1980: BRITISH TECH and the MICROPROCESSOR Revolution | Nationwide | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

[@CyclingSteve]

The interview at the end almost touches on an important point. To take advantage of innovation we need a skilled workforce. It is in all our interests to make further and higher education free for anyone who wants it so we can innovate in this country, the jobs don't just appear without a workforce trained to do them and research to enable them.

[@scaredyfish]

Sometimes these shows were overly optimistic in what we would get in the future, but this one was 100% accurate!

[@Tyrannicon]

Really? Wheres my R2D2?

[@Matt.Willoughby]

​@@Tyranniconscience fact in 1980, apparently. Who knew?

[@Alley00Cat]

At the end he says that in only a few years we would basically have the current Google Maps, i.e. GPS navigation which updates depending on traffic and what not. That took 30 years. There are, however, a gazillion things that did come out sooner that changed the world. Very fascinating

[@amber1862]

We've progressed so quickly we're now in a similar situation, only now it's AI disrupting everything. We're currently at the stage where compute power on our devices is becoming less relevant, for a lot of the heavy lifting is now done remotely 'on the cloud' using vast arrays of servers and supercomputers. Our portable devices and apps are slowly becoming mere interfaces for these giant machines, instead of being powerful portable computers that do the bulk of the computation. We went from giant centralized computers in the 60's-80's to the unfathomably powerful portable smartphones we have today, back to giant centralized powerful computers to perform the neccessary computation for modern AI and language models. It's crazy.

[@Scitch-et4vk]

🤣

[@DeadSetOnDestruction]

😂😂😂😂😅😅😅🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@AcornElectron]

This was 45 years ago, not exactly fast in the grand scheme of modern things and AI is just another crypto. Vast amounts of power used for very little benefit to the general world population.

[@roberts8783]

UK has since optimised to research develop and manufacture locally made British pasties and sausage rolls

[@fidelcatsro6948]

dont forget English Lavender Tea and Biscuits

[@stephenspence1192]

Correct. We are world leaders.

[@davidpanton3192]

1:57 Had the woman at the desk gone into a coma?

[@DanielGlover]

Looked like not want to be there, I was thinking that.

[@wizardgherkin]

old computers involved a lot of what shes doing. staring. waiting. took aaaaaaaaaaaages to do anything.

[@garryleeks4848]

It’s a cardboard cutout

[@AtheistOrphan]

She was pretending to be frozen on a zoom call.

[@AtheistOrphan]

She gives a repeat performance at 3:57!

[@FoundReflection]

"The microchip is also going to give you access to more information than you'll ever likely to need".

[@leeosborne3793]

"Sue Cook's pulled out!"

[@Da_Juice]

These looks into the past are fascinating, especially since this is before my time.

[@garryleeks4848]

Interesting bit of history

[@workonesabs]

Imagine if i took my car back to then, Sat Nav , voice controlled things, 128gb memory card full of music, mobile telephone and safety features.

[@widicamdotnet]

Would be a bit of a disappointment if you tried to show it off though - with no modern base stations around the cellphone wouldn't do anything impressive. And the GPS wouldn't be able to calculate its position either, as there was only a single Navstar satellite in orbit for testing in 1980.

[@dean6816]

Searching for available networks........................................

[@funkiEst]

This might sound exagerated but i think is totally true that in 1980 nobody would even have a doubt about cars in 2023 would going to be muuuuuuuch more than the same thing with some fancy extras not challenging to the 1980's imagination :D... thankfully in the last years we are starting to seriously consider to change the petrol paradigm...

[@Matt.Willoughby]

I doubt there was 128gb worth of data in the whole of the UK at the time

[@Matt.Willoughby]

​@lifesbutastumblemy first pic had 256mb hard drive and that seemed a lot back then. Probably 1993ish

[@lilacfloyd]

We are starting to have similar conversations about the future AI revolution.

[@dglcomputers1498]

And that car had an indicator to show when something is wrong, it's called the Lucas logo!

[@JarrodBaniqued]

2:07 I like the Bach chiptune, I wonder what Bach work it is Edit: It was actually an original work by Hank Mishkoff, the work is here kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpych4yXr7igr6c

[@TopOfThePopsFan]

The good old days.

[@Matt.Willoughby]

My parents bought my an Amstrad CPC464 in about 1984, I suppose they thought it would stand me in good stead for the coming computer age. Who would've dreamt that a TV, Radio, Maps, telephone calls, camera, video recording, record player, heart rate montor, jazz magazine, pocket calculator and translation device would all be something as small as a packet of cigarettes and be available for the price of a pair of shoes in 1980 😅 i think the home computers of the time were the price of a new car!

[@ME-ke7qc]

i had a cpc 464 back in 84 wish i could find a original chunky keyed 464 lol nostalgia...the keyboard changed cheaply after 86 i think ...very rare

[@156dave]

And sir Clive was thinking about the C5 and America developed the Tesla

[@stephengow]

It's St Katherine Docks not St Katherine's Dock

[@RickPacker]

In car navigation system? I can't see that ever catching on!

[@beeniemen]

Unbelievable how everything changed with the computer !

[@blamemyparents7566]

I was 12 when this aired. This is wonderful watching it now high AF.

[@SJHFoto]

@@blamemyparents7566 I'm removing my comment. I have no idea why you feel to need to add such things to this

[@bvim75]

O que aconteceu com todas essas empresas britânicas?

[@justinklenk]

4:15 - Ahh... an early-model scam letter on a computer screen...❤

[@garryferrington811]

Imagine where Britain might be if the two computers created by Alan Turing during the war to break the Enigma code had been released for research and development rather than disassembled and secretly stored.

[@monteceitomoocher]

I believe Tommy Flowers had to personally supervise the destruction of the colossus computer, must've been a sad moment for him, i have heard a rumour that there might still be an original buried in the depths of mi5 or 6, meanwhile there is a working replica at Bletchley park, although sadly it's separate from the codebreaking stuff due to some kind of fall out.

[@mrrolandlawrence]

@@monteceitomoocher the poor fella was screwed over. He thought he was breaking up the only working machine. GCHQ had many more built so his machines lived on for some years to come (they made at least 6), busy cracking enigma codes that were used by other countries after the war.

[@mrrolandlawrence]

imagine if we hadn't arrested and punished the most important person to do with computers for being gay - how far ahead we'd be.

[@monteceitomoocher]

@@mrrolandlawrence thanks for that extra information, the guy never really got the recognition he deserved although typical of the wartime generation he wouldn't have expected it, i think he partly funded the construction of the prototype as a proof of concept project and was given a reward after the war, i don't think it covered his original outlay, all of those brilliant minds at Bletchley laid the foundations of our modern digital world.

[@mrrolandlawrence]

@@monteceitomoocher flowers actually designed the thing given his PO experience with valves etc. it was designed to solve a problem posed by mathematician Max Newman.

[@Friday0891]

'In car navigation" Yea yea sure sure.. I'll believe it when i see it

[@thebadgamer1967]

Total fantasy

[@charlesliu3861]

"Machines making machines. How perverse." C-3PO

[@RelativeRichPoorRichard]

Not Sure why a TI 99 Home Computer, from Texas Instruments,is featured in a segment about British Tech...

[@DanielGlover]

At 5:20, granny had that make of cooker, similar look, not sure exactly the same thing, The sewing machine still going through all the combinations of stitches. The Post office computer looks a bit rude!. so this 1980. when they went onto the boat thought some nice stuff but not GPS. Thought that was about Ronald Reagan times, 1985 or so that happened, US military first users. Wrong then was I. Got on google street map. Looks nicer now but those old buildings still there. That Jaguar car and its savings of 15% on fuel. Can get a little box that plugs into car now that do that, a fuel saver. Videos on them, ok its a scam. Just flashes and gives impression of doing something to the car, Flattening the battery is all it will do. Nice old computers, It knows 400 words. Wander if a pocket devices would do so much more one day, Even know where it is using that new GPS thingy. Doubt it!.

[@grandadgamer8390]

Navigation system, in a car! What a load of bollox 😁

[@hunyesmith03]

It’ll never happen!

[@garryleeks4848]

Wow look forward too that 👍

[@DanielGlover]

@@hunyesmith03 Could do, It will work on the motorway system. So no good if not on the motorway then. Hope something better comes along that works anywhere :) We shall see.

[@andrewmurray5542]

Nothing wrong with a nice big map propped up in the steering wheel.

[@davidbull7210]

The correct question isn't "what are the benefits of x" but "who benefits the most from x?"

[@franciscopacheco7003]

80???

[@156dave]

Ah when Lucas was worth more than Apple and Microsoft combined

[@Tyrannicon]

Yea George Lucas. And he still is

[@skylark.kraken]

They just don't make monobrows anymore

[@KNINESVIDS]

Lol good... In terms of goods development sure... I mean if your talking about development of weapons then not so good really... Depending on the perspective

[@1n4f4bl3]

We need a documentary like this but from the tech from now. Including all the genders and AI genders.

[@CreamedCheesed]

Only the BBC can make a meeting with R2-D2 seem dull and commonplace.

[@juliam.mallen9019]

WRONG>>> man makes plans God guides the heart just the fact that they said it's here to stay is a direct result of the equal and opposite reaction of what God has planned. byebye```~~``` #mankindwillthrive

[@E69apeTheMatrix420]

Made In China

[@spider-ham7140]

Lol That’s like something I’d say for a second I actually thought it was an old comment I’d made. Made in C H I N A P I N G J I N

[@thewotsit]

The microprocessor and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race.

[@Scitch-et4vk]

🤣

[@Jimfowler82]

Agree with you, it’s taking over our lives for the worse, although it’s nice to watch some KZbin 😅

[@fidelcatsro6948]

yes we should have stuck to cathode valve vaccuum tubes to do processing of information... computers would have stayed huge and expensive and our lives wouldve stayed simpler

[@NoosaHeads]

And Elon Musk was 9 years old..

[@a1white]

He still is, mentally 😅