Retro computing refers to the era of early computers and the foundational technologies that paved the way for today’s devices. In this introductory guide, we’ll break down key terms and concepts from the mid-20th century through the 1980s. Whether you’re a beginner, a tech enthusiast, or a student, this post will provide clear definitions and historical context for each term.
For easy navigation, we’ve organized the terms into the following sections:
- Hardware
- Software
- Networking & Communication
- Storage & Media
- User Interfaces & Operating Systems
- Miscellaneous Concepts
Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
🖥 Hardware
Mainframes
Mainframe computers are large, powerful machines used primarily by big organizations for heavy-duty computing tasks (like processing vast amounts of data). In the 1950s and 60s, mainframes (often called “big iron”) filled entire rooms and handled critical jobs such as census calculations and bank transactions. They were the dominant form of computing before smaller types of computers emerged.
Minicomputers
Minicomputers (or simply “minis”) were a mid-sized class of computers introduced in the mid-1960s. They were significantly smaller and cheaper than mainframes but were still quite large by today’s standards. Minis bridged the gap between mainframes and microcomputers and were often used in labs and businesses for specific tasks. Notable examples include the DEC PDP series.
Microcomputers
Microcomputers are small, relatively inexpensive computers built around a microprocessor (a single-chip CPU). These were the first personal computers (PCs) designed for individual use. The microcomputer revolution of the 1970s brought computers like the Altair 8800 and Apple II into homes and schools. Today, we simply call them PCs.
CRT Monitors
CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) monitors were the standard video displays in computers and televisions before LCDs took over. These bulky, glass-screened monitors displayed images by electron beams hitting a phosphorescent surface. They dominated computing from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
Floppy Disks
Floppy disks were the go-to removable storage medium for decades. The first floppy, introduced by IBM in 1971, was 8 inches in diameter. Later versions shrank to 5¼-inch and then 3½-inch sizes. They stored a few hundred kilobytes to 1.44 MB and were the main way to transfer files and back up data. The save icon in many software programs still represents a floppy disk!
💾 Software
MS-DOS
MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) was the dominant text-based OS for PC-compatible computers in the 1980s. Users typed commands (e.g., C:\> DIR) to manage files and run programs. MS-DOS was the foundation for early Windows versions.
UNIX
Unix, developed at AT&T’s Bell Labs in the late 1960s, introduced the idea of a powerful, multi-user, command-line OS. Its design philosophy influenced modern operating systems like Linux and macOS.
COBOL
COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language), created in 1959, was one of the earliest high-level programming languages. Designed for business and finance applications, it used an English-like syntax. Even today, COBOL code still runs on many banking systems.
FORTRAN
FORTRAN (Formula Translation), released in 1957, was the first widely-used high-level programming language. It was designed for scientific and numerical computation and remains relevant in high-performance computing today.
🌐 Networking & Communication
Dial-up Modems
Before broadband, dial-up modems connected computers to networks via telephone lines. The noisy screeches and buzzes of modems “handshaking” were common sounds of the 1980s and 90s. Speeds were slow (56 kbps max), and using the internet tied up the phone line.
Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)
Before the modern web, BBSes were popular online hubs where users dialed in to post messages, share files, and play text-based games. Run by hobbyists, they were the forerunners of today’s internet forums and social media.
ARPANET
ARPANET, launched in the late 1960s, was the first packet-switching network and the direct precursor to the internet. It pioneered key technologies like TCP/IP and connected early research institutions.
📀 Storage & Media
Magnetic Tapes
Magnetic tape, first used in the 1950s, stored large amounts of data but was slow to access. Despite being outdated, it is still used today for archiving massive datasets.
Punch Cards
Punch cards, used from the 1890s through the 1970s, stored data by means of holes punched into stiff paper cards. Early programmers fed stacks of punch cards into computers to run programs.
Early Hard Drives
The first hard drive, IBM’s 305 RAMAC (1956), was the size of two refrigerators and stored just 3.75 MB! Over time, hard drives became smaller, cheaper, and more powerful, leading to the compact HDDs and SSDs we use today.
🖱 User Interfaces & Operating Systems
Command-Line Interfaces (CLI)
Early computers had no graphical interface—users typed text commands to interact with the system. Examples include MS-DOS and Unix shells.
Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)
The Xerox Alto (1973) was the first computer with a true GUI, introducing windows, icons, and a mouse. This inspired later systems like Macintosh (1984) and Windows 1.0 (1985), which made computers much more user-friendly.
🔍 Miscellaneous Concepts
Moore’s Law
Coined by Gordon Moore (Intel co-founder) in 1965, Moore’s Law states that computer processing power doubles approximately every two years. This observation has driven rapid advancements in computing for decades.
ASCII
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a character encoding standard from the 1960s that assigns numeric codes to letters, digits, and symbols (e.g., A = 65). It laid the foundation for modern text encoding.
Bit vs. Byte
- Bit (binary digit): The smallest unit of data, representing 0 or 1.
- Byte: A group of 8 bits, commonly used to store a single character of text.
- 1 KB (kilobyte) = 1024 bytes, 1 MB = 1024 KB, etc.
Early Hacking Culture
In the 1960s-70s, hacker meant a creative programmer rather than a cybercriminal. Early hacking culture at MIT and in groups like the Homebrew Computer Club played a key role in the personal computing revolution.
📜 Conclusion
By learning these retro computing terms and concepts, you gain insight into the roots of modern technology. From room-sized mainframes and punch cards to the first friendly interfaces and programming languages, each concept is a chapter in the history of computing.
Happy computing! 🚀💾🔍