Windows 1 and 2 were unbelievably bad software.
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Windows 1 and 2 were unbelievably bad software.
I was only 8 or 9 at the time, so I can't really remember much about themOriginally Posted by Sunray
TBF 3 and 95/98/Me were pretty awful as well. I couldn't believe how much of an improvement 2000 was.
This was my first computer (ho not included):
In 1984 I was an IBM Trainee Systems Engineer and was given one of these to take home (in my company Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6L with four speakers) because it was the early diskette only model and was not upgradeable with one of the new fangled "hard disks". It even had a cassette socket. I don't remember doing anything useful or interesting with it, ever. We didn't even have any games except for a text only adventure game on the mainframe where you would type in things like "pick up key" and hope to get into a cave. So I gave my PC to Liverpool University and logged it as a sale.
ZX80, 1k RAM and 4K ROM, a true supercomputer
Had a Dragon 32 about 82/83. Thought i was the only one, nice to see i wasnt.
Pacman on the ZX81:
PacMan was an 'X' and the ghosts were inverted commas.
It was pretty amazing what they could do with 16K, though. A full game the same size of a very small, compressed JPEG.
I had chess and space invaders. they were less than 1K
And I was really crap at playing them
Hunt The Wumpus? Possibly the first ever cross-platform computer application?
You've only gone and made me look up. Doh!
"Ported to IBM mainframes running VM/CMS in late 1978, utilizing PL/1" apparently. I'm having flashbacks...in-jokes about sub-second response time...people in three piece suits with flared trousers...sideburns...
...appraisal and counselling sessions.
A Vic20, then a Commodore64. Does anyone remember that game Rat Race that came with the Vic20? I used to write programs to make the screen flash different colours and other high-tech wizardry. (lots of "next" and 20goto10 I think).
ZX-81 in..er..1981
ZX-Spectrum
BBC-B
Amiga-1200 [still in the cupboard]
PIII -[still on my network in the Bedroom]
The first program I wrote drew random triangles on the screen
I doubt anyone these days could imagine the culture shock of Adventure in those early days, it was the 1st game I ever came across (1978, PDP-11 for me) that had that fantasy element, not to mention any degree of complexity. I was deliberately working late sometimes just to have another crack at it. That version only worked outside normal hours so if I was desperate, I'd have to change the system clock (I was a systems programmer so I had all the privileges).You've only gone and made me look up. Doh!
"Ported to IBM mainframes running VM/CMS in late 1978, utilizing PL/1" apparently. I'm having flashbacks...in-jokes about sub-second response time...people in three piece suits with flared trousers...sideburns...
...appraisal and counselling sessions.
A couple of years later working at CAP-CPP, one of the guys there spent all his time working from the CSV data files to produce a giant paper map of Colossal Cave, such was the devotion it inspired.
I was only 8 or 9 at the time, so I can't really remember much about themI think Win 3.1 was my introduction to regular PC use, along with WordPerfect for word processing while I was at uni.
It was bad, but the New! Shiny! WIMPGUI interface was a godsend after command line entry...
As with many U-75er's a ZX Spectrum.
When I started work in the mid-80's the underwriters I worked for had a huge IBM mainframe. A large heavy grey box which we backed up on magnetic tape reels. Accessed using green screen terminals. It was so big that it was housed in a special room with a strengthened floor and when it printed the whole building shook and was so noisy the operators had to wear ear defenders.
I suspect that wasn't even a mainframe! If it was near enough for you to know it was there, it was probably "merely" a minicomputer - something like a System 36 or System 38.
I know those line printers, though - amazing things to watch. Especially if you could get someone to print pictures on one of them... I particularly remember a rather tasteful nude, lots of Snoopy pictures, and other cartoony stuff...
And found this while noodling around:
Yep, The Mona Lisa rendered on a line printer! In 1964.
My first computer was a ZX81, then Spectrum
Around that time, I also had one of these:
I later graduated to an Amiga 500, then 1200, then a 386 and then a pentium
^
What is that? A really posh calculator?
I don't remember games being released for the Epson
EPSON HX20, the first ever laptop. It was actually a pretty amazing machine. It had a machine code monitor, MS Basic and a hard carrying case.^
What is that? A really posh calculator?
I don't remember games being released for the Epson
I do notice that the pointless "pause" key has survived to this day!
Acorn Electron:
Got it when I was about 12 or 13, I fucking loved that machine, never thought I'd get a computer and my step-dad surprised me one Easter when I was going back home. Best present I ever got. Chucky egg and Acorn Elite ftw.
First computer I bought was an Atari ST 1048STFM that I managed to upgrade to 2.5MB from 1MB, though I blew the powersupply in the process. I wished I'd bought an Amiga later on, but at least I could do all my computer science Pascal stuff on my ST, even if compiling required over 20 floppy disk swaps...
It's not pointless though.
It is to me.
Though when I press it nothing happens, so I suppose it does work in that sense.
When booting a PC up, it allows you to pause all the BIOS POST messages being displayed. Good for trying to find shit out about your computer.
*adds to something new you learn everyday*
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