Who said anything about it being a documentary? It's a period drama
largely based on the kinds of flamboyant personalities that pioneered
much of the personal computer industry. While retro computers are in
the show, I don't view it as being about the retro computers
themselves.
On Wed, 24 Aug 2016, Geoffrey Oltmans wrote:
Not you. But several previous posters lamented about the
aprocryphal/anachronistic quality of the tech in the show.
The problem is simply that WE are less interested in a period drama about
their perceptions of the personalities of an industry that they weren't
in. They might get them right; they might not.
What WE would like to see is a well researched show that even gets the
history right. THAT would be fun!
For example: IBM at the time (pre-DMCA, pre-Lotus "look and feel") had no
objections to aftermarket that did not copy the actual code, was
supportive of reverse-engineering, and PUBLISHED ($40) schematics and
source code. Apple, until the Lisa? and Mac was open. The secrecy of
studying the machine and the threat of legal action from IBM was contrary
to the current corporate cultures.
The original culture clash of DRI and IBM would make a GREAT scene!
(MUCH better than the completely nonsensical alternate reality of billg
inventing OS and cold calling IBM in "Pirates Of The Valley")
(although admittedly, even those who experienced it have divergent
interpretations)
