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> Around 2000 we were already using normal x86 machines in the offices and homes. Yes, I assumed so but figured if Poland had homegrown 8-bit micros in the mid

> Around 2000 we were already using normal x86 machines in the offices and homes. Yes, I assumed so but figured if Poland had homegrown 8-bit micros in the mid-80s similar to the Galaksija in Yugoslavia or the rare Pecom 64 (of which I have one in my collection!), that they might still be in original owners hands in 2000 instead of museums. > Country itself changed in last 20 years and if you haven't seen it again in that time, you should return It was lovely when I visited but there were still some signs of the old soviet era lingering. I'm sure with the economic growth since then it's remarkably different today. I hope to see it someday!

viraptor 2y ago
> still be in original owners hands in 2000 instead of museums. Kinda, yes. Almost entirely for sentimental reasons though. The longest held ones would still likely be Amigas. Virtually only PCs were used in offices in 2000. Industrial cases would still hold on to some old machines simply because nobody upgrades those. (But that's kind of like subways today still working from floppies) And then there's the in between of dos terminals for accounting, inventory, etc. Those were everywhere and survived for so much longer than in other countries as far as I can tell.
rasz 2y ago
> if Poland had homegrown 8-bit micros in the mid-80s Personal possession of Home computers, printers and copiers was illegal in Poland under Iron Curtain. After all it could be, and often was [1], used to undermine the regime! Anecdote from book "High-tech behind the Iron Curtain. Electronics, computers and control systems in the Polish People's Republic" ("High-tech za żelazną kurtyną. Elektronika, komputery i systemy sterowania w PRL" 978-83-8098-094-5) >In 1984, "Informatyka" magazine, involved in the dissemination of these machines, reported on the adventures of Mr. Przemysław, who received in April [...] a package from his brother in Toronto, containing the VIC-20 microcomputer, power supply, cassette recorder, a set of cassettes for television games and English language manual and connecting cables. The Customs Office in Gdynia refused to issue an import license, stating that it could issue [...] only if the computer was necessary for the citizen's professional or scientific work Computers became legal somewhere around 1985 when Atari landed in special regime Pewex enterprise shops - shops only accepting hard western currency, currency illegal to own privately in the country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pewex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pewex Elwro computers were sold to ministry of education or send to USSR sold for "transfer ruble", a fake currency with ridiculous fake official dollar exchange rate making every sale a huge loss for the factory. There were amateur DIY plans published in magazines, COBRA in AUDIO VIDEO and CA80 in Radioelektronik. Nobody was manufacturing those computers and afaik plans were being published during design and debugging making recreation a nightmare. >99% of 80s computers in Polish homes came smuggled from the west and most went straight to garbage in late nineties. Poland freed from russian occupation was getting wealthy really fast and nobody had time for obsoleted hardware. [1] https://hackaday.com/2016/07/05/retrotechtacular-how-solidarity-hacked-polish-tv/ https://hackaday.com/2016/07/05/retrotechtacular-how-solidar...
- mrandish 2y ago
  Holy &#$^!!! And I thought owning a 4K microcomputer as a suburban California teenager in 1981 was lonely and hard! No one in my family's extended network had a computer at home, nor could they even imagine what you'd do with such a thing at home (other than maybe play games which an Atari console could do better and much cheaper). > nobody had time for obsoleted hardware. Sadly, the same was true in the U.S. although it was great for me. In the late 90s I built out my complete collection of every model of 8-bit micro commonly sold in the U.S. in the 80s and early 90s. All the Ataris, all the Apples (except that Apple 1 kit of course), all the Commodores, all the Radio Shacks, all the Amigas, all the Sinclairs, plus dozens more few remember as well as quite a few from overseas. And I never paid more than $25 for any of them (and many were just given to me for free). My teenage daughter recently looked up a bunch of them on eBay and apparently the collection is probably worth north of $100,000. Of course, I told her it's only worth that if I was interested in selling them - and I'm not. :-)
- StefanBatory 2y ago
  I tried to see if that book is still available to get, doesn't seem like so, at least in paper :< It's certainly one I'd love to have on desk. I hate how with most history books published here, after a year or two it's impossible to get them due to low print :(
  - rasz 2y ago
    There are pdfs floating around. Another good read might be "Playing and copying: social practices of home computer users in Poland during the 1980s" by Patryk Wasiak https://www.academia.edu/13353149/Playing_and_copying_social_practices_of_home_computer_users_in_Poland_during_the_1980s https://www.academia.edu/13353149/Playing_and_copying_social... Cant find a way to simply download it :(
    - pndy 2y ago
      It appears someone uploaded a draft version (at least that's what file says on the inside) on atarionline forum
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
markwrobel 2y ago
> if Poland had homegrown 8-bit micros in the mid-80s Poland had homegrown 8-bit micros in the mid-80s. Take a look at the computer magazine Bajtek [1] published from 1985, which focused on games and programming. [1] https://archive.org/details/bajtekmagazine https://archive.org/details/bajtekmagazine

viraptor 2y ago

> still be in original owners hands in 2000 instead of museums. Kinda, yes. Almost entirely for sentimental reasons though. The longest held ones would still likely be Amigas. Virtually only PCs were used in offices in 2000. Industrial cases would still hold on to some old machines simply because nobody upgrades those. (But that's kind of like subways today still working from floppies) And then there's the in between of dos terminals for accounting, inventory, etc. Those were everywhere and survived for so much longer than in other countries as far as I can tell.

rasz 2y ago

> if Poland had homegrown 8-bit micros in the mid-80s Personal possession of Home computers, printers and copiers was illegal in Poland under Iron Curtain. After all it could be, and often was [1], used to undermine the regime! Anecdote from book "High-tech behind the Iron Curtain. Electronics, computers and control systems in the Polish People's Republic" ("High-tech za żelazną kurtyną. Elektronika, komputery i systemy sterowania w PRL" 978-83-8098-094-5) >In 1984, "Informatyka" magazine, involved in the dissemination of these machines, reported on the adventures of Mr. Przemysław, who received in April [...] a package from his brother in Toronto, containing the VIC-20 microcomputer, power supply, cassette recorder, a set of cassettes for television games and English language manual and connecting cables. The Customs Office in Gdynia refused to issue an import license, stating that it could issue [...] only if the computer was necessary for the citizen's professional or scientific work Computers became legal somewhere around 1985 when Atari landed in special regime Pewex enterprise shops - shops only accepting hard western currency, currency illegal to own privately in the country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pewex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pewex Elwro computers were sold to ministry of education or send to USSR sold for "transfer ruble", a fake currency with ridiculous fake official dollar exchange rate making every sale a huge loss for the factory. There were amateur DIY plans published in magazines, COBRA in AUDIO VIDEO and CA80 in Radioelektronik. Nobody was manufacturing those computers and afaik plans were being published during design and debugging making recreation a nightmare. >99% of 80s computers in Polish homes came smuggled from the west and most went straight to garbage in late nineties. Poland freed from russian occupation was getting wealthy really fast and nobody had time for obsoleted hardware. [1] https://hackaday.com/2016/07/05/retrotechtacular-how-solidarity-hacked-polish-tv/ https://hackaday.com/2016/07/05/retrotechtacular-how-solidar...

mrandish 2y ago
Holy &#$^!!! And I thought owning a 4K microcomputer as a suburban California teenager in 1981 was lonely and hard! No one in my family's extended network had a computer at home, nor could they even imagine what you'd do with such a thing at home (other than maybe play games which an Atari console could do better and much cheaper). > nobody had time for obsoleted hardware. Sadly, the same was true in the U.S. although it was great for me. In the late 90s I built out my complete collection of every model of 8-bit micro commonly sold in the U.S. in the 80s and early 90s. All the Ataris, all the Apples (except that Apple 1 kit of course), all the Commodores, all the Radio Shacks, all the Amigas, all the Sinclairs, plus dozens more few remember as well as quite a few from overseas. And I never paid more than $25 for any of them (and many were just given to me for free). My teenage daughter recently looked up a bunch of them on eBay and apparently the collection is probably worth north of $100,000. Of course, I told her it's only worth that if I was interested in selling them - and I'm not. :-)
StefanBatory 2y ago
I tried to see if that book is still available to get, doesn't seem like so, at least in paper :< It's certainly one I'd love to have on desk. I hate how with most history books published here, after a year or two it's impossible to get them due to low print :(
- rasz 2y ago
  There are pdfs floating around. Another good read might be "Playing and copying: social practices of home computer users in Poland during the 1980s" by Patryk Wasiak https://www.academia.edu/13353149/Playing_and_copying_social_practices_of_home_computer_users_in_Poland_during_the_1980s https://www.academia.edu/13353149/Playing_and_copying_social... Cant find a way to simply download it :(
  - pndy 2y ago
    It appears someone uploaded a draft version (at least that's what file says on the inside) on atarionline forum

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

markwrobel 2y ago

> if Poland had homegrown 8-bit micros in the mid-80s Poland had homegrown 8-bit micros in the mid-80s. Take a look at the computer magazine Bajtek [1] published from 1985, which focused on games and programming. [1] https://archive.org/details/bajtekmagazine https://archive.org/details/bajtekmagazine