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   Thomas 🔭🕹️ (thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 20-Mar-2023 02:31:17 JST Thomas 🔭🕹️

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   • Action Retro :apple_inc:
   • David Fox 🌻🥸

   @DavidBFox There’s a fun recent video on the Sol-20 from @ActionRetro https://youtu.be/NMfjnZ66cxA

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     David Fox 🌻🥸 (davidbfox@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Monday, 20-Mar-2023 02:31:20 JST David Fox 🌻🥸

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     The logo was printed on paper positioned behind a plastic window, so we replaced it and dropped in our Marin Computer Center logo instead, illustrated by my sister Randee Fox.

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     David Fox 🌻🥸 (davidbfox@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Monday, 20-Mar-2023 02:31:23 JST David Fox 🌻🥸

     in reply to

     More on the Processor Technology Sol-20 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol-20
     Look at those beautiful real walnut sides!

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     David Fox 🌻🥸 (davidbfox@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Monday, 20-Mar-2023 02:31:26 JST David Fox 🌻🥸

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     In the meantime, here's another article that Annie wrote for a 1984 issue of #CreativeComputing https://electriceggplant.com/you_want_to_open_a_what.html

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     David Fox 🌻🥸 (davidbfox@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Monday, 20-Mar-2023 02:31:28 JST David Fox 🌻🥸

     in reply to

     Coming later... being pitched the Apple II by the Steves...

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     David Fox 🌻🥸 (davidbfox@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Monday, 20-Mar-2023 02:31:29 JST David Fox 🌻🥸

     in reply to

     We opted for the Sol-20. Why?
     1. Could type and display upper and lower case and we thought many of our members would want to do word processing.
     2. We liked the friendly look, with real walnut sides
     3. Bigger support infrastructure for S-100 bus computers at the time
     4. Sol-20 creator Lee Felsenstein made himself very available to help us. So supportive!

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     David Fox 🌻🥸 (davidbfox@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Monday, 20-Mar-2023 02:31:31 JST David Fox 🌻🥸

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     We couldn’t have created MCC without following in the footsteps of those who did essentially the same thing with the previous generation of computers. We spent time at the Lawrence Hall of Science (they had a room filled with teletype machines tied to a minicomputer) and Liza Loop and the LO*OP Center, a minicomputer and CRT terminals https://loopcenter.org/

     Our timing was perfect to take advantage of the brand new standalone microcomputers.

     Big question for us, Sol-20s or the new Apple II?

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     David Fox 🌻🥸 (davidbfox@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Monday, 20-Mar-2023 02:31:32 JST David Fox 🌻🥸

     In 1977, my wife Annie and I opened the first public access microcomputer center. The Marin Computer Center was a nonprofit org in a library of a repurposed elementary school. We started with 9 Processor Technology Sol-20s and one Equinox. Eventually we had 40 micros (Atari, Apple II, TRS-80, Pet) people could rent for $1.50/hr. So many Marin kids got turned onto computers and went on to do great things. Jump to page 7 of this 1978 People’s Computers article by Annie
     http://www.loopcntr.net/repository/1018.pdf