[vcf-midatlantic] A 4004 Based Microcomputer the Comstar System 4

[Herbert Johnson]

On Fri, Jan 12, 2024 at 1:47 PM Jeffrey Jonas:

 > Herb touches upon how our expectations of "computers" have evolved.
 > To folks outside the engineering profession,
 > "embedded processors", "industrial controllers" and other special-
 > purpose machines
 > don't look-and-feel like that's now accepted as a "computer".
 > Yet the Arduino has made such embedded processing more accessible than
 > ever to the hobbyist, experimenter, artist, etc.
 >
 > Perhaps that applies here: what were once called "computers"
 > are now considered embedded processors,
 > IoT (Internet of Things) or Internet appliances.
 >
 > I was about to say how cellphones [or desktop computers] are more
 > of an appliance than a computer by the way most folks just
 > download apps.
 >
 > [list of late 1970's microprocessors used for embedded controllers].

I'm not entirely happy that a thread that has drifted to Asimov's Laws 
of Robotics, has my name in it. I'll respond to the original points, on 
the original subject line. Those people interested in robotics, maybe 
can start a new thread subject? Those interested in Christian's Comstar 
might reply to his thread.

I did not mean to hijack Christian's thread, just to embellish it, 
underscore his challenges in finding information and referencing the 
Compstar as various kinds of computer. Jeff acknowledges my point and 
adds modern context, other devices. Yeah, there's a long history about 
logical mechanisms as some kind of computing or analytical thing or even 
a kind-of person.

If I'm not mistaken, Christian has/had in hand physically, at least the 
"compiler" Comstar product, maybe also the "controller" product? Not 
quite clear what he owns. I hope he puts it up on some kind of Web page 
or other editable Web-accessable thingy, that has stability and can be 
edited and refined. Too hard to do that in threaded discussions (this a 
case in point).

It's not all nuts and bolts, the chips and a few words don't define the 
objects. I find this research, or curation, as much fun as restoration 
and repair.

For those who have lost interest in those considerations and simply 
think "it's a computer, move on!"? Well, these things matter to some of 
us (oldies) who have seen a lot of change in the computing we have 
experienced.  Those who look back  decades and before their time, might 
get a richer experience by becoming aware of the expectations then, 
versus expectations at other times.

As Christian describes, there's still discoveries to be made in vintage 
computing.

Regards Herb Johnson



Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA
https://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net
preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing
email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com
or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net