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What was your first computer?
Things progressed nicely when I caught my first computer virus by unsafely downloading some Monty Python sounds on my dad's Macintosh SE/30. Today my iPhone has far more computing power (and has yet to see a copy of Disinfectant cleared on the App Store) than a room full of 80's-era Macs. For anyone who reflects back upon their first computer and their current computer, it is a similar, dizzying experience.
As we head into a new decade, we've assembled a few stories from our Seed contributors on this same topic. Each contributor recalls a specific type of computer and their own special experiences with their first computers. The last story, "Helping My Mom..." is more about how computers have left a generation behind, and how the technological divide still exists... But it's OK -- the future is bright for computing, as we now carry miniature PC's in our pockets every day. Here's to the future!
To jump to a particular story, click below.
The Digi-Comp II
The Sinclair ZX81
The sad little IBM PCjr
My first computer: remembering in black and green
A used IBM 80286
Helping my Mom slide technologically backwards
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/ / CC BY 2.0
Comments
54
Subscribe to commentsEmo1313Jan 1st 2010 11:52AM
Lotsa youngsters here....
Mine wa a C64, first "real" computer, was an old 8088 , I ran an old Fidonet BBS too... then it slipped into the 286 - 386 area
techpopsJan 1st 2010 2:52PM
I have to correct you there :p The first real computer came much later. The Commodore Amiga :) It's believed by some to have been designed by a bunch of time traveling engineers, so advanced was its design for the time. True multitasking at a time when the PC was pretending it could do that, true parallel processing, 4096 colours on screen at once when the PC was doing, how many? 4? 16? it was plug and play years before the term had even been coined. For a time, it was the perfect realisation of what a home computer could be and only idiot management at Commodore assured its demise.
Vive la Amiga!
jeremiahstoverJan 10th 2010 10:01PM
A Commodore VIC-20 picked up at a local new year sale at GoodWill for $20
HugoJan 1st 2010 4:38PM
Apple II Plus
My dream was to have a joystick... :-)
I got it eventually...
jaredworkJan 1st 2010 8:48PM
Pentium 75MHz, 16MB RAM, 1.275GB HDD, and a 1MB (or was it 2MB?, can't remember) on-board video card.
Ahh, those were the days ;)
BRUCE MCKNIGHTJan 1st 2010 9:29PM
This really brings back some memories. My first was an Atari 800 and a 300baud modem. This was before we had any idea about the wide world of web and the internet. But a select few of us where avid bulletin board users. I eventually setup my own site. Also feel in love with computers which led me into a partnership and a retail computer store. We started out as a Atari store. Then moved into the Kaypro computer. Before long IBM compatible came along and we where off and running. I have had many brands of computers, and use both Windows and Apple computers today.I remember when the first windows came out and how excided we all where.
peegeeJan 2nd 2010 6:45PM
The BBC Micro : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Micro. Had a whopping 64K of RAM with an external floppy drive. Interestingly enough it had an analog port which allowed me to attach sensors. Later on it was the Tandy.
HillshumJan 2nd 2010 10:48PM
In 1996 or so, my Aunt and Uncle gave us a Pentium (I think) running Win3.1. That was my first taste of computers, at the tender age of 3. A couple years later we got a PII with Win95. That was later upgraded to 98. That served us until last year (it was old, I know) when a new dual-core Pentium was obtained with XP. Also around that time, I began messing with a few 800MHz or so machines with Linux. I used a couple of old PPC Macs for a bit. Now I'm on my own HP laptop.
mr-shabbyJan 3rd 2010 10:29PM
Circa 1979, first regularly used computer was my uncle's TRS-80, Model 1 (complete with Radio Shack cassette-player). Still have fond memories of that thing, it's crappy games and how hot it got the room. First one I actually owned was a Tandy Color Computer 2... good ol' BASIC. Sweet.
AlJan 3rd 2010 4:31PM
First one we brought home from Target was a VIC-20. US$79.95. Added the big 16K upgrade card and the casette drive. Used an old TV as monitor. Hooked it up to the antenna screws :) Son's first BASIC program:
10 GOTO 20
20 GOTO 30
30 GOTO 1O
He is now senior vp of a systems house. Obviously: management fodder...
My current unit is not upgraded: hp 4 core 2.6GHz Mothra II with 8GB ddr3, 1TB hd and hdmi monitor. Needs a subwoofer...
I am past work. I play Aion and read this World's Worst Web...
I worked at Univac when they still had vacuum tube units in use. This box could emulate every computer on the planet at that time, simultaneously. Failure modes would have to be emulated as well... there were many best not recalled... bugs used to be insects, literally :)
Nothing is as fun as it was obviously gonna be. Sigh.
Well, girls, but, nothing technical...
TbowJan 6th 2010 10:19AM
Radio Shack TRS-80. The keyboard was like 5 inches thick and weighed a ton!
budsmomJan 23rd 2010 10:58AM
My memory fails me as it was soo long ago, late '79-early 80's.. A Zenith, I recall, from a Heath Kit, passed down to me from my brother. Good ole DOS and learning programming.
FritzJun 4th 2010 3:13PM
Boy this topic brings back the memories :)
Nov 1982 - Timex Sinclair 1000, 2k with 16k RAM Pack, a couple of cassette-based games, and had to add the cassette player :)
Moved to a Franklin Ace 500 (which I found I couldn't upgrade :( ), then a Laser 128EX which I expanded to 1MB RAM! Could load all of Appleworks into RAM and have room to spare :)
Atari 600XL (cousin had the 800XL) and a bunch of game carts.
1st PC was a generic XT around mid-1980's. Been on PC platform ever since.
naaif_mFeb 4th 2010 9:38AM
My dad used to have a commodre pet 2001, about 4 KB. He bought it for about $1199 around 1977, when they first hit the shelves. Apparently he still has it, and when I compare it with my $499 nVIDIA GeForce kit http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_pc_kit.html It's stunning how these rigs have taken such a big leap technologically.