Comments on: Technology moves fast

By: James

James — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:44:53 +0000

Actually, that’s a pretty nice tube tester, and still very useful, as tubes are well used in the audiophile industry…

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:26:59 +0000

My very first computer was an 8088, with a monochrome monitor, a 5 1/4″ floppy and an external modem. This blazing piece of machinery was custom made for me by Bergoine Computers in Salt Lake City Utah, for just over $6000!

My first “portable” computer was so big, I had to carry it on one of those fold-up luggage carts! It folded up into a very heavy shape about 18 or so inches across and at LEAST 6″ thick! At the time, i was THRILLED!!! A PORTABLE PC!

By: Matt Cutts

Matt Cutts — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:03:49 +0000

w00t to all the ZX-81 users out there.

By: ApOgEE

ApOgEE — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:08:49 +0000

I still remember how my friend told me the true story where he hacked an ATM machine with his Atari computer. They can’t event catch him because they don’t have CCTV yet.

By: Funked

Funked — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:44:22 +0000

”Sometimes you’d type too fast and you’d have to wait for the modem to catch up.” Oh the good old days. The internet was such a nicer place back then.

I dread to think of the technology that will be available to us in 25 years time. Even 6-7 years ago I never would have thought you could browse the internet with your phone. I love the fact that I grew up in the 80’s and I’ve watch all these gadgets grow and grow, I’m so excited for the future.

By: Chris_D

Chris_D — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:21:09 +0000

At school, in 1977, we had a teletype terminal with a paper tape reader. 35 students in the computing class, learning BASIC. And just the one teletype terminal….. You had to hand in a paper tape and a printout of the executed program.
Like Ciro, I’ve kept some of the old PC related stuff. Original boxed Leisure suit larry games (with both 5.25 and 3.5in floppies), Word 1.0 (for the PC) etc etc.
Anyone else remember the ICL OPD (One Per Desk)- circa 1985; or the Apricot PC (before they were IBM compatible?

By: Ciro

Ciro — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:16:16 +0000

I must be bloody old, since I remember a time when there were no digital displays! My first computer was a Commodore 64, but as a young kid I was the proud owner of a copy of the first Pulsar Watch with red LED display. To read the time, you had to press a button on the side, so that required use of both hands: forget about checking it while on you bicycle!
Having said this, I am more into keeping copies of old software together with the machines running it. Anybody like me, still keeping working computers with DOS 3.2, 16-color EGA graphic cards with EGA monitor, or an ancient 5 1/4 floppy with Wordstar on it and a proper floppy reader? I just cannot throw away any dismissed piece of hardware!

By: Patrick "Paperless"

Patrick "Paperless" — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:50:40 +0000

Floppy disks! I miss them so… I’m a youngster, I learned to read playing Ultima 4 and Wizardry on an Apple IIe, and we got a 386 when I was in the fifth grade. It had a VESA video card — I was styling when Wolf3d came out.

By: kaloo

kaloo — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:52:20 +0000

I remember my old Magnavox video game console from 1978

By: Merrick

Merrick — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:07:40 +0000

I remember going to the local university when i was at primary school to see there collection of”cutting edge” synthesisers. That would have been about 25 years ago.
They had a massive room to house them but there was only space left for 3 children + the teacher to stand in!

now I’ve got the same capabilities (if not more) installed on my studio PC!