I’m involved in a project to digitize “lost” episodes of Computer Chronicles that were missed in the first pass at the Internet Archive.
You can watch newly digitized episodes here. More are coming in the new year.
https://archive.org/details/@davidga/lists/2/computer-chroni...
We’re also building a comprehensive metadata database of every episode. Notably the TVDB metadata is not accurate or complete.
You can see that here, noting that it is still a work in progress.
How do you find the missing episodes?
We were granted access to the collection of Stewart Cheifet's tapes.
Thank you for your team’s work to preserve this collection.
After leaving television production, he worked as a consultant for the Internet Archive, helping to preserve and provide public access to cultural and technological media, including Computer Chronicles and other technology programs.
RIP Stewart – you’ve taught me a lot!
Here is a one hour talk Stewart gave at the 2016 VCF East (Vintage Computer Festival):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncnje4DdRxE
He mentions that the first year it was a live program and they didn't have the resources to record them, so they are not available.
I used to watch archived episodes of Computer Chronicles on YouTube almost every night before going to bed back in 2016~2018. It was my bedtime entertainment, watching those recordings from another era of computing and observing the hosts' enthusiasm for things we take for granted today. As a late millennial, it helped me experience a bit of what the 80s and 90s were like in computing.
RIP Stewart.
Stewart Cheifet and Gary Kildall were a dynamic duo. Really appreciated the awareness they gave to the general public about computing and the wave of the future.
Very much agree. Being in the UK I never saw the original broadcasts, but I've enjoyed them on YouTube. (the ability to "time-travel" with YouTube never ceases to amaze me.)
We had a similar pair over here in .uk -- Chris Serle and Ian McNaught-Davis. They had a down-to-earth way of presenting the like of which we will not see again, mainly because of their characters, but also of the context in which they were presenting: as you say seeking to make the public aware about the wave of the future. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Computer_Programme (the theme music of which was Kraftwerk's "Computer World", no less!))
RIP. Was a faithful CC viewer. Anyone aware of something like this show today that regularly reviews general software/apps/hardware/tech for a more mainstream audience - on PBS, cable, network, or even podcasts? With the role tech plays in the lives of all ages these days, one would think there would be more tech info offerings for the general public today than what was available back in the 80's - Computer Chronicles, MSNBC shows, magazine/newspapers (including the NY Times!) - but nothing comes to mind.
There's almost too much volume these days. There's dedicated websites/apps/podcasts for Apple, Android, PC gaming, Xbox gaming, PS4 gaming, Switch gaming, etc. Product Hunt was a hot thing for a while and is still running. In terms of more general coverage, The Verge, Engadget, Lifehacker, Wired, and NYT Wirecutter are still good among many many others.
There was a good run of Computer Chronicles, TechTV, and G4 for a while there. These days, This Week in Tech still exists in podcast form. G4 had a short revival as G4TV a few years back. There's nothing nearly as popular these days, but there's still lots of good ones like Waveform, SomeGadgetGuy, and AwesomeCast.
There is very little with a) high technical quality in the presented content, b) an assumption that the average viewer is reasonably intelligent, and c) high production quality.
The Computer Chronicles was kind of unique that way.
Edit: OTOH I just saw a 55 minute well-produced youtube video on ASML's EUV photolithography machine that fulfilled all of that. I had some bias against this channel for some reason I don't remember, but anyway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiUHjLxm3V0.
ExplainingComputers with Christopher Barnatt is a regular online series that tickles that right spot for me. He's got the professorial yet whimsical energy of an 80s BBC presenter, making the show feel a bit like The Computer Programme or Beyond 2000.
Leo Laporte's TWiT podcast network is the only thing that comes somewhat close but it still falls well short of CC or TechTV.
YouTube has a few quality channels but they tend to fit into a particular niche. The bigger names are just lowest common denominator slop like LinusTechTips.
It's strange to think nowadays that the "MS" in MSNBC meant Microsoft. How the times have changed.
(audio only) interview with Stewart that I enjoyed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQSWeJUjy-k
skip to 2:30ish to bypass the podcast's nonsense
i had the pleasure of meeting him a couple times, truly a nice guy with a passion for sharing computing with everyone
Computer Chronicles, Byte, Compute!'s Gazette, 80 Micro and PC Magazine were windows into the larger world of computers as a kid in the 1980s. The Computer Chronicles episodes on computer networks and services sparked an interest in networking which turned into the focus of the 1st half of my professional career. I owe a debt of gratitude to Stewart Cheifet.
From the obituary:
Stewart Douglas Cheifet, age 87, of Philadelphia, PA, passed away on December 28, 2025.
Stewart was born on September 24, 1938, to Paul and Anne Cheifet in Philadelphia, where he spent his childhood and attended Central High School. He later moved to California to attend college, graduating from the University of Southern California in 1960 with degrees in Mathematics and Psychology. He went on to earn his law degree from Harvard Law School.
In 1967, Stewart met his future wife, Peta Kennedy, while the two were working at CBS News in Paris. They returned to the United States and married later that year. Stewart's career in television production took them around the world, and they lived together in the Samoan Islands, Hawaii, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, before eventually settling back in Philadelphia.
Stewart and Peta had two children, Stephanie and Jonathan.
Stewart is best known for producing and hosting the nationally broadcast PBS television programs Computer Chronicles and Net Cafe. Computer Chronicles aired from 1984 to 2002, producing more than 400 episodes that documented the rise of the personal computer from its earliest days. Net Cafe, which aired from 1996 to 2002, explored the emergence of the internet. Both programs were widely regarded as visionary, capturing the evolution of personal computing and the early development of the digital age.
Stewart's professional interests and talents were wide-ranging. After leaving television production, he worked as a consultant for the Internet Archive, helping to preserve and provide public access to cultural and technological media, including Computer Chronicles and other technology programs. He also shared his knowledge as an educator, teaching broadcast journalism at the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. After retirement, he spent his remaining years enjoying time with Peta, his children, his grandchildren, and his brothers.
Stewart is survived by his brothers Lanny and Bruce, his children Stephanie and Jonathan, and his grandchildren Gussy, Josephine, Benjamin, Freya, and Penny.
Services will be held for immediate family only.
Ah, rest in peace. I recommend you watch Computer Chronicles. It’s a treasure. If nothing else, it’s a solid trip down memory lane.
I have fond memories of watching Computer Chronicles as a kid in the 1990s on PBS in Sacramento. Even though Sacramento is only a two-hour drive from Silicon Valley, Silicon Valley felt like a far-off place as a kid from a low-income family; it wasn’t until college when I visited Silicon Valley for the first time. While we couldn’t afford the latest and greatest of computing, Computer Chronicles enabled me to keep up with computing news. Even when we got Internet access in 1998, I still regularly watched Computer Chronicles until it stopped airing.
There seems to be a sense of wonder, excitement, and positivity about technology back in the 1990s and 2000s. I miss those days.
Watching him on PBS as a kid made me realize that my fascination with computers was OK. Because he looked like a reasonable adult and he showed enthusiasm. 1980's.
So that helped to engender my enthusiasm, and encouraged me to essentially build my successful work-life around computing.
I suppose he was an influencer in today's parlance?
He's joined his longtime collaborator, Gary Kildall. We lost a real one. Hey Hackernews, black band please?
Born in Central Europe, I've never had a chance to watch The Computer Chronicles in my childhood. I've discovered them via twitch a few years ago and I adore the series.
RIP Stewart!
Stewart was a peak human.
If you watch Computer Chronicles, you will notice that little to nothing has actually changed in computing in 40 years.
We are loosing so many of the legends. I don't distinctly watching the Chronicles when it first aired - was too young, not in the right market - but as a computer history nerd watching the videos on the Internet has been eye opening. It is also a really good way to get a sense just how advancing things were in the 1980s and how in many ways we have gone backwards in many areas.
Computer Chronicles and MotorWeek were fixtures of my Saturday afternoons as a young kid in the 80s. 35+ years later both shows became fascinating and priceless time capsules of the era.
Agreed! Btw MotorWeek is still pumping out new episodes. Watched one yesterday.
Loved loved loved that show, a definite must-watch for a young nerd back in the late 80s. Thanks Stewart.
You can watch these on YouTube if you want. They are quite fascinating.
https://youtube.com/@computerchroniclesyt?si=1eQ8yROJ-191yHX...
I heard that the YouTube channel isn't official and that watching them on Archive.Org is preferred. But they're not especially well organized on the Archive. Here's a link to a torrent with all the episodes, which might be a bit of overkill if you're just trying to find a single episode.
https://archive.org/details/computer-chronicles-full-epidose...
What a wonderful resource The Computer Chronicles has been. One of the core pieces of entertainment I use to fall asleep to when I am on the road and trying to sleep in hotels. Rest in peace, Stewart.
The chronicles are great; I like watching them today, like I enjoy reading EWDs today as well. Well done Stewart.
What a tremendous loss for our industry. Stewart's genuine curiosity was infectious.
I remember watching Computer Chronicles back in the 90's! I still watch it on YouTube occasionally.
Such a shame. He was a great presenter: always enthusiastic but never over the top.
Hacker News of the eighties
I think I would have enjoyed the chronicles back then. Alas too young.
Oh. Have you talked to a grey-beard about users groups? Computer Chronicles was sort of like having a users group presentation in your living room every week. I learned about computers by users groups, computer chronicles, hanging out in computer stores and a few long distance phone calls to the bay area.
I honestly never paid that much attention to Computer Chronicles back in the day. But when I clicked on the link to the obit, I instantly recognized him from the photo.
Loved that show. RIP.
I'm sad to read that. CC is one of my favorite shows of all time, and Stewart was the perfect host: engaging, curious, knowledgeable, kind, friendly, charming. Like a tech Bob Ross, Fred Rogers, and Carl Sagan.
He and the rest of the team captivated generations of people interested in the booming personal computer industry, throughout all of its early phases. The show often had on some of the great industry pioneers, and reported on many trends and new innovations. It's still fascinating to revisit these old episodes and relive the sense of wonder and excitement around novel hardware and software. I highly recommend watching and making a copy of all seasons from the Internet Archive.
So long, Stewart.
This news is worthy of a black banner on HN.
Legend
List of episodes, with direct links to Archive.org streams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Computer_Chronicles_ep...
When I was around 10yo in the early 1980s in New England, I loved to watch the Computer Chronicles - which usually was shown late at night for some reason. It's hard to describe now how awestruck I was at everything the show covered. I was too young to understand what a studio was, so I really thought they were filming from some far away skyscraper with a view of the city behind them. I wanted to be there! I still get that buzz of excitement and wonder when I watch recordings even today.
After moving to Silicon Valley, one of the things that still gives me joy is the idea that I now live close to where the show was recorded in San Mateo. It's one of those small dreams as a kid that became reality.
RIP Stewart.