Re: Paper tape readers for micros. (Re: I feel 31337!111!!)

[Michael Black <blackm00@Gloria.CAM.ORG>]

On Mon, 22 Jan 2001, Nick Bensema wrote:

> In article <ouja6.2741$CP4.876134@typhoon2.ba-dsg.net>,
> Xcott Craver <sacraver@use.my.princeton.address> wrote:
> >Nick Bensema <nickb@fnord.io.com> wrote:
> >>I wonder why nobody invented paper tape readers for microcomputers,
> >
> >	You kept this idea to yourself, didn't you?  You had this idea
> >	in the 80s but kept it to yourself while I had to "A9 02" for 
> >	three hours, didn't you?  Oh, ho-ho boy, oh boy, ooOOOooooooh.
> 
> Well, nobody would have listened; in early 1980 I was 2; in late 1989
> I was 12.
> 
Huh?  There were paper tape readers for microcomputers in the early days.

A reader was easy, a punch more difficult.  There were programs
distributed in the early days of micros on paper tape, because there
were people with tape readers.

But even that improved, when non-mechanical tape readers hit the market.
There was one, I can't remember the name now, that was basically a litel
box with a tape guide, and 8 photodiodes.  You'd place the box
under a lamp, connect the box to a parallel port, and then pull
the tape manually through the tape guide.  Where there were holes,
the ligh shone through to the photodiodes, and that bit would be
high.  One advantage was that since there were no mechanical parts,
one could pull the tape through the guide fairly fast.

And one or more of the computer magazines, maybe Creative Computing
though I can picture another one though not the name, tried distributing
programs with those flexible 33 2/3 RPM records that were often a feature
in magazines at one time.  But instead of music, they'd put a recording
of a tape interface output.  So you'd connect your tape interface
to your record player, instead of cassette player, and get your programs
that way.  I don't think any magazine ever did it on a regular basis,
for reasons unknown.  Maybe it was all too costly.  Though, those
plastic records added nothing to the bulk of a magazine, unlike
a cassette tape, which had advantages when mailing and distributing
the magazines.

And Byte, in the very early days, used barcodes to distribute programs.
This was about 1977.  There were some articles about bar code readers,
and a construction article or two, and some programs printed in
the magazines in the form of barcodes.  I can't remember how long
it went on for, and if was a regular thing, and I can't be bothered
digging through the magazines.  Byte even published some "books" that
weren't much more than an introductory article and some large program
in the form of a bar code printout.

Curzon strips came later, though I felt at the time they deliberately
overlooked the earlier use of barcodes to distribute programs  I always
though the curzon strips were nothing more than a higher density
"bar code".

There were also some attempts to distribute programs over the radio.
I recall some plan to use a subcarrier on an FM broadcast transmitter
to send such programs, though I can't remember if that was an idea
or if it was actually implemnted.  I thought at least in Europe, something
along these lines took place.

It might have even been over television audio, on one of thsoe introductor
to computer programs that took place in the late seventies or early
eighties in various places.

The idea was update a few years ago, when Computer Chronicles on PBS
was doing something via video.  I forget whether it was programs they
were distributing or something else.  It was just a few years ago,
and it disappeared with little fanfare.

Of course, Computer Chronicles is getting pretty old at this point.
I can remember when Gary Kildall of CPM fame was a regular part of the
program, and it wsa more for the insider.

    Michael