Back in the “dark” ages of computing, before the implementation of the monitor, early computers (such as the Navy’s Mk1, British Colossus, ENIAC, and UNIVAC) used lights or some kind of paper tape to give out results of programs. In the 1950s, the IBM and Bendix changed the way people would interact with computers. Instead of having to wait for days (or even weeks) for test results to come out, a person could now get results within minutes and almost in “real time”. This new leap forward was made possible by a modified electric typewriter based on a Teletype/Teleprinter. This now meant that people wouldn’t have to wait for long periods of time\ for their results. As time went on, other systems (notably the PDP) took advantage of the new Teletype Model 33 which could print ASCII characters. This meant that users got the new experience of being able to see what they input directly being “typed” by the teletype. With a continuous roll of paper, you now had a paper log of everything you were doing.

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Kevin Butler Kevin Butler (16 Posts)

Since he played on the first Magnanvox Odyssey in 1973, Kevin was bitten by the video game bug. It didn't matter what the games looked like, they were just fun. When Space Invaders was released in the United States in the late 1970's, he spent a ton of quarters in his local Aladdins Castle trying (unsuccessfully) to master the game. He continued to play on various console and arcade games (even learning to program the Apple II+) until he joined the navy in 1983. Joined the navy in 1983 and became a Hospital Corpsman in 1984. While in the navy, Kevin was able continue his hobby of programming PC's and playing videogames. In the early to mid 1990's, Kevin learned to program the Atari ST and worked for Majicsoft for a couple of years. Before retiring from the navy in 2004, Kevin started to write FAQ's for GameFAQ's. His forte was arcade FAQ's since that was his real passion still. His FAQ's have appeared in many places that seek to preserve the arcade game history. This is especially true for the MAME project where his guides are a part of the documentation. After retiring from the navy, Kevin has been more involved in computer repair, networking, and computer security but he still is involved in the arcade history arena. He currently lives in Neosho MO with his wife and one son who is also a video game hobbyist.