IBM PCjr Easter Egg: Keyboard Adventure
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- Опубликовано: 20 июл 2024
- Unlike most DOS machines, the IBM PC jr has built-in software beyond the BIOS. We take a quick look at the BASIC, the diagnostic program, and discover the hidden secrets in Keyboard Adventure.
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Eugene PCjr Club News (How to solve the puzzle):
March 1995: archive.org/details/Eugene_PC...
April 1995: vtda.org/pubs/EugenePCjrClub/E...
Credits music by: bedfordlevelexperiment.bandca...
#DOScember official playlist:
bit.ly/DOScember2020
#doscember Participating Channels:
8-Bit Show And Tell: / 8bitshowandtell
Adrian's Digital Basement: / adriansdigitalbasement
ctrl-alt-rees: / ctrlaltrees
DaveJustDave: / mrdavejustdave
Jan Beta: / janbeta
Josh Malone: / joshmalone_48kram
LGR: / lazygamereviews
MindFlareRetro: / mindflareretro
Mr Lurch's Things: / mrlurchsthings
Noel's Retro Lab: / noelsretrolab
Ovesen.net / ovesennet
RetroBytes / retrobytesuk
RetroSpector78: / retrospector78
RMC: / rmcretro
RoseTintedSpectrum: / rosetintedspectrum
Tech Tangents: / akbkuku
The 8-Bit Guy: / adric22
The Oldskool PC: / theoldskoolpc
TheRetroChannel: / theretrochannel
Index:
0:00 #DOScember and IBM PCjr
1:35 10 PRINT: IBM PCjr BASIC style
3:46 PCjr Keyboard
4:34 Ctrl+Alt+Ins: Diagnostic Mode
5:51 Running the Keyboard Adventure
10:00 The Secret Adventure Puzzle
17:18 Check other #DOScember videos 
Наука
That was bonkers! What the heck were they thinking with this one??? Thanks for documenting this for history.
Adrian commenting on Robins channel, two of my favourites all time! 2020 maybe isn't as bad as I thought(feel)!
Utter lunacy. It's like when I was five and I would tell my mate that when I grow up, I'm going to make a game where you do this, and then that, and then this, but it was all just random, absurd nonsense.
The PCjr & King's Quest (just like your boxed copy) is what began my love of computers. Thanks for featuring it! I knew it had BASIC, but always thought it was cartridge based? I even vaguely recall the built in diagnostic tests but the keyboard adventure was new to me. So obscure!
King's Quest is classic! Cassette BASIC is built in, and Disk BASIC is added with a cartridge.
NY Times crossword -> Mensa test -> IBM PCjr hangman
I can remember using a PC Jr at a friend's house, but I didn't know it had BASIC built-in. Pretty neat
Mine came with BASIC on a cartridge
Wow! Seems some bored IBM engineer really put a lot of work into this one. What a strange thing.
Yet another great DOScember video! 👍
What an incredibly convoluted game! Without hints, it would've been nearly impossible to solve.
My goodness, what an ordeal to get through that puzzle! I bet if it were 1980-something, you could mail IBM a photo of your screen showing the completed puzzle and get a "Certificate of Achievement" for your reward. :)
Turns out that later in life, when PC grew up, he ended looking just like John Hodgman....
This was the computer I grew up with. I remember all of this. Especially the the keyboard adventure. 5:50
That’s very upsetting. I enjoyed, thank you!
"Obscure" is something of an understatement.
This was my first computer. I had all the manuals, but they were a different color. I didn't have the wireless keyboard either. I had purchased quite a few different side cars to upgrade my memory to 512kb, and maybe a parallel port? I believe I had 2. Really loved the computer. I paid $20 for it from our local library, it was broken. I fixed it, used it for quite some time, sold it for $385. Started my love for fixing computers, I was 10 yrs old. :). I had no idea that the keyboard adventure existed. I am not sure if my model had it, I don't remember it being mentioned in the manual. I had the number keys on the cabled keyboard that I used. I don't remember the IR receiver. Very cool, brought back a lot of fond memories. It came with IBM DOS 2.1.
I think early IBM PC's booted to basic, but hey that was a loong time ago. Great Video as usual, I cherish thees and the interesting facts they reveal.
Both the original IBM PC (5150) and the IBM PC XT (5160) had Basic in ROM just like the PC Jr. In fact I am fairly sure that some if not all IBM AT (5170) systems had Basic in ROM. I think IBM kept Basic in ROM until the release of the PS/2 line of systems.
Many clone machines did not have Basic in ROM likely to cut costs by not having to purchase a license but some had empty sockets that could be used to add it or a BIOS option ROM.
Thanks. By "when I was first introduced to IBM-compatible hardware" I meant the various clones that I had access to. I don't recall seeing a real IBM PC until I went to university and there was a lab of PS/2 systems!
PS/2 at least their low-spec models had BASIC in ROM as well.
Yes, all IBM PCs had what was called "Cassette BASIC". Cassette BASIC could only save programs to cassettes, even though only the original IBM PC had provisions for connecting a cassette tape, using ordinary audio cables, without adding additional hardware (even the PCjr required a special cable). Cassette BASIC was also stripped of certain features that you had with even "basic.com"; "basica.com" had all features included at the expense of some RAM.
However, the clones did not have it. There were legal reasons why Microsoft was not allowed to provide Cassette BASIC to the clone makers, I'm not sure if it was a contractural thing with IBM, or if it would put them at risk of being sued by IBM for helping the clone makers copy their ROM BIOS. Also, if you tried booting PC-DOS on a clone and ran "basic.com" or "basica.com", it wouldn't work because both of those require the BASIC code that was located in the ROMs. That's why clones ran MS-DOS, and you ran "gwbasic.exe" to get the BASIC interpreter. I'm sure there were other reasons why Microsoft sold MS-DOS to clones, but the BASIC interpreter difference was a big reason.
@@robertcase2961 early model ps2s had basic in rom
Raise your hand if you expected Robin to disassemble the ROM on camera to figure out the solution... 🙋🏼♂️
That was nuts. Good job!
I've been looking for a video of that keyboard thing for a long time. Thanks!
At the end, I like how the output of the Patreon names was timed to match the music.
Worlds most tedious keyboard diagnostic. That is an evergreen funny!
0:24 The PCjr has an "8-bit" data bus, so I guess you're safe!
3:32 I wonder why backslash was included in the ASCII character set. Was it just for graphical purposes in combination with the slash character? Was the vertical bar included for this purpose against dash-minus? Tilde, circumflex, and backtick were apparently included for the purposes of making accents by overstriking letter glyphs.
5:03 They should probably tell you what sound effect to expect. Maybe they do in the manual.
6:01 Guess this was before John Hodgman was cast as PC.
9:54 Does the PCjr have some form of sprite support?
18:02 Sounds similar to a section of ambient music used on a loop in ruclips.net/video/tNkZsRW7h2c/видео.html .
Apparently the PCjr doesn't have sprites; it's an enhanced CGA mode which Tandy then borrowed and improved upon a bit more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandy_Graphics_Adapter (I really don't know much about it)
The closing credits music is an excerpt from a nearly 8 minute piece called "Cathodoluminescence" I wrote with my daughter; she played piano, I played ukulele bass, and operated three '80s electronic games: Defender, Tron, and... I actually can't remember the 3rd. Maybe Tomy Pac-Man. We used a lot of reverb on everything. We submitted it to a music competition in 2017 and did not win :) I'd like to release the full song but would like a video to accompany it; unfortunately I did not record any video while recording the audio tracks and trying to recreate the matching electronic game sights and sounds to match the existing audio seems like a very daunting task now.
Theres actually quite a story on the pipe character (Nostalgia Nerd Vid) ruclips.net/video/BktIY7VbrUs/видео.html
@@8_Bit I would be more than happy with just the audio track, i found that music to be very beautiful. 🥰
I think the IR keyboard was the biggest mistake on the PC Junior. I also remember there was an external memory expansion that connect off the side that my Aunt had on her system. It was all so foreign to me as a C64 kid. I also hated her analog joystick 😂
this is such a crazy easter egg, could it have been intended to be a keyboard tutorial or something that they walked you through? It’s so random feeling, yet it is walking you through all the kinds of entry modes of the keyboard and the features of the computer ( admittedly in a terrible manner! 😂)
Fascinating! This was a great video. Thanks Robin!
This version of BASIC was the only one I know of that you could program chords in your music. My earliest program was
10 A$="C"
20 B$="E"
30 C$="G"
40 PLAY A$, B$, C$
and it would play the chord!
It's Bad Syntax in other versions of BASIC
PCjr definitely needs more love. Going to have to get mine out.
I've heard of things like this being added so if someone worked it out and then got in touch, they could invite them for a job interview. Or maybe one of the devs was drunk/bored.
Glad you made it to the DOScember party. Thought they left you out.
MindFlareRetro remembered to invite me last minute :)
On another note, I am really enjoying the podcasts.
IBM trying to engage a demographic they had no experience with. Like using a hammer as a screwdriver.
During Keyboard Adventure when you pressed the ESC key and the Enter Key (and seems like maybe one other?) The color of the screen would change as it tested that key
0:47: "When I was first introduced to IBM-compatible hardware, I was pretty perplexed that when you turned on the computer, if it didn't have an operating system boot disk, it just did nothing at all, and then even if you did have a DOS boot disk, you didn't necessarily have access to a BASIC programming language like I was used to."
Emphasis on "IBM-compatible". Because all actual IBM PCs used to drop you right into ROM BASIC absent any other OS. But you're right, a lot of clones didn't.
Thanks, yes, that's what I meant. Strangely, I didn't see a real IBM PC for many years; the first ones I actually remember are a lab of PS/2.
@@8_Bit Your experience was probably not uncommon. I also got to use and own clones first, and only belatedly became the actual owner of an IBM PC. When I bought my first PC-compatible, I could have spent top dollar to buy a monochrome PS/2 8525. It was probably a good choice I bought a colour VGA 286 machine instead, which was also faster than the HGC amber screen XT clone my father used for work.
PS: Second thought, the entry-level IBM machine I considered all those years ago may also have been a PS/1 2011. Frankly I'm not sure.
That was pretty trippy! Thanks for showing us, I hadn't heard of this Easter egg before!
That is very cool. I never would have none that
When you said wireless keyboard I thought you were kidding. I didn't know they made those back then. 👀
It was a shock when our next computer had a wired one. Definitely felt like a step back
That PC jr looks like the missing link between 8bit home computers and the professional business PC XT and AT
In a way, that was exactly what it was. Or at least that's my impression.
Hardly, it came well after IBM 5150 and XT, though some months before AT, and in fact it improved on XT in number of areas. The problem with it was that it was aimed at a market (younger home users) that IBM had little experience with or even basic understanding of, and was only partially compatibly with the main line of IBM computers. Anyways, the "professional business PC XT" is still an 8-bit computer.
I get happy when I see a video from you
I miss my PC Jr great times many moons ago
What a strange Easter Egg. How anyone could figure it out without examining the ROM is beyond me.
Now if I can come up with a hashtag linking vintage IBM systems to a month...
That was about as illogical and convoluted as an early Sierra adventure!
If you thought point & click adventure game moon logic was bad... they got nothing on this.
I was unlucky enough to have a PCJX back in the day - I think they killed off little 'PC' and his cruel trials by ordeal by that time..
My first computer !
The Zodiac Killer's largest unsolved cipher was also just cracked. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
7:19 when the catnip kicks in
I did a Syntax Error to your channel.
Ah I encountered this unique keyboard test on the pcjr (when you hit control alt insert) by sheer accident as a kid.
I once flipped a PCjr I found at the curb on eBay for profit.
Ha, ha, ha! I had forgotten about that game!
And people thought Castlevania 2 was cryptic.
Yeah skipped this PC. Thankfully we have emulation. Great vid thx.
Strange, the PCjr is more interesting today than when it was released. I do think IBM didn't know how to do "home" and would have succeeded if they hadn't compromised as much as they did. Yes, some of it was cost-cutting for profit (no DMA??), and some of it was just bone-headed (keyboard? IR?) I know they were also trying to segment the market and not cut into the PC/XT market too much, but if they had just provided a basic PC with 64K base and the new sound and graphics it would have succeeded I think.
I think you're right, if i came across one at a reasonable price i might be tempted to buy it. Regarding the keyboard, i think it had an option to connect to the main unit via an Ethernet- or telephone-style cable.
Come to think about it, perhaps one additional reason for its lack of success was the way expansion modules had to be added externally to the right side of the main unit. This could make the machine prone to failure if it was moved about too vigorously.
@@BertGrink And yet, such "sidecar" type expansions weren't all that rare in those days. The Amiga (1000, and later 500) both attached expansions that way for example. But of course that didn't make it desirable either, and the PCjr failed in another key way with its weak power supply (IBM Made the same mistake with the original PC), and artificially limiting expansions. The Tandy machines were proof that the concept, executed better, could be very successful.
@@ChrisCebelenski Indeed, being an Amiga owner myself (A1200) I'm fully aware of how the older models had expansion units attached to them; heck I even had an external Harddrive on the side of my A1200 for a while, i guess that would qualify as a sidecar too. Here's a picture of the model i had: i.ebayimg.com/images/g/9CgAAOSwuJZdW672/s-l300.jpg
I did not know PC had a mascot!
I hope you take part in #JanuAtari, #Appleril and #JuneCommodore.
wouldn't be terribly surprised if the game was actually NSA recruitment tool.
finish it with printer connected and it'll give you an application form.
Huh! That looks cute but very annoying, LOL. Thanks for showing it to us!
Compile that little program using BORLAND Turbo BASIC would make it run faster.
Leave it to the PC Jr. to bodge its own easter egg
What's in next week's DOScember video?
JiffyDOS? DolphinDOS? SpeedDOS?
An original copy of "Big Blue Reader" just arrived here, so maybe I could get both Commodore DOS and MS-DOS in the same video.
@@8_Bit: You could compare it to "Little Red Reader".
Do you know if an RJ11 to USB adapter would allow this keyboard t be used on a modern computer? Thanks!
I think (I may be wrong) but the music at 14:00 might be motzart.......
Wait, what is that abomination? Where is the fabulous first version chicklet keyboard? You can't have a PCjr experience without wondering if the keyboard get easier to use if you chomp to type on it!
It was easy to use not like the clickity-clack type keyboards of the late 80s, but not as soft as the soft touch keyboards that came out in the 90s.
We have SEPTandy and DOScember. Can we get an OCTommodore, COMMODarch, or COMMODaugust?
Please don't hog all the months for American systems, we Europeans would like some of our systems to have a place in the sun; e.g. AMSTRAugust or SINCLApril. Pretty please with sugar on top?
@@BertGrink Some Alan Sugar then? lol
The keyboard is a pretty yellow! 😊
It is, but I watched The 8-Bit Guy's video about restoring his PCjr and he found the keyboard was naturally yellow; even when he opened his keyboard up it was about the same colour of yellow inside and so his retrobrighting didn't affect it much.
Actual IBM PCs for many years had BASIC in ROM. PC Compatibles did not.
Growing up with the Jr, BASIC was on a cartridge and not on the rom.
"Cassette BASIC" is built into the PCjr ROM, while the more advanced "Cartridge BASIC" is on a cartridge.
Who could possibly figure this out??
The same people who thought the PCjr was a good idea to design and that it would be a success.
This is the first computer we had in the house when I was a kid. My brother figured out the IBM PCjr bit, though we all knew about the keyboard program along with the diagnostics. Not sure how my brother figured it out back in 1985, but he did. Though I don’t remember it being this complex. I thought it was just alternating between keyboard input and having the character run to the key. Interesting thing is that kept us entertained for a couple days before we got some games to actually play on it. My mom wrote her Master’s thesis on that machine, swapping out the word processor floppy with the save floppy routinely. Nice trip down memory lane.
Other thing is I do not remember Basic being built in. We had a Basic cartridge that would supersede the floppy when inserted and cause you to boot into Basic. It had a brown label and came with the machine.
@@MrMac1138 same here. We had the basic cartridge and everyone in the house knew the process
7:19 isnt that literally just the SMB background color? seems like they stole that
By "they stole that" I guess you mean Nintendo? IBM PCjr was released a year before SMB.
@@8_Bit my bad
No control key. Weird :P
Oh. I'm a towel. It's where caps lock usually is...
“Be Sure To Drink Your Ovaltine.”
I would have taken a dremel to that PCjr after that crummy reward for basically solving Kryptos.
Wow I never saw the original box for King’s Quest. I didn’t play Sierra games until the later PC EGA version
Another great video Robin, but lets get back to C=.. Nothing to see here, back to order!
"What's an 8 character string?" Or as non-programmers might say "What's an 8 letter word?"! :)
WOW!!!! I'll see if it still works on my Windows 10 machine.
DOS is the shitnitz. Everything went to shit after that. After win 95 it just was not funny no more. A computer shallt be commanded and it shallt obey. After win 95 the computers command and homo sapiens obey.