About this season
The Computer Chronicles was an American television series, broadcast during 1981-2002 on Public Broadcasting Service public television, which documented the rise of the personal computer from its infancy to the immense market at the turn of the 21st century. The series was created in the Fall of 1981, by Stewart Cheifet, then the station manager of the College of San Mateo's KCSM-TV, initially broadcast as a local weekly series. Jim Warren was its founding host for its 1981-1982 season. It aired continuously from 1981 to 2002 with Cheifet co-hosting most of its later seasons. Gary Kildall served as co-host for six years providing insights and commentary on products as well as discussions on the future of the ever-expanding personal computer sphere.
Episodes (26)
1. Slowdown in Silicon Valley: Part 1
Aired 3 September 1985 • 30 min
A review of the reasons behind the current slump in the computer business. Demos: Adam Computer, Osborne Computer http://archive.org/details/Slowdown1985
2. Slowdown in Silicon Valley: Part 2
Aired 10 September 1985 • 30 min
Part two of this special series looking at the causes of the downturn in the computer industry.
3. Women in Computing
Aired 17 September 1985
Meet the top women in a field that has traditionally been dominated by men.
4. Printers & Business Graphics
Aired 24 September 1985
A survey of the new hardware and software visualization tools for business. Demos: IBM QuietWriter, Okimate 20 Color Thermal Transfer, Hewlett Packard LaserJet Plus, Apple LaserWriter
5. Computers and the Law
Aired 1 October 1985
6. Programming & Programmers
Aired 8 October 1985
7. Computers and the Media
Aired 15 October 1985
From newsrooms to sports arenas, computers have invaded the media. Demos: Aurora 75 Graphics System, Pacific Data Images
8. Modems & Bulletin Boards
Aired 22 October 1985
From high-tech trysts to selling black-market software, computers users are talking. Guests: Ezra Shapiro, Byte Magazine; Rory O'Connor, InforWorld; Matthew McClure, The Well; Donald Ingrim, Alameda County DA; George Morrow, Morrow Computing Products/Demos: CompuServe, Byte BBS, The Well.
9. Computer Networks
Aired 29 October 1985
A look at the new technology for computers communicating with other computers. Demos: EtherMacToken Ring, TOPS Network.
10. Computers and Politics
Aired 5 November 1985
A look at how computers are changing the political process including campaign management, voter profiling, fundraising, and grass roots organizing. Demos: Washington Alert Service, Q Systems Solon
11. Computers and Medicine
Aired 12 November 1985
Doctors are turning to computers for medical research, diagnosis and clinic management. Demos: Drexler LaserCard, MicroMedex, Computerized Clinical Information System, Poisindex, Drugdex, Emergindex, Pulmonary Function (PUFF), MedLine
12. Optical Storage Devices
7.0Aired 19 November 1985
A look at the newest mass storage devices including the compact disc ROM. Demos: Activenture Knowledge Retrieval System, Information Storage WO Drive, Encyclopedia on a Disk, ISI Worm Disk, Digital Equipment CD-ROM Drive
13. Business Applications
Aired 26 November 1985
A review of the current offerings in word processors, spreadsheets, and database managers. Demos: Wordstar 2000, WordPerfect 4.1, Lotus 123, Javelin, ParadoxPC File/R
14. Amiga and Atari
Aired 3 December 1985
How much computer can you get at the bottom end of the market - comparison between the Commodore Amiga and the Atari 520ST. Demos: Atari 800, Commodore 64, Amiga IBM PC Emulator, Commodore Amiga, Atari 520, STNEO
15. Christmas Buyers Guide
Aired 10 December 1985
A consumer's review of the hottest hardware and software goodies for the techie on your holiday shopping list.
16. Hard Disk Storage
Aired 17 December 1985
As applications and files get larger, users need a hard disk drive, a Bernoulli box or a tape streamer. Demos: Iomega Bernoulli Box, Hard Card, Hyperdrive
17. Artificial Intelligence
Aired 7 January 1986
Expert systems, decision support software, and natural language communication. Guests: Harry Tennant, Texas Instruments; Hubert Dreyfus, UC Berkeley; Gary Hendrix, Symantec; S. Jerrold Kaplan, Lotus Developmnt; Gary Kildall, Digital Research Products/Demos: Personal Consultant, Q&A.
18. Computers in Law Enforcement
Aired 14 January 1986
A review of computer applications for police, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Demos: Probe One, Criterion Mapping System, SHRLOC Computer Aided Dispatch
19. Investment Software
Aired 4 February 1986
A look at how investors are using computers to analyze and invest in the stock market. Demos: Wizards of Wall Street, The Equalizer, Lotus Signal, TelescanAnalyzer
20. Psychological Software
Aired 11 February 1986
The use of computers to analyze personality and diagnose problems of human relations. Demos: Intracourse, Mind Over Minors, Biofeedback, Psychotherapy on a Disk, Therapeutic Learning Program
21. Astronomy Software
Aired 18 February 1986
Computer programs for the amateur astronomer plus tools for tracking Halley's Comet. Demos: Tellstar, StarSoft HalleyComet Halley
22. Color and Computing
Aired 25 February 1986
23. Careers in Computing
Aired 4 March 1986
A look at the job opportunities and requirements in the fast growing computer field.
24. Parallel Processing
Aired 11 March 1986
Are there limits on the speed of computers and their CPUs? A review of new processor architectures to increase computing speed.
25. Computers and the Pentagon: Part 1
Aired 18 March 1986
The world's biggest computer user is the U.S. government and the military in particular. This program reviews the military uses of computer technology. Shot on location at various research centers around the country. Featured are the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Advanced Decision Systems in Mountain View, California. Demonstrations include the Pilot's Assistant and the Battlefield Commander's Assistant. Also flight and battle simulators from Singer Link. Guests include Raj Reddy, Director of the Robotics Institute at CMU.
26. Computers and the Pentagon: Part 2
Aired 25 March 1986
A look at the uses of computer hardware and software in the Defense Department. Shot on location at various military installations around the country. Featured are demonstrations of SDI, the Strategic Defense Initiative, the AEGIS combat control system on board the USS Valley Forge advanced navy cruiser, and the Air Force's Advanced Sensory Exploitation System using distributed networks and artificial intelligence to detect enemy threats