Floppy Days Vintage Computing Podcast

• Floppy Days 148 - HP97 History and Memories with Wlodek Mier-Jedrzejowicz and Everett Kaser

  HP-97 Programmable Calculator History and Memories with Wlodek Mier-Jedrzejowicz and Everett Kaser  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FloppyDays Sponsors: 8-Bit Classics  Arcade Shopper  FutureVision Research  Hello, and welcome to episode 148 of the Floppy Days Podcast for February, 2025, where computers of the late 70’s through the 80’s are the Apple of our eye!  (If you got that pun, then you’re in the right place 🙂) First off, I wanted to mention that this month is the 12th anniversary of the publication of the very first episode of Floppy Days way back in 2013.  That’s right: 12 YEARS!  A very small percentage of podcasts ever reach that sort of longevity.  I can only think of one other podcast that’s in my sphere of listening that has been regularly produced for that long or longer (Retro MacCast).  I should be so lucky to produce a podcast as long as the 18 years that James and John have done. There are several reasons I keep doing this.  I love talking about old computers, I love being able to interview incredible people that were actively part of the microcomputer revolution, I love feedback from listeners, and it keeps me out of trouble now that I’m retired from the daily grind of the workforce. This podcast wouldn’t still be going if you weren’t listening.  The listenership actually has been pretty stable for the past several years, and I’m humbled and honored that so many continue to listen and provide feedback.  Thanks to you and your support, what do you say let’s keep this thing going till you and I both are tired of it?! 🙂 Okay, now onto details about this particular episode.  I’ve been very focused recently on producing interviews with some amazing guests.  Frankly, this will always remain an important part of this podcast, as the individuals who were the main drivers in microcomputers will unfortunately only be around for an increasingly shorter period of time.  However, the main focus is, and always will be, covering the vast array of unique machines that existed in the late 70’s through the 80’s.  I will admit that the amount of research and work to publish the microcomputer-specific shows is a lot; considerably more than the interview episodes.  However, as I said, covering vintage computers and programmable calculators is the main impetus for this podcast.  It has been a full year since we covered a vintage machine, so it’s time to remedy that. To that end, in this episode we will be covering a vintage machine: the HP-97 and 67 programmable calculator.  I speak of them as one, because, as we will cover in great detail, they are internally the same machine, with the main difference being the built-in printer for the HP-97. I was very fortunate to get a fantastic co-host for this episode: HP calculator historian Wlodek Mier-Jedrzejowicz (“Vwahdek Meer-Yeng SHAY of itch”) .  Wlodek has a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience with the HP calculators and I think you’ll find his stories and background extremely interesting and helpful as we go through the history of the HP-97/67. In this episode, we’ll be spending a few minutes to get to know Wlodek, then together we will cover the history of the 97/67. As another bonus, I also was able to catch up with another gentleman who has a lot of history with HP: Everett Kaser.  Long-time listeners will recall that Everett worked for HP for many years on several of their calculators and desktop computers and helped with co-hosting the Floppy Days series of episodes on the HP Series 80.  It turns out that Everett had spent some time at HP repairing the HP97 and he shares his memories of those times. Based on the amount of material that was generated about this calculator, it looks as though we’re going to have 3 episodes on the 97/67, with the first being this one on history and memories, the second covering tech specs and several other topics, and a third episode to finish off coverage. I should mention that the HP97 episodes do veer from the timeline a bit.  Whereas I’ve been covering the machines that were introduced in 1982 (with the last being the Grundy NewBrain), the HP-97/67 were introduced in 1976.  By rights, the HP97 should have been covered in a very early episode, just after the MITS Altair 8800 and in the same general time frame as the Apple I.  However, I felt it was important to go back and pick up this machine, so I hope you will forgive me for departing from the timeline order for this. Intro Retro MacCast  Floppy Days Episode on the HP Series 80 with Everett Kaser - https://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-62-the-hp85b-computer-with-everett-kaser-and-vassilis-prevelakis  New Acquisitions ABBUC - Atari Bit Byters User Club  Atari ST SidecarTridge - https://store.sidecartridge.com/products/sidecartridge-multi-device  Upcoming Shows Midwest Gaming Classic - April 4-6 - Baird Center, Milwaukee, WI - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/  VCF East - April 4-6, 2025 - Wall, NJ - http://www.vcfed.org  Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo - April 12-13 - Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Indianapolis, IN - https://indyclassic.org/  The Commodore Los Angeles Super Show - April 26-27 - Burbank VFW Hall, Burbank, CA - https://www.portcommodore.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=class:start  The 32nd Annual “Last” Chicago CoCoFEST! - May 2-3, 2025 - Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago-Carol Stream (Wheaton), Carol Stream, Illinois - https://www.glensideccc.com/cocofest/  VCF Europe - May 3-4 - Munich, Germany - https://vcfe.org/E/  Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo - June 14 - New Westminster, BC, Canada - https://www.vancouvergamingexpo.com/index.html  VCF Southwest - June 20-22, 2025 - Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center at UT Dallas - https://www.vcfsw.org/  Southern Fried Gaming Expo and VCF Southeast - June 20-22, 2025 - Atlanta, GA - https://gameatl.com/  Pacific Commodore Expo NW v4 - June 21-22 - Old Rainier Brewery Intraspace, Seattle, WA - https://www.portcommodore.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=pacommex:start  Silly Venture SE (Summer Edition) - July 31-Aug. 3 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2025-se   Fujiama - August 11-17 - Lengenfeld, Germany - http://atarixle.ddns.net/fuji/2025/  VCF Midwest - September 13-14, 2025 - Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL - http://vcfmw.org/  Tandy Assembly - September 26-28 - Courtyard by Marriott Springfield - Springfield, OH - http://www.tandyassembly.com/  Portland Retro Gaming Expo - October 17-19 - Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR - https://retrogamingexpo.com/  Chicago TI International World Faire - October 25 - Evanston Public Library, Evanston, IL - https://www.chicagotiug.org/home  Schedule Published on Floppy Days Website - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSeLsg4hf5KZKtpxwUQgacCIsqeIdQeZniq3yE881wOCCYskpLVs5OO1PZLqRRF2t5fUUiaKByqQrgA/pub  Interview with Wlodek Mier-Jedrzejowicz  Wlodek’s book - A Guide to HP Handheld Calculators and Computers - https://amzn.to/4hl1Yq1 (affiliate link) References Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-67/97#67  Museum of HP Calculators (David Hicks) - https://www.hpmuseum.org/hp6797.htm   

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• Floppy Days 147 - Lorenzo Hagerty, Dynasty Computers

  Interview with Lorenzo Hagerty, Dynasty Computers Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FloppyDays Sponsors: 8-Bit Classics  Arcade Shopper  FutureVision Research   New Acquisitions Juiced.GS - https://juiced.gs/  Call-A.P.P.L.E. - https://www.callapple.org/  TRS-80 M1 keyboard remake - http://shop.retrostack.org/  NEC PC-8201A Dial-A-ROM - https://www.soigeneris.com/dial-a-rom-for-vintage-computers  TI-74/95 RAM/Flash cart - https://www.soigeneris.com/ti-74-ti-95-mem-cart  TI CC-40 RAM/ROM module - https://www.soigeneris.com/ti-cc-40-ramrom-card  Upcoming Shows Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - February 15-17, 2025 - Hotel Fera Events Center, Orange, CA - vcfsocal.com  Midwest Gaming Classic - April 4-6 - Baird Center, Milwaukee, WI - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/  VCF East - April 4-6, 2025 - Wall, NJ - http://www.vcfed.org  Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo - April 12-13 - Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Indianapolis, IN - https://indyclassic.org/  The Commodore Los Angeles Super Show - April 26-27 - Burbank VFW Hall, Burbank, CA - https://www.portcommodore.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=class:start  The 32nd Annual “Last” Chicago CoCoFEST! - May 2-3, 2025 - Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago-Carol Stream (Wheaton), Carol Stream, Illinois - https://www.glensideccc.com/cocofest/  VCF Europe - May 3-4 - Munich, Germany - https://vcfe.org/E/  Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo - June 14 - New Westminster, BC, Canada - https://www.vancouvergamingexpo.com/index.html  VCF Southwest - June 20-22, 2025 - Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center at UT Dallas - https://www.vcfsw.org/  Southern Fried Gaming Expo and VCF Southeast - June 20-22, 2025 - Atlanta, GA - https://gameatl.com/  Pacific Commodore Expo NW v4 - June 21-22 - Old Rainier Brewery Intraspace, Seattle, WA - https://www.portcommodore.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=pacommex:start  Silly Venture SE (Summer Edition) - July 31-Aug. 3 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2025-se   Fujiama - August 11-17 - Lengenfeld, Germany - http://atarixle.ddns.net/fuji/2025/  VCF Midwest - September 13-14, 2025 - Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL - http://vcfmw.org/  Tandy Assembly - September 26-28 - Courtyard by Marriott Springfield - Springfield, OH - http://www.tandyassembly.com/  Portland Retro Gaming Expo - October 17-19 - Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR - https://retrogamingexpo.com/  Chicago TI International World Faire - October 25 - Evanston Public Library, Evanston, IL - https://www.chicagotiug.org/home  Schedule Published on Floppy Days Website - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSeLsg4hf5KZKtpxwUQgacCIsqeIdQeZniq3yE881wOCCYskpLVs5OO1PZLqRRF2t5fUUiaKByqQrgA/pub  Meet the Listeners - Carlos Byte High No Limit Podcast - https://sunspotstories.podbean.com/  Interview Volume 1 of Lorenzo’s chronicles. On page 121, it mentions Dynasty - https://ia601007.us.archive.org/12/items/chroniclesoflorenzovolume1a/ChroniclesOfLorenzoVolume1a.pdf Lorenzo’s Website - https://www.lorenzohagerty.com  Lorenzo’s Books - https://www.amazon.com/Books-Lorenzo-Hagerty/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ALorenzo+Hagerty  podcast - Psychedelic Salon (https://psychedelicsalon.com/ )   

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  1:19:54
• Floppy Days 146 - Interview with Dan Bricklin, VisiCalc

  Interview with Dan Bricklin, VisiCalc Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FloppyDays Sponsors: 8-Bit Classics  Arcade Shopper  FutureVision Research   Hello, and welcome to episode 146 of the Floppy Days Podcast, for December, 2024.  I am Randy Kindig, your host for this podcast. This month I’m staying with the recent interview theme, as I continue to get the opportunity for interviews with some amazing icons from the early personal computer days. This month, that person is Dan Bricklin, co-developer of the iconic VisiCalc software that helped kickstart the sales of early personal computers like the Apple II and began the important spreadsheet software category that persists until today.  I published an interview with Dan’s partner in VisiCalc (and in Software Arts), Bob Frankston, back in 2023, and now Dan adds to the story in his own words. Please note that I do plan to get back into producing episodes covering specific vintage computers.  I’ve just had an amazing run of interview opportunities in recent months, which has reduced the time I had to do the research on computers for the podcast.  Coming up in 2025 will be coverage of machines like the HP97, the Lobo Max-80, the Dragon, and the C64. New Acquisitions Ian Mavric’s TRS-80 store on ebay - (https://www.ebay.com/str/trs80universe  Lee Felsenstein’s book “Me and My Big Ideas: Counterculture, Social Media, and the Future” at Amazon (sponsor link) - https://amzn.to/3Wh6o9h  Lee Felsenstein (Fel-zen-stine) interview on Floppy Days - https://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-90-lee-felsenstein-interview  Lee Felsenstein co-hosting episode on Osborne computer (history) on Floppy Days - https://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-91-the-osborne-1-with-lee-felsenstein  Forrest Mims’ book “Maverick Scientist: My Adventures as an Amateur Scientist” at Amazon (sponsor link) - https://amzn.to/3BxDuKT  Forrest Mims interview on Floppy Days - https://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-130-interview-with-forrest-mims-iii  News and Upcoming Computer Shows News The VintNerd (Steve Diedierch) and FutureVision Research (Brian Cox) FujiNet video - https://youtu.be/0XcsSznKbTs  “Priming the Pump” book by David and Theresa Welsh - Kindle version - https://amzn.to/41Nrlw0  Upcoming Shows Virtual Tandy Retro Show (online) - January 25 - https://tandyretroshow.com  Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - February 15-17, 2025 - Hotel Fera Events Center, Orange, CA - vcfsocal.com  Midwest Gaming Classic - April 4-6 - Baird Center, Milwaukee, WI - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/  VCF East - April 4-6, 2024 - Wall, NJ - http://www.vcfed.org  Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo - April 12-13 - Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Indianapolis, IN - https://indyclassic.org/  Schedule Published on Floppy Days Website - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSeLsg4hf5KZKtpxwUQgacCIsqeIdQeZniq3yE881wOCCYskpLVs5OO1PZLqRRF2t5fUUiaKByqQrgA/pub  Interview Bob Frankston interview on Floppy Days - https://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-126-bob-frankston-visicalc  Dan Bricklin’s Website - http://www.bricklin.com/default.htm  Dan Bricklin's book "Bricklin on Technology" (sponsor link) - https://amzn.to/49X8DUP    

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  1:26:40
• Floppy Days 145 - Paul Terrell Interview - The Byte Shop Part 4

  Episode 145 - Interview with Paul Terrell, The Byte Shop - Part 4 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FloppyDays Sponsors: 8-Bit Classics  Arcade Shopper   FutureVision Research  Hello, and welcome to episode 145 of the Floppy Days Podcast, for November, 2024.  I am Randy Kindig, your host for this audio tribute to the amazing variety of home computers that existed in the late 70’s thru the 80’s, before the influence of Big Blue changed the landscape forever. This month I’m continuing the series of interviews I’ve been doing recently with Paul Terrell.  As we have discussed, Paul Terrell is a name well-known in the annals of computer history; probably most famously for his kickstart of Apple Computer through the purchase of one of Steve Jobs’ and Steve Wozniak’s first batches of Apple I computers for his Byte Shop.  The Byte Shop was a very early computer store that was one of the few that existed in the world, at the time. In this interview, we continue to focus primarily on The Byte Shop, how it got started, what it was like, and much more.  This is part 4 of a 4-part series on just that topic with Paul.  If you want to know what it was like to run a computer store in those early days, this is the interview for you!  Along the way, you’ll learn even more about just what the home and hobby computer scene was like in those days. In future episodes, Paul and I will discuss other topics around his long and distinguished career, such as the aforementioned dealings with the fledgling Apple Computer, and other ventures in which Paul was involved after the Byte Shop, including a business that rented software. New Acquisitions/What I’ve Been Up To Episodes 8 (https://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-episode-8-the-trs-80-model-i-part-i) and 9 (https://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-episode-9-the-trs-80-model-i-part-2), containing interviews with David and Theresa Welsh, authors of the book “Priming the Pump: How TRS-80 Enthusiasts Helped Spark the PC Revolution”. Lobo MAX-80 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max-80  HP-97 Calculator and repair: https://www.hpmuseum.org/hp6797.htm  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-67/97  https://www.ebay.com/usr/waterhosko  Upcoming Shows Show list I maintain for the remainder of the current year - https://floppydays.libsyn.com/current-year-vintage-computer-show-schedule)  Silly Venture WE (Winter Edition) - Dec. 5-8 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2024-we  Atari Party 2024 - Dec. 7 (noon - 4p.m.) - Quakertown Train Station, Quakertown, PA - http://atariparty.org/  Vintage Computer Festival SoCal - February 15-17, 2025 - Hotel Fera Events Center, Orange, CA - vcfsocal.com  Midwest Gaming Classic - April 4-6 - Baird Center, Milwaukee, WI - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/  VCF East - April 4-6, 2024 - Wall, NJ - http://www.vcfed.org  Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo - April 12-13 - Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Indianapolis, IN - https://indyclassic.org/  Interview with Paul Terrell (3) Apple-1 Prototype Polaroid Photographs Given to Paul Terrell of the Byte Shop in 1976 - https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/348985606984001-steve-jobs-3-apple-1-prototype-polaroid-photographs-given-to-paul-terrell-of-the-byte-shop-in-1976/?cat=3  Ray Borrill’s Data Domain blog - https://www.landsnail.com/thedatadomain/remember.htm 

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  1:28:58
• Floppy Days 144 - Interview with Don French and Steve Leininger, Co-Designers of the TRS-80 Model I

  Episode 144 - Interview with Don French and Steve Leininger, Co-Designers of the TRS-80 Model I Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FloppyDays Sponsors: 8-Bit Classics  Arcade Shopper   FutureVision Research  Hello, and welcome to episode 144 of the Floppy Days Podcast, for October, 2024.  I am Randy Kindig, your host for this audio ode to the home computers of the past. This month I have a special treat for you.  At the recent Tandy Assembly, which I will talk about in more detail later in the podcast, not only were there a lot of great people, exhibits, vendors, and camaraderie, but we were also blessed with having Steve Leininger as one of the guest speakers along with his partner in the development of the TRS-80 Model I, Don French! I recently had an interview with Steve Leininger (episode 142: https://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-142-interview-with-steve-leininger-designer-of-the-trs-80-model-i ), thanks to his willingness to be interviewed at the recent VCF Southeast in Atlanta.  That was a milestone for my podcast, as I had always wanted to talk with Steve.  I also had interviewed Don French several years ago, prior to his attending Tandy Assembly in 2017, in episode 53 (https://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-53-interview-with-don-french-co-designer-of-the-trs-80-model-i ).  This time, however, I was able to get an interview with Don and Steve together in the same interview!  That in itself was amazing and I think you’ll really enjoy the back-and-forth between the two gentlemen who are obviously and correctly proud of the work they did to bring the TRS-80 to the world and Tandy into the computer business. Next month, I will talk about another computer rescue that came my way recently, and which is also tied into Tandy Assembly and Radio Shack computers.  I’ll not go into any further detail here as I don’t want to spoil the story for you next month.  But believe me, it will be fun both to tell and to listen to. New Acquisitions/What I’ve Been Up To Soldering kits from FutureVision Research The Soldering Basics Kit  The BEAM Bot Soldering Kit  The Demonstrator Soldering Kit  Tandy Assembly 2024 - https://www.tandyassembly.com/  Drive cable for the TRS-80 Model I from Ian Mavric - https://www.ebay.com/str/trs80universe  RAM card for Tandy PC2/Sharp PC1500 from Jeff Birt - https://www.soigeneris.com/sharp-pc-1500-memory-modules  Upcoming Shows Retro Computer Festival 2024 - November 9-10 - Centre for Computing History, Cambridge, England - https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/72253/Retro-Computer-Festival-2024-Saturday-9th-November/  Silly Venture WE (Winter Edition) - Dec. 5-8 - Gdansk, Poland - https://www.demoparty.net/silly-venture/silly-venture-2024-we  Show list I maintain for the remainder of the current year - https://floppydays.libsyn.com/current-year-vintage-computer-show-schedule)   

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  1:38:32

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