Byte (March 1979)

Source: Byte – March 1979

Byte was one of the earliest computer magazines and longest running. Publication began in the 1970s and continued through the early 1990s. The content tended to be technical, especially in the older issues. The March 1979 issue includes:

Foreground

The Standard Data Encryption Algorithm, Part 1 – An introduction to the Standard Data Encryption Algorithm and an implementation for the KIM which uses a 6502 processor

Designing with Double Sided Printed Circuit Boards – A tutorial for designing your own circuit boards.

Designing a Robot From Nature, Part 2 – Part 2 concentrates on the design of the eye of the robot. Really it’s a contrast detector. The robot consists of a manipulator arm, an 8008 computer, and sustained contrast detector.

A Stepping Motor Primer, Part 2 – This second part of a multi-part series covers interfacing to a stepper motor.

Build a Computer Controlled Security System for Your Home, Part 3 – The third part of detailed guide to building a home security system.

The Power of the HP-87 Programmable Calculator, Part 1 – An introduction to the HP-67 Programmable Calculator using a complex programming example.

Background

Building the Heath H8 Computer – The Heath H8 was a computer that came in kit form. It was based on the 8080A CPU. This is a guide to putting it together.

A Map of the TMS-9000 – A look at machine language on this 16-bit processor.

Files on Parade, Part 2 – The second and final part in a series on using files.

A Microprocessor for the Revolution: The 6809, Part 3 – The concluding part of a series on the 6809 processor. This art discusses clock speed, timing signals, condition codes, and software design philosophy. This processor would be used in the TRS-80 Color Computer.

Cryptography in the Field, Part 1 – Part one of a series on the practical use of cryptography.

Preview of the Z-8000 – A technical look of this new 16-bit processor from Zilog.

Common Mistakes Using Warnier-QPR Diagrams – These diagrams are a form of programming documentation and a way to impose structure on non-structured programming languages.

Password Protection for Your Computer – A simple procedure for implementing password protection on you system.

What is an Interrupt? – A technical explanation of the interrupt.

A History of Computers: The IBM 650 – The IBM 650 was the most popular computer of the 1950s, used by small banking, accounting and insurance companies among others.

Nucleaus

Don’t Overlook Lisp – An editorial on the benefits of the LISP programming language.

Letters – Letters from readers about computers in the kitchen, computer humor, chess and Pascal, and more.

Desk Top Wonder: Race Car for the SR-52 – A racing game for the SR-52 programmable calculator.

Book Review – Review of “Your Own Computer” by Mitchell Waite and Michael Pardee.

BYTE News – More companies supporting Pascal on their machines; Intel, Texas Instruments and IBM release new memory chips; bubble memory increasing in availability; 5-inch floppy disks to increase in capacity to 1 to 2 MB; flat screen displays being developed; APL microcomputer coming soon; and more.

Technical Forum – Information on vector displays.

Nybbles: Computer Assisted Flight Planning – Using a computer to perform calculations related to flight planning.

What’s New> – A look at new products including a Cromenco Single Card computer featuring a Z-80 CPU and S-100 bus, an Intelligent Programmer for Ultraviolet Memory Chips, the Program Utility Package for the North Star Disk System, a new word processor for the Commodore PET, and more.