What was your first computer, when?

SigTerm · 03-10-2011, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by szboardstretcher

Just interested in hearing other peoples stories about their "firsts."

ZX-spectrum clone. But even before that there was a programmable calculator.

rob.rice · 03-10-2011, 02:07 PM

timex sinclar 1000 with the 16K ram pack back in 1982

rizzy · 03-10-2011, 02:17 PM

ZX Spectrum 48K
I remember playing artilery game on a programmable calculator. Input range and elevation. It was an open source game, too - written on a piece of paper

DJRcomputing · 03-10-2011, 05:25 PM

I love this thread! Really shows our age. *coughs*

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMcCann

The first I ever used was a CP/M machine with 8 inch disks, in 1979.

YES! Though a bit later. Learned BASIC and ASCII art. My father still has it in his office w/ a TeleVideo 925 monitor & keyboard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlinkels

First used: IBM370, punch cards, line printer. But that was hardly a "personal" computer.
First built: Motorola 6808 2k SRAM for SWTP S-100 bus. Used Mikbug monitor program in 2k ROM. Interface RS232 on TTY. Programs loaded and stored on paper tape.
First owned: Keypro 286 6Mhz / 1 MB DRAM / 20MB hard disk / Hercules graphics. DOS 2.11

*bows* I am humbled to be in your "presence".

First owned: Pentium-60. Had to change the CPU due to the original floating-point math error. That's when the bug bit ME. Bit my father when he literally BUILT his own from a kit of parts back in the 70s, though hasn't built/assembled one since.

First built: *points to his signature*

tiredofbilkyyaforallican · 03-12-2011, 10:59 PM

My first computer was an IBM thinkpad M21 running XP in 2007(yes I'm that new to computers) Before that I hardly even knew how to turn one on. I never needed one and still really don't but since I retired from mechanics it gives me something to do while I muck about at the liquor store during my day/evening.My "baby" sister was using computers ever since the Vic 20s and Comodore 64s were brand new! BTW she is 11 years younger than I am and just turned 42

RedNeck-LQ · 03-12-2011, 11:10 PM

I know what you mean tiredofbilkyyaforallican

When I got my first computer, I turn it on and said WHAT??? like Vinnie Barbarino says in Welcome Back Kotter

initialdrifteg6 · 03-12-2011, 11:30 PM

I first owned a Commodore64, but don't remember much about it. I remember that I could play BlueMax and own at it. First 'real' computer was a Apple LC II. 12MHz Processor, 8MB RAM, 75MB Hard Drive, 3.25" Floppy Drive, IOMEGA Zip Drive (100MB Cartridges Parallel Interface), no interwebz.

ButterflyMelissa · 03-13-2011, 03:52 AM

@ DJRcomputing

Quote:

I love this thread! Really shows our age. *coughs*

@ jlinkels

Quote:

First used: IBM370, punch cards, line printer. But that was hardly a "personal" computer.

I guess you were one of the "priests of the oracle" - I salute you for it, THAT was computing. You HAD to get close and personal with the BITS of the machine (hard- and software wise)...

Dang...them meddling kids!!!

Yep, that's how "old" (yet young at heart) some of us are...

jlinkels · 03-13-2011, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by linusr@flanders

I guess you were one of the "priests of the oracle" - I salute you for it, THAT was computing. You HAD to get close and personal with the BITS of the machine (hard- and software wise)...

Strangely enough not. Because it was a multi-user system, internals were shielded off pretty much. You submitted a job, and minutes later the output would be printed on a line printer. I haven't ever actually seen the computer, let alone the disk and tape drives. I had not even an idea of the integer word size or let alone the floating point format.
True, users had to be much more aware of some system internals, like specifying the tape BPI if you wanted to have a file (dataset as IBM called that) moved to tape. Or you had to specify the amount of memory your job would claim.

Just for fun, this is an example of running a system program (IEBGENER) to copy OLDFILE to NEWFILE:

Code:

//IS198CPY JOB (IS198T30500),'COPY JOB',CLASS=L,MSGCLASS=X
//COPY01   EXEC PGM=IEBGENER
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSUT1   DD DSN=OLDFILE,DISP=SHR
//SYSUT2   DD DSN=NEWFILE,
//            DISP=(NEW,CATLG,DELETE),
//            SPACE=(CYL,(40,5),RLSE),
//            DCB=(LRECL=115,BLKSIZE=1150)
//SYSIN    DD DUMMY

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_Control_Language)

Likewise, if your own program had to run you had to add similar //SYSIN and //SYSUT cards which were associated with (input, output) streams in a Pascal program, or IO descriptors 5 and 6 in Fortran.

It was always fun that for overwriting a file, different JCL cards were needed when creating, appending or overwriting a file, and that was something which was usually (by me) forgotten.

One should realize that at the same time Unix already existed (stdin, stdout, etc) but could not be ported to IBM as they would not allow another OS. Minicomputers running Unix were not powerful enough yet to power a computer center.

jlinkels

tiredofbilkyyaforallican · 03-13-2011, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedNeck-LQ

I know what you mean tiredofbilkyyaforallican

When I got my first computer, I turn it on and said WHAT??? like Vinnie Barbarino says in Welcome Back Kotter

When I got my first one it said press any key to continue and I spent 2 minutes looking at my keyboard LOL

Kind of odd that now there isn't much I can't figure out on them (after losing M$ OS) BTW loved that show !!!!

RedNeck-LQ · 03-13-2011, 09:22 PM

@ tiredofbilkyyaforallican

If I recall,they did sell stickers or caps that said Any key LOL

kitek · 03-13-2011, 09:29 PM

IBM XT 8088 10Meg HD 360k 5 1/4 floppy. Now that I know all it was is that it had a crashed hard drive. Loaded Dos 3.3 on it and I was ready to go. Monochrome Monitor. I actually saw one in the store yesterday. 03/11/11. It was in the 50% off isle. Didn't bother getting a price but I did get a pic.

SL00b · 03-14-2011, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlinkels

One should realize that at the same time Unix already existed (stdin, stdout, etc) but could not be ported to IBM as they would not allow another OS. Minicomputers running Unix were not powerful enough yet to power a computer center.

jlinkels

And fast forward to today, where a Unix subsystem is embedded in the operating system (beginning with OS/390, I believe), which provides a host of vital functions, starting with the mainframe's TCP/IP stack.

tiredofbilkyyaforallican · 03-14-2011, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedNeck-LQ

@ tiredofbilkyyaforallican

If I recall,they did sell stickers or caps that said Any key LOL

I( am going to have to find a few of these

FredGSanford · 03-14-2011, 06:33 PM

I recently went to look at an older cousin's computer that wouldn't boot up. After arriving and booting it, it stopped at the 'Press the F1 key to continue' prompt. So, I pressed it and low and behold, it booted into Windows.

The cousin asked how did I get it to start and I mention did you press the F1 key, he said yes, so I asked him to show me what keys he was pressing.

Turns out, he was pressing the F key and the number 1 key! I guess these simple instructions are not so simple for non techies.