Computers for hackers/enthusiasts (was Re: [OT] USB KVM

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Thu Feb 3 20:03:11 2005

> > original IBM PC? Both were sold commercially, but both were designed
> > and documented for people to hack on.
>
> "hack on"? Likely they would have said "interface to". A fine
> point indeed, but since we're talking about culture, and not
> interface specification, I believe a valid distinction. I can't
> recall a single IBM ad [advertisement as indicator of the
> manufacturer's intended usage] showing the cover open and junk
> sticking out.

The Options and Adapters Techref includes a section on the IBM PC
Prototyping card (and the PC/AT update for the O&A Techref includes a
secion on the 16-bit bus version of that prototyping card).

These cards had the bus buffers and address decoder already on the card,
linked up by PCB etch (a schematic is in the techref, of course). And a
large wire-wrap area for your own stuff.

IBM clearly thought that some users would want to build custom interfaces.

-tony
Received on Thu Feb 03 2005 - 20:03:11 GMT