What is Vintage Hardware?
Most people think of vintage hardware computers and consoles as simply old. However, they are far more than this. Before 8 bit computers came on the market, there was no home computer market. Before the first generation game consoles, there were no video games.
Back in 1970, there were no computer standards. The only computers available cost into the millions and occupied entire rooms in large corporations. Microsoft did not exist, nor did Oracle or Apple. People used typewriters to write letters and publish reports. The world was a very different place.
With the introduction of 8 bit computers, the world began a paradigm shift. There were dozens of computer manufacturers with each one having its own operating system and software, which was in compatible with the others. Colour and sound usually consisted on no more than eight colours and a beep.
The computer industry of the early 1980s is much like the wild west of the 1800s: each company tried to outdo the other in terms of price, performance and features while trying to set their own standards and gain market share. By the end of the 1980s, standards began to appear with the dominance of companies like Microsoft and products like Windows and DOS becoming the standard. |
