What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1234521
EDITOR Becca Martin-Brown 479-872-5054 bmartin@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAbecca ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jocelyn Murphy 479-872-5176 jmurphy@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAJocelyn DESIGNER Deb Harvell 479-872-5029 REPORTERS Deb Harvell 479-872-5029 dharvell@nwadg.com Lara Hightower 479-365-2913 lhightower@nwadg.com WHAT'S What's Up! is a publication of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. ON THE COVER "I was fortunate to meet Taylor at auditions," says Julie Gabel, director of the ACO production of "Into the Woods." "She impressed me with her attitude, energy, vocal ability and her character interpre- tation. As an actor, I found Taylor to be talented, dedicated, prepared and a joy to work with. She always gave 100% and contributed greatly to the success of the production. I hope to work with her again soon!" (COURTESY IMAGE) 40 WHAT'S UP! APRIL 12-18, 2020 Militch, who moved to Northwest Arkansas several years ago. "I want them to have a good home, and this is perfect." "While we are not a technology museum, we cannot overlook the importance these historical pieces have played in today's world," says Terrilyn Wendling, the museum's assistant director and curator of collections. "The unique collection shows the changes from large minicomputers, which are smaller than mainframe computers but larger than desktop computers, to the first commercially available Tandy Radio Shack desktop computer. We'll also show how computers were able to get smaller with the introduction of the computer chip instead of punch cards and cassettes, plus memory cards and the evolution of the floppy disk. "The entire collection is amazing," she adds. "Most computers, the plastic yellows and cracks, and these computers are in amazing condition. The computers from the 1970s don't even look like what we all recognize as computers; they are large metal boxes with toggle switches and lights. Unless you have worked in the field of early computer technology, everyone will learn something. Seeing how unique these computers are will also be exciting, as you often only see them in movies." ROGERS Computers Continued From Page 11 Built in the mid-1970s by the Process Computer Systems company of Flint, Mich., the Micropac 80/A was not originally designed to be a stand-alone computer. However, through a deal with Intel, a microprocessor was installed in addition to a basic operating system. It is considered a minicomputer, which means it was sized between large mainframe computers and their smaller cousins, the microcomputers which came out in the 1980s. Of the 100 or so companies to have made minicomputers, only a small group survived. Each minicomputer had its own software architecture and operating systems, and they were designed for human interaction and communication, not calculations like their predecessors. By the 1980s, users wanted smaller, lighter and IBM-compatible computers. Several companies had achieved part of that wish list, but it wasn't until 1985 that Toshiba checked all the boxes. In 1987, the company improved on a previous model with the T1000. This model was compatible with IBM software, but unlike the IBM Convertible, it had an operating system already installed and ports for an external monitor. (Courtesy Photos/Rogers Historical Museum)