SIIG MiniSys S286 Small Form Factor PC | Hacker News Reader

SIIG MiniSys S286 Small Form Factor PC

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67 pointsjustsomehnguy12 comments

Another chronically unsung hero from 1989 is the Atari Portfolio PC⁰

Compared to just about anything else at the time, it was surreal that it could even exist. The closest I know of was the HP48G calculator, which was completely underpowered compared to the Atari.

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Portfolio

That article is a bit strange in that it lists the founders' link to Psion but not that the Psion Organizer (really the first handheld computer) predated it by five years.

Amazing crew though, they were really ahead of their time. TI also had a bunch of programmable calculators but those weren't really computers. (Ti 57, 58, 59).

And then there was the Sharp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_PC-1211 released in 1980, which probably also qualifies for the title (I still have one in mint condition).

Yes, I had one, or maybe something very similar (Casio?), with an optional mini-cassette recorder. It also had non-volatile memory cards. In spirit and usefulness very similar to the Atari Portfolio, though the Atari was much more powerful.

You could compile DOS programs in for instane C and run them on the Atari, so it could really be a portable workstation if that was your thing!

If I recall correctly, the C compiler from Turbo C ran on it directly, so you could even develop directly on it.

I just picked up an Atari Portfolio off of Facebook Marketplace in my area and ordered a new-old-stock parallel interface adapter. I'm still working out how to get it interfaced to my PC through an Arduino to copy up files.

It's a very charming device. I used to own one in the mid-to-late 90s as well that I got used from the local computer store in my small town.

Wasn't that the little handheld the kid (John Connor) in Terminator 2 used? I envied this thing so much as a kid.

edit & update: answer is yes! Wikipedia article confirms it in the "popular culture" section

IIRC my friends just assumed it was a movie tech gadget, or I guess, if it actually existed, no way it was a device a normal person could purchase.

I mean, it was out of my budget by far, but a few kids in my school could easily have gotten it if they knew and wanted.

Reminiscent of the Ampro Littleboard, which was a single-board CP/M computer designed to fit over a floppy drive, and was the direct ancestor of PC-104 and similar single-board computers. I had the pleasure of meeting one of Ampro's retired founders, I don't remember which, at a Vintage Computer Festival (I think) about twenty years ago. It was next over from the Amiga prototype, which was out unattended and I got to touch.

Roughly in the mid-90s I bought at a local surplus store a "Carry 1" industrial 8088 computer which to my surprise I later discovered it could run Linux (ELKS: https://github.com/ghaerr/elks). I ultimately sold it on Ebay because although it was a beautiful piece of old tech, I was struggling to find more space for other things.

Here's one. I had only the central unit, mine had two floppy drives. https://tinkerdifferent.com/threads/introducing-the-flytech-...

There's one on eBay right now for an eye-watering $750: https://www.ebay.com/itm/295704213444

The photos in the auction show some of the internal details and the array of ports on the backplate. It's definitely a cute little PC.

For a 286, that's damn compact. Unfortunately, there's little room for expansion. Add an Intel or 3com NIC, and now there's no room for a sound board. That's why this was mainly used as a terminal.

I never knew of these, but that’s just a fantastic little machine! I sincerely would love to add one to my collection, but the eBay prices for these things are off the charts.

I owned this PC and I loved it! It was a gift from my father. I played to Monkey Island and other adventures in it :)

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