Comments on: The WarGames IMSAI

The WarGames IMSAI

jtron — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:35:30 -0800

A (too?) in-depth article on the IMSAI 8080 featured in the movie WarGames. [more IMSAI images and info at 1000bit, the Obsolete Computer Museum, Erik Klein's Vintage Computers, and good ole' Wikipedia]

By: loquacious

loquacious — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:38:55 -0800

UNF. UNF. UNF. *languidly smokes, enjoying the afterglow* (Please add "nerdporn" tag, thx.)

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:42:49 -0800

How again was the 8080 a step-up from the 8800? Panel switching?

By: mumkin

mumkin — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:28:37 -0800

Yes, jtron, it's too. But in all the right ways.

By: GavinR

GavinR — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:51:53 -0800

Mister Potato Head! Mister Potato Head! Back doors are not secrets!

By: darkripper

darkripper — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 02:58:19 -0800

Bottom line is the Imsai people are producing incredibly geeky Series Two for the 80s nostalgics. From what I understand it mixes old and new hardware. Is this the new steampunk?

By: blacklite

blacklite — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 04:53:59 -0800

Best (geekiest) part: It seems that they had forgotten the programming sequence for the keyboard and none of my people had remembered the special keyboard coding. Matthew Broderick saved the shoot by eventually recalling the sequence and experimenting with the ESCAPE key That must have been ironic/hilarious/awesome.

By: WolfDaddy

WolfDaddy — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 06:44:11 -0800

Back doors are not secrets! Larry Craig's is. Remember when I told you to tell me when I was acting rude and insensitively?

By: The White Hat

The White Hat — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 08:53:22 -0800

Looks like the 1000bit website's been haxxored.

By: Joh

Joh — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 15:08:15 -0800

What about the WOPR? I would love one of those for the house.

By: PHINC

PHINC — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 16:41:18 -0800

Is there a website that catalogs and has images of computers used in films? Or maybe there is a documentary film on the subject complete with actual footage. Anyway I'd enjoy that if someone would do that. I don't think I have the time.

By: njohnson23

njohnson23 — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:43:18 -0800

IMSAI, the company, was a cult! Yes, it was run by and mainly employed people who had gone through the EST training, that Werner Erhard business that still exists under different names. That little company had a very interesting history...

By: jtron

jtron — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:19:50 -0800

While looking for info on the EST/IMSAI connection I found this article on the company's history. More good reading. As for EST...

He was a believer in the self-improvement techniques developed by Werner Erhard, called "EST," which he attempted to apply to all situations. EST convinced him that once he had made up his mind to do something it was as good as done. He surrounded himself with people who had "taken the training," and this was a big factor in the accomplishment of bringing the Imsai to market in record time. It was also a factor in the failure to test equipment before releasing it to the market, and the inability to see changes in the market as the technology advanced.

Friction from use of EST-based management techniques also seems implicated in the revolt of ComputerLand (an IMSAI spinoff) franchisees and the chain's eventual demise...