Perusing some 1982 IBM PC Sales Brochures

Reading through a couple of IBM Personal Computer pamphlets from 1982.
Grab PDF scans of them here: archive.org/de...

[@ian_b]

I so wish the IBM offering had included a cassette recorder option. It would have cost a thousand bucks, been built like a tank and had a 2 inch thick ring binder manual. And 40 years later LGR would buy one and sniff it.

[@alternatelives8559]

I laughed way too hard at the mental image of Clint sniffing a cassette recorder. Thanks for that; you made my night!

[@ian_b]

@@alternatelives8559 Glad to have made you smile :)

[@Siactro]

So... I am sitting here basically just listening to him reading out brochure items and talking about them... and I love it. Clint has to be one of the most likeable people on the web.

[@pistool1]

LGR is the boss.

[@dalehadley3283]

He has a very pleasing voice,and it's nice to listen to

[@doohuh]

When I was young, I used to make my own brochures about things I was excited for and print them out haha

[@virus2003]

That's awesome. Hopefully mom kept em in a box for you to look at as an adult ^^;

[@Rubycon99]

You actually reminded me that I used to do the same thing! I completely forgot. How nerdy :P

[@theoldar]

It's hard to explain to people that weren't around in 1982 how exciting that time was. We can buy our own computer!!!!

[@noelj62]

I guess 1981 was even better. because it witnessed my personal birth into this world 😉

[@СузаннаСергеевна]

But what a disappointment it must have been to go from the PDP-11 at the university computer lab to CP/M or DOS, and on the very slow 8088. The PC really was more of an office machine than a home computer (Commodore and Apple had better offerings and wider game libraries, which frankly is what home computers were used for), and hobbyists would just rather have UNIX than be stuck with DOS, even if that meant you had to actually sit in a computer lab to have a terminal. What the PC did have was eighty column mode, which made work like spreadsheets viable. Just imagine trying to edit a spreadsheet on the C64, which could only show 40x25 characters. Needless to say history has proven me completely wrong. When the PC did eventually get UNIX (in the form of a version that somehow makes do without memory management called Xenix), it sold extremely poorly. Somehow people were just able to tolerate DOS (and eventually Windows, which is equally baffling to me considering how much better CDE, NeXT, or even Apple System were).

[@StaelTek]

Every tech youtuber: RYZEN RYZEN RYZEN! LGR: Let's have a look at an old brochure. Loving it.

[@ToxicKlay]

well I mean I'm not sure what you expected from a channel dedicated to legacy tech.....

[@ahandsomefridge]

I hardly know what a Ryzen is

[@TheGangCraftOFFICIEL]

@@ahandsomefridge It's a type of cheese

[@ahandsomefridge]

@@TheGangCraftOFFICIEL Nice, I need to fry one of those some time soon!

[@Doobie3010]

The Ryzen 5000 series are for his 80th birthday episode!

[@TheStanHill]

The airplane dude is back with a helicopter.

[@m.wajihuddinkhan1857]

Yeah remember that video 😅 but don't remember the exact name of it

[@ChairmanMeow1]

When I was a kid I used to save all brochures, and cut out ads from magazines. Then I'd paste them to printer paper and put them in a 3 ring binder lol. I liked looking through the binders later and dreaming about owning all of it. Yes, I was a giant nerd.

[@alexanderfreeman]

This is what I like so much about LGR: the little bits of computer history that were not part of the software programs but accompanied them.

[@MUMSUniverse]

LGR: _Sees images of room decor & PCs from 1983..._ LGR: *"I've got to have that room."* ☎️📻📺 👀🤯

[@arokh72]

Now all Clint needs is a Mrs Clint, if he doesn't have one already, an 11 or 12 year old daughter, and a similarly aged son haha, just to complete the image. Edit: What would really be cool, is if one of the models from that image got in contact with Clint.

[@ThunderClawShocktrix]

houses just looked better back then

[@TerrisLP]

@@arokh72 bruh they’d be like 70

[@arokh72]

@@TerrisLP what? Sure the adults might be over 70, but the kids were close to my age at that time, slightly older, so they'd be just a little older than me, and I'm 48. I turned 11 in late 1983.

[@TerrisLP]

@@arokh72 Didn’t even think about the kids lol god I’m tired my bad

[@md-1988]

I like the posed family with the classic fox hunt painting. I wouldn't mind a painting like that.

[@urimsuh]

LGR always has something interesting when he uploads a video.

[@DeinonychusCowboy]

"This looks like a family of a particular status" is an incredible roast of IBM's self-image/marketing strategy in this period

[@ocno]

I'm not saying this for the first time man but your love of (and quest for) artistry and technical excellence are always such a great component of your videos.

[@BirdmanDeuce26]

These days I'm finding catalogues and merch just as interesting to look at as the computers and gadgets that they advertised. It's always fascinating to compare what kind of "future" they were expecting to what ended up actually being the case.

[@twin_rabbit]

I've always wondered if anyone actually had a computer as the key part of an 'entertainment center'. Carefully selected of course...

[@ian_b]

It goes next to the pong console.

[@dereketnyre7156]

@Nicole King or maybe an Atari 2600

[@ajawizard]

Funny how you pointed out the book placement above the keyboard. I remember specifically doing this with books with my family's PS/2 computer when I was young in school It was a good placement, especially with a small desk like we had. Kinda thought at the time it was meant for similar usage.

[@Trenchbroom]

Good stuff. Many times I have read articles about computer history with a phrase like "The PC Jr. was IBM's first attempt to sell a home computer...". No it was not. IBM hedged their bets by making the 5150 available in a low enough spec (with color graphics) to be affordable in the home. They just didn't have to sell to that market because they found plenty of buyers for the more lucrative business market. These brochures are proof that the common narrative is wrong (like so much computer history) so thanks Clint.

[@lightskitty]

They used to retouch photographs by hand using transparencies and other methods, one was much like making very delicate adjustments via painting onto the transparency, or precisely cutting out unwanted parts of the photo.

[@Sassybng]

that’s really cool! here’s tonight’s rabbit hole

[@absalomdraconis]

As I recall, the tray on the keyboard was an old IBM mainframe feature that initially was intended to hold a pen or pencil. By the time of the PC, they would have had a lot of experience with in-the-field usage.

[@miniroll32]

My BAE: Honey, I've got something to show you... Me: Won't be long, just watching someone read a 1982 IBM PC brochure.

[@JPBennett]

Peachtree is still around, BTW. Called Sage, these days.

[@konniemommy]

It's also awful. Lol. So sick of fixing Sage for people.

[@DanielKuhne1976]

@@konniemommy it's called corporate strategy... Awful then, now and in the future 😆

[@lovesnakeden]

Judge Dredd: *_Inhabitants of Peach Trees, this is Judge Dredd._*

[@Zontar82]

gotta love those descriptions of the photos. these leaflets are as old as me darn

[@GC-gg3kp]

Clint has so much passion when he talks. He could make anything interesting.

[@DiamondBaron]

Hi LGR! Peach Tree is still around! they're known for their tax program called Sage, I work with it frequently in cloud hosting applications, primarily tax software.

[@bitwize]

Peachtree, along with just about every other accounting package, was acquired bt Sage Software aeons back who rebranded it under their own name.

[@lovesnakeden]

*_Peach Trees, this is Ma-Ma._*

[@troytakesphotos]

Clearly, the Airwolf crew is buzzing Clint's house because they need to upgrade its systems from 1986.

[@SteveTheDog115]

That keyboard lip usage quip was super neat! i would love something like that nowadays, not that it would make any sense, but like, where do i put my notepad from meetings when im at work so i can still reference it! They had it all figured out back then and we lost it!

[@mushroomsamba82]

VWestlife is awesome! Great old school tech channel and great if you like dry/sarcastic humor.

[@SoleaGalilei]

Man I could watch this all day. So relaxing.

[@SpaceIsNotStuff]

Yes pleeeeeeaaaaasssseeee! Recreate this living room scene for us! 😂

[@chibi25]

I could either watch the latest high octane multi-million dollar Netflix/Disney thing. Or this really cool guy with a voice of gold read old IBM brochures. I've chosen wisely.

[@petrusjnaude7279]

LGR always sounds a lot more calm and laid-back when he's doing blerbs.

[@dvdemon187]

The card with the kid and his parents strongly reminds me of that classic happy family Quake ad from around '96

[@PantsMan13]

That fox hunt print is the best! A hotel I used to stay at (Comfort Suites in Madison WI) for work had that same print. One of the hunters is jumping over a fence on a horse, and is totally biffing it. Serves you right hunter!

[@transitengineer]

A few years later, when the basic IBM PC, had changed from two floppy drives with one for your program (Typing, Excel, etc.) and the second drive to store your data to a model with a built-in Hard Drive and a single floppy, I had a co-worker ask me what was the best personal computer to buy for use in their home. Said that, well lots of companies have made different models of systems over the year's for use in the home Radio Shack, Commodore, etc. and many of them are no longer around. However, out all all of these companies the one firm still around from the start is Apple Computer and this is still true in the year 2021.

[@dennisneo1608]

1981 I was 11 years old. My how the world has changed!!!!!!!!

[@johnstreetman1803]

Yeah I turned 13 in 1981

[@Sassybng]

it’s cool you were able to experience it when it happened! i was born in a year that starts with 2 to expose my age a little, but retro tech is one of my interests :)

[@ABCEasyas--]

I love the shout out to vwestlife. He's awesome, even though a few vinyl snobs disagree with him.

[@MichaelBattaglia]

Please do a video on DigitalResearch! It is such an interesting story about Gary Kildall's company.

[@kevinchester0533]

I'd love this

[@KarlBaron]

He already has! "LGR Tech Tales - How Digital Research Almost Ruled PCs" kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnuxknR9Z6eLpdk

[@LGRBlerbs]

I kinda have, though not the whole story! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnuxknR9Z6eLpdk

[@gklinger]

There was no "ah, cool!" at IBM. Everything was deliberate.

[@ricardobornman1698]

Those were awesome days!!!!

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

1982 When I was a year old.

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

@Tarpon Vashon Glad I'm not the only old person in the comments lol

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

@Tarpon Vashon lol

[@draketungsten74]

I used to pore over those things back in the day.

[@Doobie3010]

Yeah before the web,Reading was a ‘thing’ & the main way we found out about our tech.

[@ironcito1101]

@@Doobie3010 Reading is still a thing, perhaps even more than back then. It's paper that's going away.

[@Doobie3010]

@@ironcito1101 Probably for the best,saving the planet before Elon Musk nukes it from space!

[@glorfification]

All the sweaters do help to make the computer seem more "personal". Warm, fuzzy IBM.

[@bf0189]

It's so weird to think that the original IBM PC was (partially or fully?) developed in Boca Raton Florida. As a Floridian I always thought of it like an old persons snow bird type of town north of Miami yet IBM has a huge facility. The whole Gary Kildall story is such a tragedy. I highly recommend folks to watch the Computer Chronicles tribute to his life. An extremely important figure that is often forgotten but deserves praise as a innovator and decent person.

[@arokh72]

Seeing these, 9 and 10 year old me is getting excited, then disappointed at the resounding no from my father.

[@BurstingVeins1]

well, my grandpa (was on the team and helped develop the original IBM 5100) used to use that lip on the keyboard for his books and stuff, and I did too, so I would say the lip on the keyboard was definitely designed for that purpose.😉

[@reggiebenes2916]

At :50, kid in brochure's name is Niles. He graduated from Charlotte Country Day School in '87, went on to pre-med at Duke, couldn't make it, ended up slumming with the peasants at William and Mary. Clerked at his dads law firm, couldn't pass the bar. Tried law enforcement, but they only accepted IQs below 70. Eventually became day trader with Enron, taking a low salary, in lieu of stock options. No need to explain how that turned out. By mid 2000s, divorced, split custody of 3 kids (Whitaker, Bronwyn, and Teague), a huge mortgage, and hawking penny stocks from a boiler room in Myers Park, Niles felt like his world was falling apart. He longed for the good old days, when his only concern was whether to play "Zork" or "Executive Suite" on his IBM 5150, while his mom and dad creepily smiled down at him, his dad with that derisive look that told Niles, "You'll never live up to my expectations, and you'll never wear a blue sweater as well as me". Niles dad was right.

[@XSpImmaLion]

Ooff, this just makes me aware how long things took to come to my country back in the 80s... By the time my dad paid an arm and a leg for a brand new PC-XT, I was already old enough to play games and start learning code - DBase III Plus... xD So, more like in the late 80s. Before that I think my dad had some version of a TRS-80 or something... I remember it being darkish blue, connecting directly to the TV, and using K7 tapes as mediums, with Zaxxon 3D being the first game I've seen. I think I was around 6 yrs old, so mid 80s. ...aaand it's still not exactly instant. Probably due to crazy importation taxes and currency exchange, but you get into say... Dell's local website and they'll have models listed with 4yrs old specs and whatnot, prices as expensive as current models. Oh boy...

[@stormgirl09]

its funny how entertained the kids looked in these old computer ads and pamphlets, when it came to educational games! i highly doubt todays kids would be in that much awe over a math game!! 🤣

[@d33b33]

If Clint could maintain historical lobby displays for the local IBM and the like, the setup of those would make cool videos. He's sure got the gear to make such displays.

[@Justin-TPG]

Forget OG VisiCalc, I want to see you hook up a cassette recorder to an IBM PC purely because I've never seen it done to a PC.

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

Love the kids Ken Burns haircut on the first brochure

[@michaelfranzoi285]

Clint I basically have a basement like that. Kept it like that on purpose. All you need to bring is the IBM.

[@spehrson]

So many sweaters.

[@judigbr9430]

That's incredible. Those are as old as me :p

[@Merylstreep1949]

It looks like the office dude's lady boss is about to rack up some 1980s style H.R. violations lol

[@DanielKuhne1976]

Love that 80s brochures ❤️😆 special hint: try Tupperware advertising stuff of that era. Thank me later 😂

[@thejackal007]

Always fun to see documentation like this. Do you have anything for a Packard Bell? My love of that brand seems to have no bounds.

[@4jp]

This seems weird to dumb kids on youtube, but the idea of a "serious" home computer was still pretty new. People would have been using minis and workstations back then. The home computers available then were very expensive toys. Having a computer than could actually do serious work at home... in the lab... at the beach... wherever was a selling point. The growth of computer processing power at home would change things even more. I think the 386 was seen as the home system that rivaled the power of a minicomputer. Just imagine how much work you could do with the equivalent of a refrigerator sized computer on your desk at home!

[@MrKurtHaeusler]

I don't know if you can compare serious "home" computers to minis and workstations. Actually workstations were arguably even newer at this time than both the PC and serious home computers (apollo had maybe 1 machine out, sun was still in development). I would consider many of the CP/M machines just prior to this time to be as much in the category of serious home machine as the IBM PC, especially things like the TRS-80 series from 1977, but arguably also things like the IMSAI or Sol-20 etc also in this category (whereas machines from e.g. cromemco were decidedly more serious and less home, so perhaps a slightly better comparison to the minicomputer). I think the PET and Apple II deserve to be in this category too. Perhaps considering some of the later machines from commodore, atari and e.g. the coco to be some of the first less-serious home machines.

[@4jp]

@@MrKurtHaeusler Not a comparison. This is the point where computing is still shifting from big stuff to micros. Home micros were still marketed largely as toys at this point. Look at ads from this period where games are the focus. Productivity might be mentioned, but the selling point is all the great gems you can play. Business micros did exist, but they were marketed to businesses. IBM positioned its computer as something that would have a place in the real world and the home. The computer would benefit institutions and businesses while also being a tool for the home.

[@AmstradExin]

I only recently found out that IBM made Rifle barrels, I think for the M1 Carbine. I'd call that an 'output device'.

[@trr94001]

I think I remember seeing someone who had researched the 16k no-floppy PC and they couldn’t find any evidence that more than a handful of them were ever sold. Even stripped down the 5150 was too expensive for the home market of the time.

[@MrFortyFive]

Microsoft Adventure's "Giant Oysters" are an interesting choice for the product description.

[@TWiTCH757]

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME COMPUTING?!?!?!??!?!

[@TheDarrenSR]

I miss the way all these pc manufactures use to market there systems those day's and the pc mags we could buy as well when we just looked at the pc's & the overall hardware configurations and the look of systems , now no hardware or pc vendors which you do not see much in that way anymore is that no one try's anymore

[@TimSavage-drummer]

I had my yellow screen and CGA2, games really did look a lot better when I got a colour monitor though! 😁

[@hanagomikusohana9118]

Coated paper, new roman like typography, satin photos, cloth suits, shoulder pads, fluffy hairstyles..etc ;)

[@clechien]

I think it's "expandable" in quotes as the functionality is expandable through add in cards, but the case itself does not expand... maybe that's what they were going for.

[@nicholasbenjamin3826]

You mean in contrast to the TRS-80? Where al expansion was housed in an extension to the case?

[@Merylstreep1949]

Why am I seeing the Seinfeld where George sells computers out of his garage????

[@alexspalding4945]

Expand was in quotations so people did not take it literally. You’ve got to think about at the time most people are using a computer for the first time or it’s a relatively new thing to everyone

[@JHMBB2]

That software cover needs to be made into a poster ASAP!

[@Alex4SiliconValley]

In 1982 I took a high school computer class with IBM computers. It was difficult to understand. Like trying to make sense of a cross word puzzle written in schematics.

[@tdark987]

1:58 It's as though they were trying to say "expandable... but only as long as it's among our approved options and that you stick to IBM branded products" :-P

[@Zizzily]

As far as I'm aware, the lip on the keyboards was for those little charts that showed what the function keys did, though I suppose it may not have been the original intention. mansfield-devine.com/speculatrix/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/WP5.1-key-template.jpg

[@LGRBlerbs]

The IBM Model F had all the function keys on the side though, not along the top!

[@lull_the_un]

I can see it now... "Tonight on the 10 o'clock news: Small suburban family kidnapped by local computer enthusiast and forced to stare at a computer screen for hours. one of the children describes the ordeal, 'the computer wasn't even doing anything, we just had to sit there and stare at it. it was sooo boring, my face still hurts from all the smiling!' ..."

[@liampiper9357]

5:17 Easy Writer!!!! Born To Be Wired!!!!!!

[@derHutschi]

good one :D

[@spillingvoid1]

I remember cutting my teeth as a wee little one on the NCR Burroughs b 20 series. My Dad worked for NCR and was one of the first techs in San Antonio to get trained on NCR's workstations in the early 80's. He was sent because he was the new guy and everyone else in the office thought computers were a fad. Ohhh NCR and you wonder why you floundered got bought by ATT gutted and spit out the other side.

[@TurboLazer-fc7fw]

I have the exact same encyclopedia set from the classroom picture that's wild

[@nslouka90]

That’s got to be the worst position for using a computer, laying on the floor looking up is bound to give you neck problems in a short time.

[@nickwallette6201]

I always wondered what was wrong with me when I would see people do that in literature or TV shows / movies. I could never get comfortable, but the photo models always looked so darn casual!

[@Justin-TPG]

I did that for years as a child playing the ZX on the TV. I think a lot of us did it back then before the days of ergonomics anxiety. Also, children are a lot more flexible and resilient than we are now.

[@Ve55el]

I wanna see that re-creation!

[@onomatopoeia7505]

How far the mighty have fallen. IBM used to be the front-runner, now they're a dinosaur in an age of spaceships.

[@MarkTheMorose]

This video gave me full happiness, surprise, and anger. And TEETH!

[@TimothyCollins]

Isn't the legend that the owner of CP/M was windsurfing or something when IBM came to discuss CP/M being on the IBM PC so they went over to their second choice (A tiny company named Microsoft)?

[@St0rmcrash]

I've read that IBM first approached Microsoft about porting CP/M under the mistaken assumption that it was an MS product due to them making the Z80 Softcard for the Apple II. MS sent them to Digital and kind of had an informal working arrangement that MS did programming languages and DR did operating systems. Then the infamous DR IBM meeting happened you referenced and IBM came back to MS and asked if they could do an OS instead, and MS agreed to look around and came across Seattle Computer Products and their 86-DOS (code named QDOS) and licensed it as a base for an OS for IBM

[@ObiWanBillKenobi]

That kid on the cover can fit right into Stranger Things.

[@johnstreetman1803]

I think that use of that lip on the keyboard is more of an afterthought

[@TheGreatAtario]

2:34 This footnote indicator is called a dagger en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagger_(typography)

[@shelby3822]

Let's get these brochures on a tray...NICE

[@BronzedTube]

My computer lab in 1994 wasnt too far off from this model...:/

[@mito-pb8qg]

Why does he always release these during big launches. :D

[@LGRBlerbs]

Why are there always big launches interrupting my retro fun times?

[@prinzvalium242]

AMD smash🤣😂

[@aserta]

@@LGRBlerbs Yeah, how dare they!!!

[@deusfaust]

Hey it's that kid from The OMEN.

[@KenPurchase]

Would've had to've been a pretty affluent family to afford an IBM PC in the early eighties, those things cost as much as a car back then!

[@hawk_7000]

That OG htpc, though!

[@thesledgehammerblog]

Even by early 80s standards I've got to imagine trying to run a PC on 16KB RAM would have been painful.

[@hotpocketsfan]

very cool 😎

[@aserta]

IBM police at the corner street smashing your window "Hey, wanna buy a computer?". < updated for current times.

[@TheGreatAtario]

3:42 This living room/TV setup screams to me that they were trying to compete with Atari and possibly the then-new Commodore 64

[@Martipar]

4:02 Typical 80's computer/console demo picture with zero cables from the PC to the TV

[@karenelizabeth1590]

EasyWriter was created by hacker legend John Draper, AKA captain crunch

[@zh84]

2:45 Note the odd opening double quotes. They are not the "66" quotes “ that we are used to, but "reversed 99" double quotes ‟. Why? I don't know.

[@frankowalker4662]

Strangely, that was realy entertaining.

[@twocvbloke]

Helicopters? Hah!! Got blummin' fireworks here right now, sounds like a bleedin' warzone outside... :P

[@Alex4SiliconValley]

People saw these nice brochures thinking they could make these with the IBM computer. I use to work for a print house and we used huge printers and “Adobe indesign” software to print. WinXP and special printer programs to make the reliefs. Do you think they made these IBM Brochures with a Mac ?

[@St0rmcrash]

The Mac didn't exist at the time (81/82) so definitely not. Probably dedicated publishing equipment and hand laying out of a master copy that was photographed for printing