Gold Dot Club

[rhino]

Ah, the Timex-Sinclair! How long did it take you to wear-out half the non-keys on your membrane keypad? On the bright side, they were tiny, so if you got mad and wanted to throw them, it was easy and you wouldn't do much damage to other stuff in your house. Or you could use it as a doorstop.

I remember the TI-99 as well. I knew someone who had one, but now I can't remember who it was.

The smart people got Commodore 64s. Then they got Commodore Amigas later (which was actually a cool little computer with a nice operating system).

 

[rhino]

First to break spectacularly: 8088 laptop/luggable. Boy did it explode when it stopped accelerating towards the ground.

My first "serious" computer was a PC compatible Zenith Z-series (can't remember the model, but it was probably Z-161-2, or something like that) "portable" computer. It was one of those suitcase-style barely luggables with a 7-inch amber monitor and a pair of 5.25-in. floppy drives that popped-up from the top. I think it weighed 52 lbs.

 

[SavageEagle]

Ah, the Timex-Sinclair! How long did it take you to wear-out half the non-keys on your membrane keypad? On the bright side, they were tiny, so if you got mad and wanted to throw them, it was easy and you wouldn't do much damage to other stuff in your house. Or you could use it as a doorstop.

I remember the TI-99 as well. I knew someone who had one, but now I can't remember who it was.

The smart people got Commodore 64s. Then they got Commodore Amigas later (which was actually a cool little computer with a nice operating system).

My first PC was a Commadore 64. Pirates! Oh yea!

 

[ATM]

This whole tangent deserves its own thread.

And yes, techres, you made me jealous with your two K of RAM.

 

[Bill of Rights]

Okay, junior!

My first computer was a Radio Shack TRS-80 model III back in 1980. It was a Z80-powered dynamo with a full 16K (that's kilobytes) of RAM, expandable to a whopping 48K if you had a lot of money! (which I did not) Woo-hoo!

Floppy drives were an unattainable luxury item for me then. The only way I had to save or load programs was with a tape cassette. The 80286 probably wasn't even conceived on the drawing board (and it was paper and pencil back then) at that time! They were just then neutering the Intel 8086 into the 8088 to make them cheaper to make for early IBM PCs and compatibles.

My high school in those days had an old teletype terminal with an acoustic coupler modem. We got Apple IIs when I was a junior (I think) in 1981-82, but none of them had a connection the outside world.

I remember the days of local BBSs that grew into networks of the same like FIDOnet (ATM and I were on one of the same BBSs back then!). I cut my online teeth on GEnie, which by today's standards was shockingly expensive ($8 per hour at night!). GEnie and Compuserve were the only commercials games in town then.

Then when I was living in the Bay Area I discovered the legendary WeLL based out of Sausalito. That's where I "grew up" in online terms. When I started there, the only meaningful access to internet (we didn't put the "the" in front of it then) was through universities and maybe some big corporations. You had to know your way around unix-based systems without fancy graphics-based front ends because . . . they didn't exist yet!

Fun trivia: I was actually logged into Prodigy (it was owned by Sears back then) at 1704 hours when the big earthquake hit on 17 OCT 1989 in the SF Bay Area. My first warning was the power surge that fried my trusty '386 and killed knocked out the power across most of the region. Then things started shakin' and it got . . . interesting.

I suppose things have changed a little since then.

And I acknowledge that a 15-year-old whippersnapper could have been poking around online, especially if he was following in a nerd family tradition.

I should mention that the 286 (I think it was-hell, it was long enough ago it might have been an 8088 ) was in 1991 the first 'puter I owned. I'd used an Apple ][ and a TRaSh-80 a few years earlier (80-81 and 81-82, respectively) I had Compuserve as well, but yes, it was prohibitively expensive. I was on a couple of BBSs as well. My HS had a dumb terminal as well which was used to connect the Counselor's office to a mainframe that had career info on it.... and also had a connection to a Star Trek-type game.... don't ask me how I know that... and don't ask me about all the wasted paper, either, since the bloody thing didn't have a screen, just a KB and a DMP...probably the same TTY terminal your school had, Rhino.

The TRaSh-80 had a cassette as well, now that you mention it, but being in a classroom, no connections anywhere except to the power outlet on the wall. Speaking of Apple stuff.... anyone out there remember a program called "Brian's Song"? LOL!

Blessings,
Bill

 

[Bigum1969]

My first "serious" computer was a PC compatible Zenith Z-series (can't remember the model, but it was probably Z-161-2, or something like that) "portable" computer. It was one of those suitcase-style barely luggables with a 7-inch amber monitor and a pair of 5.25-in. floppy drives that popped-up from the top. I think it weighed 52 lbs.

I feel your pain. I had a Compaq "portable" with the same setup, except I had a green screen I remember my folks paid a fortune for it as well.

 

[HICKMAN]

Started with an Commodore 64 at home and TRS-80 at school... who knew I would still be in IT 20 some years later...

 

[spasmo]

I had a commodore 64, a TI-99 and I had a TRS-80. I don't remember when I had the first two but I remember getting the ~$3000 TRS-80 around my freshman/sophomore year (83/84 time frame) I think it was around $3000. What I remember is it was A LOT of money and astonished that I got it but computers is what I was in to. My teacher though at somepoint in my highschool career told me I was not fit to work in Computer Science. I am guessing he is the reason I doubt myself to this day even though I went to college for, received a degree, got a job for it, and still do it today...but I'm not a developer. I am an administrator.

 

[Bigum1969]

I had a commodore 64, a TI-99 and I had a TRS-80. I don't remember when I had the first two but I remember getting the ~$3000 TRS-80 around my freshman/sophomore year (83/84 time frame) I think it was around $3000. What I remember is it was A LOT of money and astonished that I got it but computers is what I was in to. My teacher though at somepoint in my highschool career told me I was not fit to work in Computer Science. I am guessing he is the reason I doubt myself to this day even though I went to college for, received a degree, got a job for it, and still do it today...but I'm not a developer. I am an administrator.

What an awesome teacher. Was their last name a$$hat?

 

[Scutter01]

What an awesome teacher. Was their last name a$?

That would suck to have that last name. I think I'd change it.

 

[spasmo]

What an awesome teacher. Was their last name a$?

hehehehe... I still liked him. (I was disappointed with him but to this day, I can't get myself to code because I know I'm no good at it). He even taught my advanced math classes. And he taught some classes at BSU.

That would suck to have that last name. I think I'd change it.

And what exactly would YOU change it to? (This should be good)

 

[rhino]

I was "steered" toward the TRS-80 by a teacher at my school. I realized later that he was working at the Radio Shack in question and got a commission on the sale. As Spasmo mentioned, lots of money for not a lot of go!

He of course bought one of the first IBM PCs in my hometown with the money he'd earned selling TRS-80s.

 

[Scutter01]

hehehehe... I still liked him. (I was disappointed with him but to this day, I can't get myself to code because I know I'm no good at it). He even taught my advanced math classes. And he taught some classes at BSU.


And what exactly would YOU change it to? (This should be good)

Fhardgnogger.

Or maybe (as Dave Atell says) Pizzapussysanta, because everyone loves at least one of those.

 

[rhino]

hehehehe... I still liked him. (I was disappointed with him but to this day, I can't get myself to code because I know I'm no good at it). He even taught my advanced math classes. And he taught some classes at BSU.

So they fooled you too?

There's no such thing as advanced math, or science for that matter. It's all forms of sorcery and the work of the devil.

 

[Bill of Rights]

A$? Gaaah! Shades of Applesoft BASIC! *cringe*

 

[rhino]

Fhardgnogger.

Are you related to the Des Moines Fhardgnoggers?

 

[Scutter01]

Are you related to the Des Moines Fhardgnoggers?

No, but if I change my name to that, I can claim to be! Let's just say that...

 

[Bill of Rights]

Fhardgnogger.

Gezundheit.

 

[rhino]

I think I'll change my name to "Thor Fnördknoppflersen Calhoun."

 

[Scutter01]

I think I'll change my name to "Thor Fnördknoppflersen Calhoun."

Hey! His name is my name too! Whenever I go out, people always shout "Thor Fnördknoppflersen Calhoun!"