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DEC PDP-1

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…is a computer designed and produced in 1959.

The PDP-1 (Programmed Data Processor-1) is the first computer in Digital Equipment Corporation’s PDP series and was first produced in 1959. It is known for being the most important computer in the creation of hacker culture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bolt, Beranek and Newman, and elsewhere. The PDP-1 is the original hardware for one of the first video games, Steve Russell’s 1962 game Spacewar!.

Considering the pace of change in computing, that might seem like the prehistoric age. However, it is also surprisingly modern and proves a point that the basic concepts still withstand the test of time.

The PDP kind of became a bit famous also for very special Software running on it. For example the Snowflake binary (see below) and the Spacewars! binary (see above).

Snowflake is a kaleidoscopic program, mapping a list of moving points multiple times onto the screen in a starlike manner. It may be even the first of these programs. However, several programmers of the day experimented with the graphics capabilities of the PDP-1 and its Type 30 CRT display, amongst them Marvin Minsky, Ben Gurley (the PDP-1’s ingenious designer), and David Mapes.

As a variation of the snowflake code can the Minskytron be considered, which allows to manipulate several parameters and get very fancy movements of the Cathode Ray of the circular display.

The softwares/codes of these marvels of software engineering have been saved and archived as cultural achievements by the bitsavers archive.

Creating sound

Normal operation of a PDP-1.

Why do I blog this? I think it is really worth it to have a look at this and to not forget about it. It is very lively history, which is made available and experienceable by enthusiasts which made web-emulations of the machine available.

The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media

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In choosing and displaying news, editors, newsroom staff, and broadcasters play an important part in shaping political reality. Readers learn not only about a given issue, but also how much importance to attach to that issue from the amount of information in a news story and its position. In reflecting what candidates are saying during a campaign, the mass media may well determine the important issues–that is, the media may set the „agenda.“ of the campaign.

Sources: Maxwell Mccombs, Donald L. Shaw, The Individual in Communication Research: Part IV

ENGLISH PDF: McCombsShaw1972.pdf
GERMAN PDF: McCombsShaw1972_de.pdf (Autotranslated by deepl.com)

Historic website of McCombs

His book

see also on WebArchive.

Why do I blog this? The current landscape of our society invokes the question: Who or What is the mass media right now? The truth found in this article might be helpful to understand what is going on right now.

Google plans to restrict which apps can be used on Android

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Issue

Google plans to restrict app deployment exclusively to registered and verified developers. While framed as a security measure, this move risks market concentration, erosion of user rights, and further dependence on non-European gatekeepers.

Why It Matters for the EU

Conflict with the Digital Markets Act (DMA)

  • Limits interoperability and stifles alternative app stores.
  • Potential breach of Articles 6–7 DMA obligations for gatekeepers.

Threat to Digital Sovereignty

  • Shifts control of Europe’s app ecosystem further into a single non-EU corporation.
  • Undermines the EU’s Digital Decade goal of strategic autonomy.

Weakening User Rights

  • Reduces freedom to install lawful apps, similar to undermining the Right to Repair extended to the digital realm.
  • Narrows digital freedom of expression and access to innovation.

Security Concerns Are Overstated

  • Central gatekeeping weakens resilience by concentrating risk.
  • Open-source and community-led platforms (e.g., F-Droid) provide auditable transparency and decentralized security review.

Impacts

  • Developers/SMEs – Higher barriers, exclusion of small actors.
  • Competition – Reinforced monopolies, fewer European alternatives.
  • Users – Loss of choice and autonomy, dependence on one provider.
  • EU Policy – Contradicts DMA, Digital Strategy, NIS2, and sovereignty objectives.

Recommended Policy Actions

  1. Enforce the DMA: Prevent restrictions on sideloading and alternative app ecosystems.
  2. Guarantee User Sovereignty: Extend “Right to Repair” concepts to digital environments.
  3. Promote EU-Led Verification Standards: Develop decentralized, transparent signing frameworks.
  4. Support Open-Source Platforms: Recognize independent app stores as strategic digital infrastructure for Europe.

Conclusion

This restriction is not about improving security—it is about tightening control. For Europe, it undermines competition, innovation, and autonomy. The EU must respond decisively by enforcing the DMA and protecting open digital ecosystems as a matter of public interest and sovereignty.

Campaign Material

Why do I blog this? Please sign the petition to break up big tech. We call on the European Commission to break up Google’s monopoly over digital advertising, and take broader action to dismantle the unchecked power of Big Tech monopolies across Europe’s digital economy. This includes robust enforcement of competition law to force dominant tech companies to sell off parts of their businesses where needed to restore fair competition, protect consumers, and defend our democracy.