What was your first computer?
Wednesday, June 26, 2002 by mormegil | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
This came up in another thread, and I thought is would be fun to carry over.
I still own, and it still works, my Timex Sinclair 2068. Remember being so prod that it came with 72k of memory, that was so much more then the Commodore 64, and when I got the 16 K expansion pack I thought I was a god among 12year olds.
I still think it had the easiest version of basic built in to that ever was. Each key had 4 commands on it, so when programming with it you could white “if then goto” in 3 key stokes. I spent an entire summer righting my very own version of “The Last Straighter” Video game. I found the thermal print of that lately and had quite a laugh.
I even wrote my very own version of “Turtle” a very primitive graphics program. I Remember thinking, “I sure wish there was some way to work on computers and be an artist”. What do ya know it turned out there was.
I still own, and it still works, my Timex Sinclair 2068. Remember being so prod that it came with 72k of memory, that was so much more then the Commodore 64, and when I got the 16 K expansion pack I thought I was a god among 12year olds.
I still think it had the easiest version of basic built in to that ever was. Each key had 4 commands on it, so when programming with it you could white “if then goto” in 3 key stokes. I spent an entire summer righting my very own version of “The Last Straighter” Video game. I found the thermal print of that lately and had quite a laugh.
I even wrote my very own version of “Turtle” a very primitive graphics program. I Remember thinking, “I sure wish there was some way to work on computers and be an artist”. What do ya know it turned out there was.
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Caylynn
Reply #2 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 9:57 AM
Reply #2 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 9:57 AM
Commodore Vic-20, which was then upgraded to a Commodore 64. I used the C-64 for years and years, until I finally got a 386 in Grade 13.
I loved playing games on that C-64 - there were some great titles.
I loved playing games on that C-64 - there were some great titles.
c242
Reply #3 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 9:57 AM
Reply #3 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 9:57 AM
My first PC was a 386SX-16 with 1 MB RAM amd 20 MB HD, 14'' Monitor, Mouse. Spent 2500 $ for that power machine. Later I bought 8 MB RAM (on a card that was as long as the whole pc-case...). My last investion on that machine was a 100 MB HD for 500 $... 
c242
Reply #4 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 9:59 AM
Reply #4 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 9:59 AM
Hmm, Winter, Summer, California and World Games... We spent nights (sometimes with 8 people) playing these...
Chris
Reply #5 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:01 AM
Reply #5 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:01 AM
My very first home computer was also the Timex Sinclair (eventually followed by all the various Commodore computers (vic-20 all the way up to the Amiga). I remember the Sinclair's bizzard micro keyboard.
The first computer I used professionally was a Digital PDP8. It used punched paper tape (which inevitably unravelled all over the floor and tore, resulting in liberal but strategiic applications of scotch tape). Its front had a series of big yellow switches called RAP (Random Access Panel) in which you manully toggled to either 0 or 1 to enter data in octal notation. This was back in the mid 80s when the thing was already considered ancient. Everytime I used it I felt like a mad scientist in a 50s sci-fi movie.
The first computer I used professionally was a Digital PDP8. It used punched paper tape (which inevitably unravelled all over the floor and tore, resulting in liberal but strategiic applications of scotch tape). Its front had a series of big yellow switches called RAP (Random Access Panel) in which you manully toggled to either 0 or 1 to enter data in octal notation. This was back in the mid 80s when the thing was already considered ancient. Everytime I used it I felt like a mad scientist in a 50s sci-fi movie.
TasT
Reply #6 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:02 AM
Reply #6 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:02 AM
Yes I remember and I also had the 5 1/4 drive.
Thanks for helping me remember paul first was the Timex sinclair predesesor to your 2068 it was a Timex Sinclair 1000 I believe.... I remember sitting for hours programing a simple cat and mouse type game..
Thanks for helping me remember paul first was the Timex sinclair predesesor to your 2068 it was a Timex Sinclair 1000 I believe.... I remember sitting for hours programing a simple cat and mouse type game..
MikeB314
Reply #7 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:09 AM
Reply #7 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:09 AM
My first was a TRS-80 from Tandy/Radio Shack. All my apps were on cassette tape. I eventually moved up to a Commodore 64. c242, I remember GEOS!
c242
Reply #8 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:14 AM
Reply #8 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:14 AM
GEOS was not so bad... No problems with Windows afterwards... 
Jafo
Reply #9 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:15 AM
Reply #9 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:15 AM
CBM 64....and now its a P111/500 1gig ram and a C64 emulator, so I can still play Commando....
BoXXi
Reply #10 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:24 AM
Reply #10 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:24 AM
My first computer was the one I am using now!! I've had it just over 3 years, and that's how long I have been using computers. It's a 233Mhz PII, I have upgraded the graphics card (Matrox Millenium), and now have 320Mb Ram. I am still struggling along with my 3Gb hard drive and 15" monitor, but hopefully, a friend of mine is going to give me his old 8Gb hard drive next week. Luxury!!! 
Orion
Reply #11 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:47 AM
Reply #11 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:47 AM
Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1.
Several months later, I saved enought to buy the cassette tape drive so I could save data.
Several months later, I saved enought to buy the cassette tape drive so I could save data.
Griffinme
Reply #12 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:48 AM
Reply #12 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:48 AM
Apple IIc
I was a loderunner addict.
An office suit that took up 4-6 6inch floppies.
Griffinme remembers buying single sided floppies and cutting a notch to make them double sided.
Sometimes my Dad would take me to work and let me play on the Digital mainframe at work. It used special disks that were two feet across. It was about the size of one and a half large file cabinets. He always claimed that the OS was in many ways more advanced then Windows is now. They used it to make punch tapes for CNC machines.
I was a loderunner addict.
An office suit that took up 4-6 6inch floppies.
Griffinme remembers buying single sided floppies and cutting a notch to make them double sided.
Sometimes my Dad would take me to work and let me play on the Digital mainframe at work. It used special disks that were two feet across. It was about the size of one and a half large file cabinets. He always claimed that the OS was in many ways more advanced then Windows is now. They used it to make punch tapes for CNC machines.
Mr Benn
Reply #13 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:50 AM
Reply #13 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:50 AM
First one I bought was a second hand IBM PS/2 Model 30 with an 8MHz 8086 processor and a 20Mb hard disk. It had a full 1Mb of RAM though, not just 640Kb! Bought it in about 1991, I think. It was just about capable of running Windows 3.1, but I never bothered as it only had a mono screen, I ran MS-DOS 5 instead.
I remember my dad getting a Sinclair ZX Spectrum years before that though (mid 80s). Don't know if you had that in the US, maybe that was the Timex Sinclair that people have referred to. Big square rubbery keys with about 8 functions on each key. It was a pain having to type programs in, so I didn't bother with it much.
I also remember my first attempts at programming, using the Tandy TRS-80 at university, and Commodore 64 in my first job (early 80s).
I remember my dad getting a Sinclair ZX Spectrum years before that though (mid 80s). Don't know if you had that in the US, maybe that was the Timex Sinclair that people have referred to. Big square rubbery keys with about 8 functions on each key. It was a pain having to type programs in, so I didn't bother with it much.
I also remember my first attempts at programming, using the Tandy TRS-80 at university, and Commodore 64 in my first job (early 80s).
md2433
Reply #14 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:51 AM
Reply #14 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:51 AM
C64 with both a 5 1/2 and 3 1/2 dd's. I remember GEOS with a smile. GEOS did not crash.
Snowman
Reply #16 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:53 AM
Reply #16 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:53 AM
C64 with tape and 5 1/4 diskdrive.. still got it and it's even working!!
KarmaGirl
Reply #17 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:55 AM
Reply #17 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:55 AM
I had a Vic 20 with the tape tape drive (you know, the one that took regular audio tapes). Then we had a "Franklin" which was an Apple IIe clone. Then, years later, I got my first PC. It was a 386.
Koasati
Reply #18 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:56 AM
Reply #18 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 10:56 AM
Like BoXXi, I'm still using my first computer.
Dell OptiPlex GX1 PII 450, with a few upgrades...
Dell OptiPlex GX1 PII 450, with a few upgrades...
moshi
Reply #19 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 11:08 AM
Reply #19 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 11:08 AM
my C64 with floppy disk still work, only one fire button of my QuickShot2 joytick is destroyed.
treetog
Reply #20 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 11:15 AM
Reply #20 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 11:15 AM
my first one was 386 4mb RAM and 600 mb HD with a black and white 14" monitor
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Reply #1 Wednesday, June 26, 2002 9:52 AM