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

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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

I just realized the days are numbered for my IBM xSeries 206m. This workstation has been critical for my vintage hobby as it's old enough to support PCI, floppy, zip, actual serial ports, etc. But, it's also new enough to run Debian 12 which means I can simply use it as a bridge to my old systems. The thing is, being an IBM workstation, it's picky about what operating systems will run on it. I can't get most operating systems to install or even boot on this thing. It only supported Windows Server 2003, RHEL, Debian, and Suse. And all 3 of those Linux options would install just fine until the last few years. I had Windows 7 running on this just fine at one point in it's life. The manual specifically says Windows XP is NOT compatible with this system and, years ago, I tried to prove them wrong but seriously failed. You can't install a 32bit OS on here. It just will NOT boot. I can't get any 32bit OS to do anything.
Anyways, I ended up settling on Debian because it ran extremely well on ...

An AI just called me about a job. It was better than half the human recruiters who call me.

Easily more than half. Here's how it won:

1. It respected my time before the call even happened.

I have the iPhone screening feature — when you call me, a recording says "let me know who is calling and I'll see if Lee is available."

I get 20 calls a day where callers won't say who they are or why they're calling. Most of the time: silence. Plenty of times: "hello, hello, hello." Sometimes: "Hello, is Lee there?"

Those calls don't get through to me anymore. It's so nice.

This AI left a detailed voicemail: its name, that it was an AI, and the purpose of the call. Full transparency, upfront. Most human recruiters can't clear that bar.

2. The return call was flawless.

It answered, knew who I was from my number, and we had a short, pleasant, easy-to-understand conversation.

Remote role, Solution Architect. What am I looking for? $x per year. "That fits our range — I'll send you an email ...

4 hours ago

Signal This!!

Lunduke Lifetime Discount Ends in 1 Day; Zelda, Larry, SQ, & Keen Walls Available

TL;DR: Lifetime Subscription discount ends in one day. There are currently 4 “Lifetime Walls” with space available for more names (the Oregon Trail Wall is now full).

We’ve been running a massive discount on Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscriptions for the entire months of June and July. And it has been an absolute blast. There are now 21 (twenty-one!) retro computer walls overflowing with your names.

Pure insanity. Huge thank you to everyone who has supported The Lunduke Journal.

But the discounted price only runs through July 31st… and that moment is just about here.

When the calendar ticks over into August (just a hair over 24 hours from now), the Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription price goes back to normal.

  • If the calendar still says it’s July, the Lifetime price is still discounted to $125.

  • If the calendar says August… the price returns to $300.

There are, as of this exact moment, 4 retro game themed “Lifetime Walls” which still have some space for more names (check Lunduke.com for the full list):

  1. Legend of Zelda

  2. Commander Keen 4

  3. Space Quest 4

  4. Leisure Suit Larry

Grab a discounted Lifetime Subscription (scroll down for the details), then email Lunduke (bryan at lunduke.com) with which Wall you’d like to appear on.

 

First come, first served. Once a Wall is full, it’s full. So if there’s a specific Wall you’d like to be on, don’t dilly dally.

How to Grab a Discounted Lifetime Subscription:

There are 3 different ways to pick up a Lunduke Journal Lifetime sub. All of them work great. Choose whichever works best for you!

Remember: These discounted prices go back up to normal ($300) on August 1st.

Get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

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

  2. Select “Give Once“.

  3. Enter “125“ into the amount field.

  4. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

Get a Lifetime Subscription via Substack:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Substack.com/subscribe.

  2. Select the “Lifetime Subscription” option.

  3. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

If you would also like full, Lifetime access to Lunduke.Locals.com (which is included):

  1. Make a free account on Lunduke.Locals.com.

  2. Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the email address you use on both Substack and Locals (can be different email addresses).

  3. Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status on Locals.

Get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

Bonus: Save an extra $10 with the Bitcoin option, as Bitcoin processing has fewer fees associated with it.

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com or Substack.com.

-Lunduke

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Oregon Trail, Keen, & Leisure Suit Larry Lifetime Walls

Holy frijoles! There are now 20 (twenty!) Lifetime Subscriber Walls, filled with the names of roughly one bazillion Lunduke Journal supporters.

Just amazing.

Two super quick updates:

  1. The “Desqview/X”, “NeXTSetp”, & “TRS-80 Model 100” Walls are now full! (Check them out on Lunduke.com and at the end of new shows.)

  2. There are 3 new Walls available to put your John Hancock on… and, just for kicks, these ones aren’t from Classic Operating Systems… they’re Classic Games:

    1. Oregon Trail

    2. Commander Keen 4

    3. Leisure Suit Larry

 

I don’t expect space on these Walls to last long. First come first served.

A huge thank you to all of The Lunduke Journal subscribers. Your support is deeply appreciated. You make this possible.

-Lunduke

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TRS-80 Model 100 joins The Lunduke Journal Lifetime Wall party!

Buckle up, Buttercup. Because The Lunduke Journal is about to blow your mind.

  1. The “BeOS” Wall Lifetime Subscriber Wall is now full (see all of them on Lunduke.com)!

  2. We’ve added a new “TRS-80 Model 100” Wall (because we can)! That’s the 19th Lifetime Subscriber Wall! 19!

  3. The discounted Lifetime Lunduke Journal Subscriptions are still available through to the end of this month (July).

Which means there are, as of this exact moment, 4 Walls with space available (see Lunduke.com for the full list of Walls). But these fill up wicked fast.

  1. Emacs (only a few spots left)

  2. Desqview/X (a little less than 2/3rd’s full)

  3. NeXTStep (still plenty of space)

  4. TRS-80 Model 100 (just launched)

 

Nice, right?

Worth noting: The “TRS-80 Model 100” has very limited screen resolution (240 x 64), which means only a small number of names can fit on that wall. If you want on it, I’d let me know right away.

Grab a discounted Lifetime Subscription (if you don’t already have one), then let me know (email “bryan at lunduke.com”) which Wall you’d like to see your name on.

Huge high five to everyone who has already added their name to a Wall. At the current rate, we’ll have over 20 retro computer themed walls, filled with all of your names, by the end of the month.

And, doggone it, that’s amazing.

-Lunduke

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