MovieChat Forums > WarGames (1983) Discussion > Seattle, a computer hub in 1983?

Seattle, a computer hub in 1983?

posted 12 years ago by tommix42
14 replies | jump to latest

It is interesting to me, that Mathew Broderick's character was depicted as growing up in Seattle. He seemed to spend some of his time conferring with those nerdy guys in the computer lab, and at a college there. This was quite early in Seattle's history of being a hot place for computer development. I'm a little surprised they decided to set so much of the movie there as opposed to, say, Boston, or maybe Silicon Valley. Is there anyone here from Seattle? I would be interested to hear your thoughts on what the fledgling computer industry, and local public awareness of it, was like, at that time, in the Seattle area.

You are toast, my toasty friend.

[–] avortac 10 years ago

The odd thing about the 'wardialing', as it came to be known due to this movie, that David's computer is doing, is how quickly the modem can recognize a human voice and hang up immediately.

I mean, wouldn't the modem treat the human noise as some kind of 'line interference noise' that was common in those days anyway?

Like, it would wait at least a couple of SECONDS, before deciding, there is no handshake happening, and hang up? What if the modem on the other end is a bit slow in starting the handshake procedure after answering, and there happens to be a bit of line interference noise? Will the modem just hang up and move on to the next number? Presumably.

It's not like modems began the handshake completely instantly - it could take a second. Granted, I don't remember it ever really taking more than a second, but still, it seems that the modem hangs up incredibly quickly, sort of 'without giving the other modem a chance'.