard/obituary.aspx?pid=15679495 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/times-standard/obituary.asp...
- EvanAnderson 9y ago
  Killed by CO poisoning from a faulty heater. Wow-- that sucks!
slededit 9y ago
Back then Peach Tree Software was the package. So getting it for $100 would seem like a steal. The context is lost a bit now so it wasn't as bad as it may first appear. Although still not great.
mixmastamyk 9y ago
It was 100 per pkg, or all four for 350. The main point was 90% off a competing product. I found the candor refreshing.

abecedarius 9y ago

Followed by a full-page ad for a Forth interpreter! Those were the days. I suspect many companies like this could make money for lack of competition, but I dunno, I was 10 years old then.

quickthrower2 9y ago
Yeah now there are so many free programming languages, you have to pay me (with $ or an awesome language) to use your interpreter!
- rbanffy 9y ago
  It's interesting how free software drove huge advancements. In the early 386 days few people used Unix because a seat license would cost more than the computer. At first I thought we were attaining a critical mass, when enough free software was available for us to build even more, better free software but now I realize it's more like an exponential curve I can't quite see where it ends. And if feels great.
  - pjmlp 9y ago
    The side effect of it is that the majority of RAD like tools are only available in enterprise space, because only those companies are willing to pay for developer tools. Hence why companies like Qt or JetBrains are selective what they allow with their free versions. Then we get Electron apps, because many devs don't feel like paying for such tools.
simmons 9y ago
I occasionally thumb through these old magazines, and I'm always impressed with how many small technology businesses were making niche products and placing these ads in the 80's. What I find more astonishing is how geographically diverse they were. For example, of the 14 ads in this article with addresses, only 3 were from the Bay Area.

oldcynic 9y ago

Yeah but all the ads were bad until well into the 90s. You'd be happy to thumb through them all, searching for a highlight that you could afford, or a terrible ad for some tape game (pg214), that eventually became MS Flight Sim, or just on the way to the listings!

madengr 9y ago
I remember buying FS back in the early 80’s. It was using CGA graphics by then.

Stratoscope 9y ago

I think my favorite ad is the Ceco ORIGINAL SMOKE SCREEN, if only for the... FULLY JUSTIFIED TEXT IN A MONOSPACE FONT ALL OF IT CAPITALIZED LIKE THIS. https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n7/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... I take it back. Industrial Micro Systems outdid them: Hard and Fast... https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n70/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... Do any other old-timers remember HARDHAT Software's WHATSIT? (Wow! How'd All That Stuff get In There)? https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n89/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... Microsoft had two ads with two different logos! https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n36/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n100/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... Who could forget Smoke Signal Broadcasting or Pickles & Trout? https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n66/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n105/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... "And now the news... CompuServe announces the availability of international, national, and regional news through your personal computer or terminal... A 300-baud modem is all your personal computer or terminal needs to access all the services available via local phone calls in more than 175 North American cities from 6 PM to 5 AM weekdays, weekends and most holidays. And the basic charge is only $5.00 an hour, billed in minute increments, to your charge card. Want more information? Write." https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n186/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... But you'll need this: "Put your computer in touch with the world. AJ [Anderson Jacobson] makes it possible for only $185 with the A 242 acoustic data coupler." https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n231/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... Or "A Modem Inside a Telephone. A switched-network, 300 bits-per-second (bps) full-duplex Bell 103/113-compatible modem, housed inside a standard telephone set, is now being produced by Racal-Vadic." https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n255/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... JADE Computer Products offered Knockout Prices, certified by Kid Jade herself! "Bargain prices on magnificent magnetic media. 5¼ double sided, double density, box of 10. $39.95" https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n272/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT... If you weren't into the newfangled "glass teletypes", you could get "The DATA-TRANS 1000. A completely refurbished IBM Selectric Terminal with built-in ASCII Interface. $1495" https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n301/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYT...

EvanAnderson 9y ago

It got me interested in the backstory. InfoWorld covered it in 1981: https://archive.org/stream/Infoworld-1981-01-19#page/n2/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/Infoworld-1981-01-19#page/n2/mode... https://archive.org/stream/Infoworld-1981-06-22#page/n5/mode/1up https://archive.org/stream/Infoworld-1981-06-22#page/n5/mode... Presumably the Peachtree of today (now "Sage 50") traces its lineage back to the COBOL product mentioned in the second article. Edit: I also turned-up this fun little gem, too: http://deramp.com/downloads/mfe_archive/040-Software/Retail%20Sciences%20(Peachtree)/Peachtree%20Foundation.pdf http://deramp.com/downloads/mfe_archive/040-Software/Retail%...

Gargoyle 9y ago

Omikron's ad for the hardware product reviewed in the column (that let TRS-80s run CP/M software) in 1981 is a lot more colorful. http://www.trs-80.org/omikron-mapper/ http://www.trs-80.org/omikron-mapper/ And the obituary for George Gardner, the man who founded Omikron. He led a very interesting life. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/times-standard/obituary.aspx?pid=15679495 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/times-standard/obituary.asp...

EvanAnderson 9y ago
Killed by CO poisoning from a faulty heater. Wow-- that sucks!

slededit 9y ago

Back then Peach Tree Software was the package. So getting it for $100 would seem like a steal. The context is lost a bit now so it wasn't as bad as it may first appear. Although still not great.

mixmastamyk 9y ago

It was 100 per pkg, or all four for 350. The main point was 90% off a competing product. I found the candor refreshing.