Learn about the roots of the modern computing with the BBC’s free archive

By Jon Martindale June 27, 2018

The Computer Literacy Project archive offers full programs and pre-made clips for those with less time on their hands. Image used with permission by copyright holder

From an early ’80s look at 20th-century automation, to the ’90s perspective on the growth of computers in society, the BBC’s archive of several hundred classic documentaries is now free for anyone to access. Including interviews with visionary pioneers of the time like Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak, it’s hoped that the retro programming can help inspire future innovators and teach people young and old about where some of their most used modern technology came from.

The BBC has been a major component in driving digital innovation for decades, not only in its programming, but in encouraging home hardware hackers with the release of the BBC Micro in 1981 and more recently, the ARM-powered Micro Bit in 2016. The purpose of these programs was to encourage computer literacy among school-age children and to foster an interest in programming and electronics. The release of the archives of the BBC’s “Computer Literacy Project,” is another step on that road.

A total of 267 programs make up the archive and are freely available to stream online. Programs were originally broadcast between 1980 and 1992 and run the gamut from interviews with industry leaders, to insights into specific hardware like the BBC’s own Micro computer.

“This archive offers a fascinating and nostalgic glimpse into an important milestone in the history of computing,” said Matthew Postgate, the BBC’s chief technology and product officer, via BBC News. “The hardware may have changed, but the principles still apply — which also makes it a unique resource for teaching and learning that will hopefully encourage a new generation of computer users.”

To give modern viewers a better look at some of the software that was used on that particular platform, the new archive also allows visitors to run a number of BBC Micro programs within their browser. They are, understandably, basic by modern standards, but they include inputs to progress graphical interfaces, a breakdown of the chip manufacturing process from the time, and an outline of basic encryption algorithms. There are more than 160 in total to play around with and they are a great example of just how far we have come in the past four decades of computing.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Computing Coordinator

Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…

Computing

Dell’s most popular 2-in-1 laptop is discounted from $700 to $450

The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 on a white background.

Today Dell has not just one of the best laptop deals but one of the cheapest ones: It’s currently possible to buy a Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 laptop for just $450 thereby saving $250 off the regular price of $700. Perfect for when you can’t decide if you need a tablet or a laptop, the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is a true bargain. However, it’s a clearance deal so you don’t have long left to snap it up. Here’s what you need to know before you tap the buy button.

Why you should buy the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1
You won’t see the Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 in our look at the best 2-in-1 laptops but that’s hardly surprising at this price. It still shares much of the same functionality and is from one of the best laptop brands. This particular model has an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U processor, 8GB of memory, and 512GB of SSD storage.

Computing

Best external hard drive deals: Portable SSDs, game drives & more

A man uses a WD My Passport external hard drive alongside his laptop.

While a lot of content has gone digital these days, including things like cloud storage services allowing us to store our files online, having a physical form of storage to keep with you is important. In a similar vein, it's frustrating that some of the best phones on the market don't even come with a lot of internal space, while most laptop deals you take advantage of also likely will land you with less than 1TB of storage. To that end, we've gone out and collected some of our favorite external hard drive deals we could find and collected them below, and some of them are even the best external hard drives on the market, so be sure to check out all our picks.
Seagate FireCuda Gaming 2TB -- $60, was $100

If you have a gaming setup that's full of RGB and you want to add a little bit to it while still extending your hard drive space, then you should absolutely grab this 2TB Seagate FireCuda Gaming. It has a customizable LED under the bottom lip of the hard drive, and it even comes with the latest 3.2 gen USB standard, so you can game off of it directly on your PC or older console. While you hopefully won't need it, it also comes with 3-years of data recovery service, which is a nice plus at this price bracket.

Computing

Start today: Save with Dell and shape a more sustainable future for us all

Dell Sustainable Future for Earth Day featured image

Earth Day may be over, but sustainability and eco-initiatives cannot be relegated to a single day, week, or month. To make any impact in today's hyperconnected and tech-centric world, they must be sustained long-term via thoughtful, engaging actions. For example, e-waste or electronic waste from old, dysfunctional, or discarded electronics is a considerable concern. Every year, millions of electronic devices or products are discarded and thrown away in landfills, many of which have hazardous or harmful materials inside that can poison the ground soil, water sources, and nearby communities. It's essential to not only intelligently dispose of these old devices but also find new ways to reuse and repurpose them so that the materials don't go to waste, let alone harm local communities.

We can all contribute to creating a more responsible, sustainable future by making the right choices, and Dell is making that possible. Thanks to advanced technology offers on PCs and accessories that are meant to help reduce e-waste. Dell has adopted the mantra “repurpose, reuse, and rethink” for a good reason. Many featured products are purposefully built with recycled plastics, shipped in renewable packaging and materials, and ultimately meant to help cut down on society's collective wastefulness so you can save big and feel good about it all.