Collection list (just for phun)

From: liste_at_artware.qc.ca <(liste_at_artware.qc.ca)>
Date: Thu Apr 12 17:22:36 2001

On 12-Apr-2001 Mark Gregory wrote:
> A consortium was put together that created proprietary hardware running
> a Unix variant (years before Linux put Unix in the mainstream). In a
> world rapidly being swamped by the enthusiasm and high hopes of the
> "Home Computing" revolution, where Commodore, Apple and Atari were
> king, the Icon was a costly failure. It limped along for a few years,
> but once the government lost its initial enthusiasm for
> computer-assisted learning, the plug was quickly pulled.

Sounds like the Comterm here in Qu?bec. Same reasoning, only a bit
later (during the early "IBM clone" period) and it had to be made in
Qu?bec. Imagine an IBM-compatible in a case that looked like an Apple ][.
It was barely compatible. Most software failed on it. Espcially
educational games which sort of defeated the idea.

> The last place I remember seeing an Icon was at
> the Ontario Science Centre, where they were used to run programs like
> Forest fire fighting simulations. I'd love to get one if I ever run
> across one.

Yow! I remember that game. I played it for hours as a youth. I
guess this was the first case (out of many in later years) of "I'm going
to play this computer game until I understand it and how to solve it".
There were 2 outcomes : you water bombed the fire RIGHT AWAY and put
it out or the fire escaped and spread and eventually consumed everything no
matter what you did. Not very rewarding...

-Philip
Received on Thu Apr 12 2001 - 17:22:36 BST