About 25 years ago, I was running machine language blink-em programs on my beautifully LED-laden IMSAI 8080. That puppy must have weighed 50 pounds, thanks largely to the 100-W boat anchor power supply. All that big iron got you was barely more than 1 MHz and few kilobytes of RAM and ROM.

Today, I’m looking at a few square inches, a couple of ounces, and less than 1 W delivering MIPS and memory, not to mention I/O, that the old IMSAI could have only dreamed about. And whether you’re using C or ASM, even the most die-hard designer must admit it’s a step up from toggling front-panel switches.

Yeah, there have been plenty of twists and turns, not to mention a few fender benders, along the Route ’80 way. But there always comes a time when I look forward to zooming up the next on-ramp in a shiny new chip. Thanks for the ride, Rabbit.