#book8088 — Public Fediverse posts

More portable #retrocomputing philosophizing: Whether a machine has "Instant-On" makes a huge difference in the tasks it's useful for. By this, I mean whether the machine returns to the same program and screen where you left it, when powered back on from inactivity.

Without "Instant-On", the machine demands to be used for long sessions, (else the boot time is too inconvenient) and demands your constant attention (else the power draw of leaving it sitting around powered on is wasted). Using the machine involves clearing your schedule and devoting yourself to it, like reading a book.

Examples of machines without "Instant-On": DOS-era laptops, #Book8088, #GameBoy, #MailStation.

With "Instant-On", the machine is useful for PDA-style quick jottings, grocery lists, etc. It is also useful for fun activities even in circumstances where you are likely to be interrupted.

Examples of machines with "Instant-On": #HP200LX, #HpOmniBook, #PalmPilot, #PocketPC, #TI92 (and other TI calculators), and, of course, smartphones.

While machines in the first category may offer a more immersive experience, they are far less useful to me than machines in the second category. It's like the difference between a luggable and a true mobile computer.

Got a #3com etherlink II, an 8 bit ethernet card. Gonna try it on the #Book8088 ...

might be interesting... if you set the io address to be in the 0x200 range it uses irq 3. if you set the io address to 0x300 it uses irq 2. These are your only choices.

I guess I'm disappointed. this card was made in 1990... by 1990 im sure it was quite clear that you don't make xt bus cards like that!