Off-Topic > Off-Topic - Tiny Tux's Corner

What was your first experience?

(1/7) > >>

NeoPhyte_Rep:
In the vein of clivesay's question, what was your first computing experience?

Mine was during my college BS curriculum for Engineering.  We were given access to GE Tymeshare, and an IBM 1130 (8K memory + 8K swap) for our FORTRAN IV work and a small analog computer with unitary amplifiers for our simulation work.

(According to Gerald M. Weinberg, who wrote The Psychology of Computer Programming ISBN 0-932633-42-0, whatever language we first learn determines the style we use for all the other languages we learn.  I hope I've grown past that.)

mikshaw:
The first or second year of high school (1984 or 85), we got two Apple][ machines and learned a little Basic. I hated it, and didn't touch another computer until about 4 years later...PC Paint on DOS.

Lee:
"Intro to Computers" in 1981 at Penn State New Kensington involved learning TRS-80 BASIC on some kind of a Z80 platform with a dozen or so dumb terminals attached (we weren't encouraged to learn much about the system itself).  I loved it.

The next semester it was FORTRAN using a punched cards and a line printer - the computer itself was at main campus.  And yeah, my "pseudocode" exercises in the FORTRAN class looked an awful lot like BASIC (thank you very much, Mr. Weinberg!) but I managed to keep myself out of the "spaghetti code" habit until I got involved with MUMPS in about 2004.

ahmrahtcheer:
My first real experience with a computer was with a C64 purchased by my folks in 1982.  I was immediately hooked, but held off buying one until after my marriage.  I then purchased a 128k Mac, which went through all possible upgrades ending with a Mac+.  Three more Macs followed, along with a 286, an Apple ][e, some Atari 8-bits, several laptops, a KayPro II, andi can't easily recall what else.

ke4nt:
My first experience?  Her name was Michelle, and she liked to wear nothing but cowboy boots when she.......

My first computer was a version similar to this, that I got as a xmas present from my grandparents.
http://www.retrothing.com/2006/02/build_your_own_.html
..a 3 digit binary computer..

Next was the graduation from the old 'pong' and atari games to an atari computer, various C=64/128 toys,
a handfull of TRS80's and color 3s, several AT&T 8086s and IBM 8088 turbos, and and finally my first 386-16DX
with DrDOS.  I felt I could rule the world on a 386 w/4M memory, Norton Commander, and an 80MB HD. 
Stacks of floppies........big ones, small ones........

Today, my cellphone can do more than all of them combined.. Heck, I've got SSH, RDP, 4G storage, and! 3G inet.
Runs for hours and hours on a single charge.  Fits in my pocket.  Use it anywhere.  Full color.  Takes pictures.
Who'da thunk it?

16GB pendrives for $16 ??   So much music , so little time.

73
ke4nt

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page