Comments on: World’s Hottest Platforms 2011 https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/ Nick Montfort Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:01:52 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 By: Platform Studies as Historical Inquiry; or, Videogames Bleed History | Play The Past https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-11315 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:01:52 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-11315 […] or limit what constitutes “platform studies.” But I do imagine they will inform other books in the MIT series. In any case, they provide an elegant starting point to begin thinking about […]

]]> By: David Berry https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-11293 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 22:54:42 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-11293 Actually VAX/VMS would also be interesting..

]]> By: David Berry https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-11292 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 22:53:44 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-11292 Two platforms that I think would be interesting to write about:

  • BBC Micro (Model B)

  • TRS-80

]]> By: George Fifield https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10741 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:25:56 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10741 Comparisons of platforms is a great idea. As an arts curator, you idea sent me off in a completely different direction, but one I think might be of value if you come to write this book. I immediately thought of five platforms in Western art that have already generated reams of writing, tho’ maybe not with your exact focus which is too bad.

Buon fresco
Fresco a secco
Mezzo-fresco
Egg tempera
Oil Paint

The latter was such an amazing advance for a platform that people committed murder for its secrets, at least allegedly.

http://www.facsnet.org/international-encyclopedia-4/Andrea-Castagno.html

Or in literature

the chisel
the pencil
the pen, quill through ballpoint
the typewriter
the word processor

]]> By: Nathan https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10737 Sat, 11 Jun 2011 22:40:23 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10737 Both Amiga and Atari 8-bit come to mind.

]]> By: Brian Moriarty https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10736 Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:22:08 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10736 SCUMM?

]]> By: Nick Montfort https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10732 Sat, 11 Jun 2011 03:30:29 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10732 Doug, you’re absolutely right – notice that I mentioned “platforms or families of platforms.” BASIC is not a single platform, or a single language, but really is a family of languages/platforms that share a great deal in common while also thwarting you when you try to type in listings from a magazine.

JavaScript + HTML5 (with canvas) is definitely a great contemporary platform, one which I program for myself.

]]> By: Doug Orleans https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10731 Sat, 11 Jun 2011 03:27:26 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10731 My first computer was a TI-99/4A, which Wikipedia says had 35% of the market at its peak… It was still kind of a flop, though, so maybe not exactly “world’s hottest”.

Also, having tried to type in many listings from the BASIC Computer Games books, I quibble with BASIC as a platform, given how different (and incompatible) were MS-BASIC, TI Extended BASIC, Atari BASIC, etc.

On the other hand, I would say that Javascript-in-a-Web-browser is perhaps the “hottest” platform ever, though perhaps not for games (yet).

]]> By: Nick Montfort https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10730 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:16:22 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10730 Greg, these are all good suggestions. Thanks!

]]> By: Greg https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10729 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:03:27 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10729 The Amstrad CPC and Sinclair ZX Spectrum were historically important platforms in Europe in the early home computer days. For that matter, so was the Atari 800 in the States.

Not sure why you list NES, but not SNES, Sega Genesis, or Playstation (1). Colecovision, too, possibly.

I could make an argument for the Vax as being important in the pre-home computer games; seems to have attracted more interesting game efforts than either mainframes or other minis.

]]> By: Ian Bogost https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10726 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:21:26 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10726 Nick, Twitter and Facebook are indeed platforms for the development and distribution of programs as well as communication platforms. I’d welcome a PS book on either!

]]> By: Nick Montfort https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10724 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:28:12 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10724 Victor, we intended MS-DOS to part of the “PC” platform, and we agree that it’s important.

Adam, Facebook and Twitter are indeed computational platforms as well as communication platforms. We didn’t list them simply because they aren’t very clear-cut cases when compared to these others. Much of the reason they are interesting is because they are platforms for communications rather than for the development and distribution of programs. But yes, they are platforms in our sense.

]]> By: Adam Parrish https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10723 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:01:02 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10723 The Z-Machine, obviously. I would love to read a full-length book about that. The JVM (rather than just Java). Would the Facebook or Twitter APIs count as a “platform”?

]]> By: Victor Gijsbers https://nickm.com/post/2011/06/worlds-hottest-platforms-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-10722 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:18:57 +0000 http://nickm.com/post/?p=1749#comment-10722 I guess MS-DOS should be put into that the list, that was a huge platform.

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