Hello, stranger. I’m glad you decided to join me on this impromptu tour of a somewhat forgotten era of computing: the time when Screens Were Expensive – and so computers had no choice but to use smaller screens, small screens, and even ridiculously tiny screens. Shall we…?
-
Show this thread
-
In the early 1980s, if you couldn’t afford a (ridiculously expensive) Xerox 860 word processor will a “full page” display, you could save some money by buying a Xerox 850, with a “half page” display. (The 850 was still ridiculously expensive.)pic.twitter.com/twKBOeENab
6 replies 20 retweets 135 likesShow this thread -
Magnavox Plasma display from 1978! Great name, really impressive, and probably very expensive… and yet still with a very thick bezel taking half of the responsibility of making it look awesome.pic.twitter.com/j0mvacI8y0
3 replies 6 retweets 99 likesShow this thread -
IBM 2260 was an earlier Master Of Bezels. I believe you could buy a more expensive model with More Screen, or a cheaper one with fewer lines… but the same form factor (just more plastic).pic.twitter.com/KMvxVxESle
6 replies 12 retweets 88 likesShow this thread -
This is a Hell Digiset typesetting machine. The landscape screen looks impressive only without the keyboard – otherwise you realize this is not today’s typical screen made wider, but rather a normal screen made *shorter*.pic.twitter.com/vstOantmiD
1 reply 5 retweets 99 likesShow this thread -
The situation was similar in the case of this “human-engineered” HP 250 – this terminal might not have had that many characters, but at least had so much *character*!pic.twitter.com/E1z2bBH1Q3
10 replies 15 retweets 168 likesShow this thread -
Speaking of style, check out this guy next to an IBM terminal probably around the same time (1970s). Once again, you could buy a more expensive screen, or a smaller one in a sea of black.pic.twitter.com/f2ZHuUCLtG
7 replies 7 retweets 82 likesShow this thread -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.