|
View Poll Results: Could it really be that advanced? | |||
Sounds real... | 3 | 33.33% | |
Cool! | 5 | 55.56% | |
I doubt it... | 1 | 11.11% | |
No way! | 0 | 0% | |
Voters: 9. You may not vote on this poll |
|
Thread Tools |
15 March 2009, 19:23 | #1 |
Global Caturator
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Porando
Age: 43
Posts: 6,108
|
K-202, the first 16-bit computer in the world?
K-202 is an unknown 16-bit polish computer constructed by Jacek Karpiński between 1971-1973, that was 10 years ahead of it's time and died as being too advanced (multi-tasking, multi-CPU's, able to address up to 8MB of RAM) and too expensive to produce...
Still, almost 30 units were produced and sold in the UK, Poland and The Soviet Union. ENG --- K-202 article on Wiki --- POL ENG --- Jacek Karpiński article on Wiki --- POL Wynalazcy I Naukowcy, Jacek Karpiński i polskie komputery @ Historycy.org K-202 refleksja Last edited by Shoonay; 15 March 2009 at 21:36. |
15 March 2009, 21:18 | #2 |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 228
|
It's not the first 16-bit minicomputer by any stretch of the imagination, but it's certainly an early an early and advanced one. Reminds me a lot of the PDP-11, though in 1971 the -11 could only address 64 KB of RAM (though an add-on MMU allowed up to 256 KB, but was so expensive that almost no one got it. The 4 meg version didn't come out until '75, several years later)
|
15 March 2009, 22:33 | #3 |
Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Eksjö / Sweden
Posts: 5,696
|
Which CPU chip was it based on?
|
15 March 2009, 23:09 | #4 |
Global Caturator
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Porando
Age: 43
Posts: 6,108
|
Hard to say for a hardware noob like me, but it must've been something custom made by Jacek Karpiński and his crew, methinks
Here's a huge interview with him. One tiny problem is that this is polish only, but maybe some online translators make it "readable" and you could find the answer. (maybe i'll try to make something out of it laterz) Last edited by Shoonay; 15 March 2009 at 23:53. |
15 March 2009, 23:55 | #5 |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 228
|
None, probably. In 1971, computers were still built from large numbers of discreet transistors, with maybe a few small and primitive ICs thrown into the mix. Different computer lines had different instruction sets and most companies had several different lines of machines. DEC for example had the entry-level 12-bit PDP-8, the mid-level 18-bit PDP-7/9, the mid-level PDP-11 and the near-mainframe PDP-10 (36-bit) The situation was similar at most companies of the era.
|
15 March 2009, 23:56 | #6 |
Global Caturator
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Porando
Age: 43
Posts: 6,108
|
Ah, thanks for the professional explanation Madcrow
|
16 March 2009, 02:07 | #7 |
Global Moderator
|
Ot
Wow, in the 70's, women in technical products advertising already looked like they had no clue what they were doing...
|
16 March 2009, 06:50 | #8 |
Bawbag.
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Chicago, USA
Posts: 375
|
The woman in the picture above is playing BoulderDash... I just know it.
|
16 March 2009, 07:21 | #9 |
Global Caturator
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Porando
Age: 43
Posts: 6,108
|
Back in the 70's only women knew how to operate computers here...
|
16 March 2009, 07:32 | #10 |
Global Moderator
|
|
16 March 2009, 07:37 | #11 |
Global Caturator
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Porando
Age: 43
Posts: 6,108
|
Guess she has some "crossed eye" problem, or how do you call it
(or admiring the curtain behind the computer ) |
16 March 2009, 08:34 | #12 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Amigaville
Age: 46
Posts: 3,338
|
|
16 March 2009, 08:46 | #13 |
HOL/FTP busy bee
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 32,072
|
Interesting machine *wonders how Turrican would run on this... *
Have just read a bit about the PDP series and of course the K-202. Very nice to see that some people thought quite ahead of their time, even before the Amiga So thanks Shoonay and Madcrow for that btw : The girl in the picture looks strange I know it's the 70's and stuff, but still... |
16 March 2009, 09:45 | #14 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Amigaville
Age: 46
Posts: 3,338
|
what!!! She has a glowing aura around her. She looks well funky imo. I'd reprogram Turrican II to work and then make love to her on the keyboard/monitor. Or should that be the other way round?
|
16 March 2009, 10:12 | #15 |
HOL/FTP busy bee
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Germany
Age: 46
Posts: 32,072
|
|
16 March 2009, 10:30 | #16 |
Global Caturator
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Porando
Age: 43
Posts: 6,108
|
|
16 March 2009, 10:58 | #17 |
The 1 who ribbits
|
she`s my kind of hippy computer babe
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
REQ: 17-Bit Artwork 2 (1988-04)(17-Bit Software) | Sea7 | request.Demos | 5 | 13 May 2011 01:07 |
8 bit to optimized 6 bit palette histogram improvements needed | NovaCoder | Coders. General | 0 | 14 April 2011 02:13 |
My A500 is dying bit by bit :( | Old Fool | support.Hardware | 3 | 03 July 2009 17:12 |
Playpower - 8 bit learning games for the developing world | girv | Retrogaming General Discussion | 5 | 24 March 2009 22:00 |
Computer Gaming World - full scans (PDF) | Retro-Nerd | Nostalgia & memories | 4 | 10 May 2007 17:09 |
|
|