Pelican Parts Forums

Pelican Parts Forums (http://forums.pelicanparts.com/)
-   Off Topic Discussions (http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/)
-   -   What was your first computer? (http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/496274-what-your-first-computer.html)

RWebb 09-03-2009 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pazuzu (Post 4875770)
...being able to toss together something in 30 minutes that lets me manipulate a dataset exactly the way I want to, instead of spending 3 days trying to figure out how to have our pre-made software do what I want...it's kinda nice. Anything beyond about 100 lines of code though, and I'd be dead in the water, I have no skills for such things.

hp's Tech BASIC was the finest environment for that sort of thing I've ever seen.

Ronbo 09-03-2009 01:11 PM

Bought myself a new Apple IIe when I graduated college in '83.

Schumi 09-03-2009 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pazuzu (Post 4875770)
However, I find that being able to toss together something in 30 minutes that lets me manipulate a dataset exactly the way I want to, instead of spending 3 days trying to figure out how to have our pre-made software do what I want...it's kinda nice. Anything beyond about 100 lines of code though, and I'd be dead in the water, I have no skills for such things.


My modern day equivalent is MATLAB. mmmmmm I love me some MATLAB.

I just was reminded of all the spreadsheet programs that used to exist. Now it's just Excel. But I remember the spreadsheet haydays- there were ads for Lotus 1-2-3 in Playboys for god's sake..

dad911 09-03-2009 01:36 PM

Heathkit H-8

VINMAN 09-03-2009 01:59 PM

Radioshack Tandy 1000 back in 1985 or 86? I remember the firt two games I bought. Test Drive and Leisure Suit Larry.:D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1252015182.jpg

red911sc 09-03-2009 02:13 PM

TRaSh-80 err... I mean TRS-80

techweenie 09-03-2009 02:19 PM

Intel SDK-80

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1252016365.jpg

IIRC, onboard memory was 1.2K BITS. I was able to get Tiny BASIC burned to the ROM and the local computer store had a KSR-33 so I could give it instructions and get output...

techweenie 09-03-2009 02:26 PM

Glad to see all the Apple IIs. I was lucky enough to work on the introduction (logo, ad brochure, etc.).

That bearded guy is me in the lower left corner of the right page (we were out of money for models!).

I used to have the 5th preproduction prototype Apple !!.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1252016713.jpg

crustychief 09-03-2009 03:04 PM

Family had a vic-20, I got an apple2 from a friend of mine after high school. I modded it into a 2+, I remember making a joystick interface so I could " fly" MS flight sim. I also remember Leisure suit Larry!

ruf-porsche 09-03-2009 03:35 PM

Chinese abacus.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:9...us/suanpan.jpg

LOL

sammyg2 09-03-2009 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins (Post 4875070)

LOL, I was scrolling down to see if anyone beat me to it, you did ;)

Neilk 09-03-2009 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum (Post 4874918)
TI 99-A: Cassette tape drive.

Games and I learned how to do some basic programing in DOS - I learned a lot on that thing.

Step-father worked at TI at the time and we got a TI 99/4, we then upgraded later to a 4A. I used to play "football" and Tombstone all on it. Parsec sounds familiar.

We later got a Mac with a laser print around '87. Too bad I didn't know how to use it back then.

Aurel 09-03-2009 05:26 PM

I got a used Apple II europlus in 1986, that my dad bought me for about half the cost of new.
I spent a long time looking in the ads for the right deal.
It was the best choice because it had the largest library of pirated software any computer had!
Hackers loved it...
I was about as excited getting it as I would later be getting my 911. Two legendary products, IMO.

Shuie 09-03-2009 05:35 PM

IIGS Woz

crustychief 09-03-2009 06:09 PM

My apple 2+ also had a 300 baud modem, man that first upgrade was like lightning speed!

Brillo 09-03-2009 06:20 PM

I still have my Apple II Plus.

Erakad 09-03-2009 06:34 PM

Used the venerable slide rule throughout college, then picked up the Timex Sinclair 1000 with a cassette tape drive.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1252031190.jpg

Followed with the Apple IIE,

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1252031573.jpg


then a late 90s Dell Dimension...been assembling them myself ever since.

azasadny 09-04-2009 04:13 AM

My 1st PC was a used Apple IIc, the next was a used IBM PC 5150.

Schumi 09-04-2009 04:34 AM

Thinking back, about 10 years ago we discovered an Altair 8800 derivative packed into a refridgerator - sized 1970's CNC controller. It may have been some sorta IBM copy, but I recognized the front panel inputs to be just like the altar 8800.

Instead of extracting it from the giant machine, we scrapped the whole thing for parts, unfortunately. I wish I had taken pics, it was a sight.

LakeCleElum 09-04-2009 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deschodt (Post 4875655)
ME too, remember PARSEC, the space shooter ?

DOS ? didn't know it could, I learned BASIC on that though !

Yes, I played PARSEC for hours.......I meant learning programming in BASIC, not DOS - Sorry.

Scuba Steve 09-04-2009 11:38 AM

My family's first computer was a Commodore PET - one of the first 1,000 made. This is the first computer you didn't have to build yourself and I think my dad got it in December 1977 or 1978 (the box is in their attic and the USPS shipping label is on there somewhere).

The cool thing about it is that it's been in the museum on the bottom floor of the Texas State University Library a couple of times for a computing history exhibit. It's the first personal computer used on the university campus - my dad used to take it back and forth between home and the university every now and then.

Think I win the oldest non-homebuilt PC contest! :)

http://www.commodore.ca/history/comp...t_et_oct78.JPG

GH85Carrera 09-04-2009 11:42 AM

That was your dad's computer not yours :)

Scuba Steve 09-04-2009 11:56 AM

My parents gave it to me when I was a kid around the time my dad upgraded to an Apple ][+ with a color screen in the early '80s. Great computer, I learned how to program basic on it. Its only flaw is that it went through tape drive belts every few months.

ChemMan 09-04-2009 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deschodt (Post 4875655)
ME too, remember PARSEC, the space shooter ?

DOS ? didn't know it could, I learned BASIC on that though !

Loved that game!

Our first computer was a BBC something or other. We could not get it to work. Returned it for a ZX sinclair.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 07:51 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2025 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Pelican Parts Website


DTO Garage Plus vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.