I always see those videos where people give kids a walkman or a rotary phone and ask them to figure out what it is or how it works. I’m imagining some medieval merchant handing me an abacus and laughing because I can’t figure it out.
It’s little endian, so the beads on the far right are used to outnumber the big endian beads at the top on the woke left. After several computations, the middle section is just gone
You know how some languages write left-to-right, and some rught-to-left? Endianness is that, for numbers.
Or another analogy is dates: 2025/12/31 is big endian, 31/12/2025 is little endian. And 12/31/2025 is middle endian. Which makes no sense at all because the middle is, by definition, not an end.
I stand corrected. No idea what I was reading (several years ago), but whatever it was made it seem way more complicated. Maybe it was just an explanation from somebody who didn’t know.
Likely it was being explained in the context of binary number representation as it is primarily important in computer architecture. If you’re not already familiar with that then it was probably confusing explained in that context.
Big Endian Little Endian:
"1010" "1010"
|||| ||||
[1248] [8421]
(sum the numbers
corresponding to a 1)
1+4=5 8+2=10
Depending on whether the order of binary comes from the left (Big Endian) or from the right (Little Endian), the binary number of “1010” can equal 5 or 10
(My original comment was buzzword nonsense though)
Ouch. I had to learn endianness once to solve a real life serialization bug. It sucked. I learned it for just long enough to correct the code for the corner cases involves, and then slept and forgot everything about it.
Fun fact, the Romans would never have labeled their abacuses like this. It would have made calculating very difficult; they effectively worked with modern numbers in bead form, and then used the famous numeral system just to record the results.
This. this is my childhood. Digging through discount bins at blue light specials in Kmart for cartridges and copying BASIC line by line from a magazine and recording it on cassette tape so we could play Yahtzee on the TV.
We had one of those in school. One per classroom. We had one educational game on it. Since there was only one, they would sit us down at it in pairs and we’d get 5m to play on it. I think I got to use it maybe three times in a given year.
On the Amiga’s 40th birthday I brought the old Amiga 500 out of storage to the dinner table and we had cake. Just realized I should do the same with the Atari ST, for more cake. I think my family tolerates me because of the cake.
Yes, it was a nice little machine, the first computer I used at home. I shared it with some friends because our parents couldn’t afford it unless we pooled our money. Each of us would have it for a week then take it to the next kid’s house. In those days you had the option of buying it prebuilt or (cheaper) as a kit, and I still remember how excited I was when my dad and I came out of the electronics shop with a bag full of circuit boards, chips and keys that would magically become a computer when soldered together.
The Acorn story is really amazing: a tiny hobbyist company that got a break when the BBC commissioned the BBC micro from them, that went on to invent the ARM chips that are in billions of phones and other devices now.
Yeah, if you can keep them running, they’re surprisingly efficient. And they hardly ever jam. But all the printouts look like garbage and feel like you’re trying to interpret ancient runes. When we got our first inkjet printer at home, I suddenly struggled to read anything from the ol’ dot matrix.
edit, actually, it might have been on the back…it’s been forever since I touched one
It was along the right side. I remember it helped to sit a little bit to the right, or angle the keyboard a bit, when playing a two player game, so that the leftmost player’s joystick cord would reach.
I raise
edit, actually, it might have been on the back…it’s been forever since I touched one
I’ll see your raise, and up it:
Please,
I always see those videos where people give kids a walkman or a rotary phone and ask them to figure out what it is or how it works. I’m imagining some medieval merchant handing me an abacus and laughing because I can’t figure it out.
It’s little endian, so the beads on the far right are used to outnumber the big endian beads at the top on the woke left. After several computations, the middle section is just gone
Tried reading about endianness once. Pretty sure it can’t be dumbed down enough for my brain.
You know how some languages write left-to-right, and some rught-to-left? Endianness is that, for numbers.
Or another analogy is dates: 2025/12/31 is big endian, 31/12/2025 is little endian. And 12/31/2025 is middle endian. Which makes no sense at all because the middle is, by definition, not an end.
I stand corrected. No idea what I was reading (several years ago), but whatever it was made it seem way more complicated. Maybe it was just an explanation from somebody who didn’t know.
Likely it was being explained in the context of binary number representation as it is primarily important in computer architecture. If you’re not already familiar with that then it was probably confusing explained in that context.
Depending on whether the order of binary comes from the left (Big Endian) or from the right (Little Endian), the binary number of “1010” can equal 5 or 10
(My original comment was buzzword nonsense though)
Ouch. I had to learn endianness once to solve a real life serialization bug. It sucked. I learned it for just long enough to correct the code for the corner cases involves, and then slept and forgot everything about it.
Hint: each bar has five beads, with a 2 bead multiplier above
Young whippersnappers.
You kids don’t know how good you have it!
At least you have hands! I had to get my fabricated from the town blacksmith.
Ooh ooh ooh?
Fun fact, the Romans would never have labeled their abacuses like this. It would have made calculating very difficult; they effectively worked with modern numbers in bead form, and then used the famous numeral system just to record the results.
Don’t buy copper from this guy, it’s low-quality and your messenger will be treated with contempt.
Represent!
This. this is my childhood. Digging through discount bins at blue light specials in Kmart for cartridges and copying BASIC line by line from a magazine and recording it on cassette tape so we could play Yahtzee on the TV.
We had one of those in school. One per classroom. We had one educational game on it. Since there was only one, they would sit us down at it in pairs and we’d get 5m to play on it. I think I got to use it maybe three times in a given year.
My buddy still has one of those in his garage.
My brother in Munchman, Alpine, and coding racist stuff out of the book.
My age in fond memories:
I don’t have long for this world…
Me too… my first code was for Commodore PET. Then I got an Amiga. Sad day when Commodore folded.
On the Amiga’s 40th birthday I brought the old Amiga 500 out of storage to the dinner table and we had cake. Just realized I should do the same with the Atari ST, for more cake. I think my family tolerates me because of the cake.
Then you will enjoy the news that Commodore was bought recently and they want to build new equipments, starting with a C64.
What is that Acorn? I don’t remember the BBC having an “Acorn Bus Extension”, and it looks too narrow to be a Master…
(nm, I found it online: Acorn Atom. I’ve never seen one in real life.)
Yes, it was a nice little machine, the first computer I used at home. I shared it with some friends because our parents couldn’t afford it unless we pooled our money. Each of us would have it for a week then take it to the next kid’s house. In those days you had the option of buying it prebuilt or (cheaper) as a kit, and I still remember how excited I was when my dad and I came out of the electronics shop with a bag full of circuit boards, chips and keys that would magically become a computer when soldered together.
The Acorn story is really amazing: a tiny hobbyist company that got a break when the BBC commissioned the BBC micro from them, that went on to invent the ARM chips that are in billions of phones and other devices now.
Ooh, I had a serial mouse (9 pin) from Microsoft of all companies, in the 90’s.
Damn good mouse.
Microsoft used to make good peripherals
I’m still using that mouse, with a 9-pin to ps2 and a ps2 to usb
there must be some noticeable latency on that
BTW, Commodore got bought out.
They are releasing C64 again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2fGP59mJ5M
https://www.commodore.net/
I wonder if this will be like the VCS. I have one, and its awesome for the price if you like to tinker.
Its on the side. You can kind of see it in your picture. I have a C64 within arms reach.
Bonus points if you had a mouse to use with GEOS:
I had a mouse like that on my Amiga 2000!
Oh yeah? I raise you stacks of perforated pages and tractor feed accordions
I worked at a place using a dot matrix printer… in 2013. 😱
Yeah, if you can keep them running, they’re surprisingly efficient. And they hardly ever jam. But all the printouts look like garbage and feel like you’re trying to interpret ancient runes. When we got our first inkjet printer at home, I suddenly struggled to read anything from the ol’ dot matrix.
Check this out:
This was why I got into programming.
I still have the book:
It’s so cool:
Lemme know if you want to see more. I thought it’s awesome.
I have to find my UHf dongle, and it looks like I was playing Star Strike the last time, but I will get this running. I have the manual, after all.
Mine didn’t have a connector it was a membrane
It was along the right side. I remember it helped to sit a little bit to the right, or angle the keyboard a bit, when playing a two player game, so that the leftmost player’s joystick cord would reach.