mormegil mormegil

What was your first computer?

▼

What was your first computer?

from WinCustomize Forums
This came up in another thread, and I thought is would be fun to carry over.

I still own, and it still works, my Timex Sinclair 2068. Remember being so prod that it came with 72k of memory, that was so much more then the Commodore 64, and when I got the 16 K expansion pack I thought I was a god among 12year olds.

I still think it had the easiest version of basic built in to that ever was. Each key had 4 commands on it, so when programming with it you could white “if then goto” in 3 key stokes. I spent an entire summer righting my very own version of “The Last Straighter” Video game. I found the thermal print of that lately and had quite a laugh.

I even wrote my very own version of “Turtle” a very primitive graphics program. I Remember thinking, “I sure wish there was some way to work on computers and be an artist”. What do ya know it turned out there was.
19,309 views 61 replies
Reply #51 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If you make it ever to the Melbourne Museum, you can see the ONLY first-generation computer still in existence....[still works, I believe]....tele-type print out....and one ten year old kid looking at it remarked 'but where's the screen?'...as I recall, called 'Sirax', built by the CSIRO in the 50's...
Reply #52 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I started in the time sharing business so first home computer was a TI Silent 700 thermal printing terminal w/ accoustic coupler, attached to an IBM 370 mainframe (30 Meg of real memory (ouch)). Have you ever played StarTrek on a hardcopy terminal? In those days it was a wonder.

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Fences - Organize your desktop icons today!
Reply #53 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You know - we really need a dinosaur icon/emoticon for people like me!!

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #54 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I remember working with Fortran 4, Cobol and time sharing on PDP1 computers. We did punchcard programing as well. I remember running the program through once to check for syntax errors - the operators really hated that. Finding logic errors bit big time (still does I imagine).

My first personal computer was a Tandy POS.

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #55 from WinCustomize Forums Top
THIS is my first computer! I spent my time working in ICUs and Emergency Rooms and got sidelined for a time with health and family problems. I got this thing on a gateway credit card and by the time I get it paid off (maybe) it will be worth $10000 but it is really one of their cheapos and already horribly outdated. I got it for my first birthday after my Mom and much of my family died and it has been a symbol of a new beginning for me (and an escape). All is not lost, though! Things are getting better every day!
Reply #56 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Apple //e, with the fancy Apple III green-screen monitor (with built-in glare filter), two 5 1/4 floppy drives, joystick, and dot-matrix printer. Damn, I wasted a lot of time hacking away at that thing. What ever happened to Beagle Bros. software, anyway?

Of course, if it counts, my Odyssey2 game machine with the soft-touch keyboard and the "Computer Intro" cartridge predates the //e...
Reply #57 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The best game ever http://www.classicgaming.com/vault/roms/appleiiroms.Bilestoad33395.shtml

GLen - You might have a look here http://www.classicgaming.com/vault/

Reply #58 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Peff.... YES!!! Kaypro. Thanks. What a machine. Ran CPM iirc.

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #59 from WinCustomize Forums Top
My dad got an Apple II (original Apple II) back in what had to be around 1980. That's where I learned to program for the first time.

I got a Commodore 64 for Christmas a few years later.

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #60 from WinCustomize Forums Top
3dEye ... Actually, I used to have the O2E installed for nostalgia's sake, but I just got too bored of it to keep it around. Though I do still go back to the Apple II emu now and again.

Frogboy ... an Apple II in 1980? Hell, it was already out of date by then! There's a great outline of the history of the stuff on http://apple2history.org if you're interested....
Reply #61 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Jafo,
I've returned to feeling resplendently youthful after reading your response and some of the others. BTW, we used to save the perforations for party confetti.