Stone Tools: Re-Examining Retro Productivity Software(stonetools.ghost.io)
stonetools.ghost.io
Stone Tools: Re-Examining Retro Productivity Software
https://stonetools.ghost.io/
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Ecco Pro was yet another such extremely useful tool. It started as a 16 bit app in 1993 and I used the 32 bit version until about 2009 (and then implemented my own https://github.com/rochus-keller/crossline/ which I still use daily).
Productivity software (Deluxe Paint, VisiCalc, PageMaker, etc.) shaped how the world worked and, in my case, changed the course of my career. I wanted to understand this software more deeply, so I started a blog to do exactly that.
I do not write about games; I write about the other stuff.
Stone Tools revisits and re-examines productivity software from roughly 1977-1995, a fertile period when developers pushed machines to their limits, experimented wildly, and were still figuring out what kinds of software people even needed. The tone is lighthearted but open-minded: I spend weeks learning the software and use it for real work, while considering its modern-day utility (if any!).
This week's article is about "Electric Pencil on the TRS-80" - https://stonetools.ghost.io/electricpencil-trs80
The first article, "Deluxe Paint on the Amiga" was posted by someone recently and was nicely received. - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45144129
Other projects of mine that resonated with HN, for the curious. - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43677909 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37746663
I hope this blog is of interest and value to the community.