<p>… there was a Commodore 64:</p>
<p>[Commodore</a> 64 still loved after all these years](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/12/07/c64/index.html]Commodore”>Commodore 64 still loved after all these years - CNN.com)</p>
<p>Any nostalgic feelings?</p>
<p>It was only a few years ago I finally got rid of my old CPM, Z80-based S100 system. I probably should have donated it to a museum instead.</p>
<p>I was just explaining to some kids what we did before email. In large corporations we had college interns(me one) carry these reusable inter-office envelopes which contained handwritten memos and penciled up worksheets with numbers. Those kids could not believe me.</p>
<p>Got one for Xmas when I was 3. Still have it, complete with original packaging, manual, several accessories and a whole heap of games. Many a fond memory of my dad struggling with games, cousins sneaking into my room at 6am and begging to use it (with mum following soon afterwards to shout :D) and taking up to 45 minutes to load a program!</p>
<p>Such a cute title for a thread.</p>
<p>I got my first computer, an IBM PC in 1983 to write my doctoral dissertation on.</p>
<p>It was a good hunk of change then, even with the sweetened deals from my institution.</p>
<p>Ah, good times.</p>
<p>I began life with a CP/M 86 Xerox 820 with an 8” floppy drive. Then I advanced to the first IBM PCs with DOS 1.0. An early computer shop near my house sold the Commodore Vic-20’s, 64’s, the TRS-80’s (Trash 80’s) and the Sanyo MBC IBM near compatible series (all in the early 80’s). I bought the Sanyo because it was the cheapest IBM clone available. A good friend of mine “wrote” his dissertation on a Colecovision Adam with a cassette cartridge storage drive and a daisy wheel printer. Back at work, I played briefly with the Xerox Star office system with a GUI interface and a two button mouse (pre Windows/Apple). </p>
<p>My biggest regret was tossing a 300 baud TI acoustical coupler modem into the trash at work.</p>
<p>^^ I designed a couple of different floppy disk controller boards for those old 8 inch floppy drives. I think I still have one of the cards in the closet somewhere.</p>
<p>What made me feel ancient was seeing both a Commodore-64, and a Bowmar Brain calculator (my first, in 1973) in the Smithsonian–you know, the place with the dinosaurs!!</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad: Did you work for Shugart?</p>
<p>P.S. That’s got to be one scary closet!</p>
<p>^^ No - These were specialty controller cards I designed for use with 8 inch drives that formatted the floppies to a Japanese standard for the track layout which was different than the ‘standard’ track layout. This different layout required the special controller cards. I designed one for an S100 bus system and later one that worked in an IBM PC with the 8 inch drives housed in an external case.</p>
<p>ucsd<em>ucla</em>dad, holy cow!</p>
<p>My first Fortran program was stored on punch cards :)</p>
<p>Then there was a time when a 5-inch floppy was considered a modern marvel. I found one in the bottom drawer of H’s desk and showed it to D’s friends, “What is this, kids?” “Um, you stored your music on these?”</p>
<p>ah the acoustical coupler… truly watching dots print on the screen.</p>
<p>I tossed a Hayes 1200 baud modem not that long ago.</p>
<p>when I told my son that the Sony Walkman came out when I was in HS. He asked me how we carried our music around before that. “We didn’t” I replied. I got a blank stare in return. </p>
<p>Kids today… :-)</p>
<p>The Hayes 1200 baud modem with the sturdy aluminum case. I’m sure a scrape yard would give you some serious money for that pound of aluminum. I spent some serious time getting the Hayes to dial out under CP/M 86. Blessed are device drivers and plug and play. </p>
<p>With laptops so popular, I’m reminded of the Compaq portable from the early 80’s that weighed 30 lbs. No battery, just an electrical cord and a 7” amber (I think) monochrome screen, all built into a plastic case the size of a big duffle bag. You got a hernia moving it from one side of the room to the other. Then again, the Compaq mirrored the big Boom Boxes of the day.</p>
<p>Once upon a Somewhen, I worked with acoustic couplers and punch card programs that used batch-processing and achieved two runs a day, three if you were extraordinarily lucky, fast, and turned your corrected deck in just in time.</p>
<p>Before that, I took a programming class where part of the programming was wiring a patch board.</p>
<p>And before that, I used a K&E log-log bamboo slide rule.</p>
<p>Yeah, I hung out with Gilgamesh for a while.</p>
<p>Aw yeah. I had the Commodore Vic 20 with the cassette deck and no monitor (it plugged into the TV). Our 1986 Mac Plus was like a whole new world. I logged on in 1988 with my state-of-the-art 2400 baud modem and the Prodigy network.</p>
<p>Hell, we had PONG.</p>
<p>HAHA I still own a mint condition Commodore with 1541 drive :-)</p>