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December 09, 2022

Yesterday, I left off talking about the TI-85, the second Texas Instruments graphing calculators.
The 85 had a huge problem, it was designed for college level calculus. It could be used to solve polynomial expressions. This was a problem for highschool algebra classes as well as the SATs. (I can't find any records of when the policy changed, but I know that initially, the TI-85 was banned from use on the SATs for this reason.)

What was TI's response? The TI-82 in 1993, less than a year after the TI-85.
This new calculator had many of the features people loved about the 85, like the ability to use the link cables, and a backup battery, but TI cut the functionality down to something closer to the 81, then cut the memory in order to bring down the price.
This made the TI-82 the most sought after calculator for highschool classrooms. It also makes it probably the most popular of all the models sold in the 90s.

The TI-82 was so successful, that Texas Instruments didn't release any upgrade for 3 years. But there were other models in the mean time.

In 1995, Texas Instfuments released 2 new graphing calculators taking the features of the previous models to the extreme.

The TI-80 was a cut down version of the original 81 but much smaller and capable of running on 2 coin-cell batteries.

The TI-92 was the biggest beast of them all sporting more pixels, more memory, and a full qwerty keyboard. It also used a Motorola 6800 processor at 10hz. So it was basically a Macintosh in your pocket.

While the 80 basically flopped, the 92 did really well despite the fact that it was banned from use on any national exams due to that keyboard. And it remains banned for that reason today. Despite that, college level calculus classes loved it due to its inclusion of CAS (Computer Algebra System, basically it can do everything you learned in Algebra). (I will definitely be talking more about this one over the weekend.)

In 1996, Texas Instruments finally released a successor to the TI-82, the TI-83.
Functionally the only changes were a much better screen (although at the same resolution) and a little more memory for programs (4k to be exact). The change that got most people to switch, was the new design of the case. Like Apple, Texas Instruments decided form was more important to consumers than function. (More on the 83 this week as well. This was my highschool baby.)

1996 also saw a small improvement in the 92 which was really just them fixing bugs in the firmware.

In 1997 a successor to the TI-85 was released. This was mostly the same as the 85, but with the same form factor as the 83 and the newer screen. (BTW, did I ever mention that the 85 had a wider screen?) But the big improvement, the new TI-86 had 128kb of memory while still using a z80 processor. (Yes, at this point in the story, the z80 is nearly 20 years old and still in use.)
The TI-86 was a huge success in colleges, (and it looks like the SAT board got over the whole polynomial equation thing by this point.) However, highschools still avoided it because they felt it allowed Algebra students to cheat on tests. So sales were not as good as TI had hoped.

In 1998 Texas Instruments released the TI-89. This was nearly identical to the 92, but in the same form factor as the 83, and 86. This new model nearly killed the 86. For only $10 more, it had 2x the memory, higher resolution, faster processor, CAS, and it was allowed for use on the SATs. Again, highschools avoided it, but by this point every college student had grown up using graphing calculators and colleges were dependent on them.

Also in 1998, a few revisions were made to the TI-83 and some new cheaper calculators were released. The TI-83 Plus was the last model released in the 90s and ends our history here.

To date, according to Texas Instruments, the TI-84 Plus, released in 2004 and still available today, has been the best selling of any model. But, there is nothing retro about something you can still buy brand new at Walmart.

All of these calculators, except the 83, were purchased from local thrift stores for less than $5 each since Lunduke announced handheld week.

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December 12, 2025
The "With Many Eyes, All Bugs Are Shallow" Fallacy

That concept, known as "Linus's Law", is not only wrong... it's wildly wrong. Another fallacy often repeated in Open Source: "Diversity makes better software."

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00:14:38
December 11, 2025
LibXML2, Used by Steam, Chromium, Others is Now Abandoned

An open source library used by many of the most well known applications, including VirtualBox, GNOME, Edge, & VLC, has been officially abandoned and is now marked as "unmaintained".

More from The Lunduke Journal:
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00:11:09
December 11, 2025
Rust in the Linux Kernel is Here to Stay

According to a reporter at the Linux Kernel Maintainer Summit, "Rust in the kernel is no longer experimental - it is now a core part of the kernel and is here to stay."

More from The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.com/

00:11:07
November 22, 2023
The futility of Ad-Blockers

Ads are filling the entirety of the Web -- websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. -- at an increasing rate. Prices for those ad placements are plummeting. Consumers are desperate to use ad-blockers to make the web palatable. Google (and others) are desperate to break and block ad-blockers. All of which results in... more ads and lower pay for creators.

It's a fascinatingly annoying cycle. And there's only one viable way out of it.

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links? Check here:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

The futility of Ad-Blockers
November 21, 2023
openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"

Those in power with openSUSE make it clear they will not allow me anywhere near anything related to the openSUSE project. Ever. For any reason.

Well, that settles that, then! Guess I won't be contributing to openSUSE! 🤣

Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4619051/lunduke-journal-link-central-tm

Give the gift of The Lunduke Journal:
https://lunduke.locals.com/post/4898317/give-the-gift-of-the-lunduke-journal

openSUSE says "No Lunduke allowed!"
September 13, 2023
"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

This episode is free for all to enjoy and share.

Be sure to subscribe here at Lunduke.Locals.com to get all shows & articles (including interviews with other amazing nerds).

"Andreas Kling creator of Serenity OS & Ladybird Web Browser" - Lunduke’s Big Tech Show - September 13th, 2023 - Ep 044

[from X.com - Grummz post] Poll ... Gaming: Is It The Design That Matters?

Essentially, the the current "AAA Games" which put "everything" into Social Ideology messaging LOST. 🔥
https://x.com/Grummz/status/1999167652296818935

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December 09, 2025

#C64 I really want one of these.

December 09, 2025

For some reason videos are not processing on Locals at all. At least for me. Have two shows sitting in the "processing" queue for a full day now (with a third about to be added).

I'm talking with the Locals crew about this. Hopefully should be resolved quickly. Luckily those shows are on all of the other platforms as a backup.

Lunduke Journal Lifetime Wall 2 almost full, plus Lifetime Sub as a gift

Two quick tidbits!

First: Lifetime Wall 2 Almost Full

The 2nd Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscriber Wall of Shame… err… I mean “Wall of Awesomeness” (which shows at the end of each video) is almost full! Holy cow! So many people have signed up over the last few days and asked to be added! Awesome!

There’s room for maybe 3 or 4 more names on there before I need to start Wall Number 3. So if you want to be on the 2nd wall, grab a Lifetime Sub quickly. (Though, really, being on the 3rd wall will be cool too.)

Plus, hey! You can snag one for $89 this month. Which is pretty sweet.

Second: Sending a Lifetime Sub as a Gift

Several of you have asked if it’s possible to send someone a Lifetime Subscription as a gift (at the discounted $89 / $99 price).

The answer is yes! And, instead of sending instructions to each of you, individually, I am including a Step-by-Step rundown on how to send someone a Lunduke Journal Lifetime Sub as a gift.

There are two options — Locals & Bitcoin — and both work equally well.

(Note: A gifted Lifetime subscription can also be applied to Substack accounts… it just can’t be purchased via Substack because of the way the system works for gifting it to another person.)

How to give a gift Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Select “Give Once“.

  3. Enter “99“ (or more) into the amount field.

  4. Email “bryan at lunduke.com”. Include the following in that email:

    1. Have the words “Gift Sub” somewhere in the subject line.

    2. Include the email you used to make the purchase and the email address of gift recipient.

    3. Include any special instructions or requests, such as: A special message you would like included, when you would like an email sent to the recipient, or if you would prefer to let the recipient know yourself.

  5. Lunduke will send you a confirmation email after that. This usually happens within a few hours.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also send a gift Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.  (And it's $10 cheaper thanks to the lower processing fees of Bitcoin.)

  • Send $89 worth of Bitcoin (or more) to the following address:

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email “bryan at lunduke.com”. Include the following in that email:

    1. What time you made the transaction, & how much was sent (in Bitcoin).

    2. Have the words “Gift Sub” somewhere in the subject line.

    3. Include the email address of gift recipient.

    4. Include any special instructions or requests, such as: A special message you would like included, when you would like an email sent to the recipient, or if you would prefer to let the recipient know yourself.

  • Lunduke will send you a confirmation email after that. This usually happens within a few hours.

Note: The Lifetime Subscription only applies to Substack, Locals, and the Lunduke Journal Forum. Other platforms (such as X, Patreon, & YouTube) do not provide the functionality necessary to create Lifetime Subscriptions.

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December 12, 2025
Last Week on The Lunduke Journal - Fri, Dec 12, 2025

This last week has been, as usual, a doozy for Tech News.

The Mozilla Annual Report dropped, The EU & UK ramped up their war on US Free Speech, and the future of Rust in Linux was cemented (for better or worse).

But the most widely viewed, and yelled about, story of the week — by far — was “Prisma Drops Rust for Javascript, Sees Massive Speed Increase”. I tell ya, followers of the Church of Rust get grumpy if you utter anti-Rust blasphemy!

Oh, and a quick reminder: Lifetime Subscriptions can be snagged for $89 through the end of December. Monthly & Yearly subscriptions are 50% off as well. Just because.

All Shows From the Last Week

Below are all of the shows over the last 7 days, with links to Substack (where you can get both the audio or video versions). If you want to watch on a different platform (Locals, X, Rumble, YouTube, etc.) check Lunduke.com for all of the links.

As always, thank you for making The Lunduke Journal possible. If it weren’t for your support, most of these stories would never have been told (as no other Tech News outlet is covering them).

You rule.

-Lunduke

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November 30, 2025
$89 Lifetime Subs Through Monday, Second Lifetime Wall

Holy tidal wave of subscriptions, Batman! I was not fully prepared for the flood of people taking advantage of the $89 Lifetime Sub deal!

But, hey! That’s a good thing! Welcome, new Lunduke Journal subscribers!

A few quick reminders and bits of info on this glorious Sunday:

  • The $89 Lifetime Subscription deal is good through Monday, Dec 1st. That’s tomorrow. All prices go back to normal on Tuesday.

  • For everyone who has already snagged the $89 Lifetime Sub this weekend, you will be receiving a confirmation email by sometime on Monday.

  • For every Lifetime Subscriber who wants to be added to the “Lifetime Wall” at the end of the shows (but isn’t already), toss me an email and let me know how you want your name to be displayed. I’m adding a second wall which will debut in tomorrow’s show (ran out of space on the first wall).

  • Same goes for Lifetime Subscribers who want the Lunduke Journal X account to follow your X account. Email me. Let me know what your X handle is. I’ll take it from there.

  • For the new subscribers: You can find links and details on the various perks (regardless of where you subscribe from) right here.

Monday should be fun. We’ve already got quite a few stories to cover for this week… and it’s not even Monday yet!

I took off a couple days, last week, to celebrate Thanksgiving. I figured, “There won’t be too many new stories breaking during Thanksgiving!” Boy, was I wrong!

See all of you on Monday!

-Lunduke

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