What was your first computer?

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by Pazuzu

...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]

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

[Schumi]

Originally Posted by Pazuzu

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]

Heathkit H-8

[VINMAN]

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

[red911sc]

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

[techweenie]

Intel SDK-80



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]

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 !!.

[crustychief]

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]

Chinese abacus.



LOL

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

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

[Neilk]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

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]

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]

IIGS Woz

[crustychief]

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

[Brillo]

I still have my Apple II Plus.

[Erakad]

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



Followed with the Apple IIE,




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

[azasadny]

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

[Schumi]

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]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

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.