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Main Decks => Tech Topics => Topic started by: davekill on September 07, 2007, 09:01:30 PM

Title: What was your first computer?
Post by: davekill on September 07, 2007, 09:01:30 PM
At the time there was not much to choose from, so I went down to my local Radio Shack
and bought a color capable TRS80. It came with a tape cassette drive and a manual on "color basic"

Later I owned a Commador 64, then a 128 with dual floppy drives and a color ribbon impact printer.

Later still, a Macintosh Classic II, a "wicked Fast" Mac II FX, then a number of  later Macs and PCs (HPs mostly).

Of all things to collect - I collect Apple Macintosh laptops! I have almost everyone from the first Mac Portable (luggable)
to the Titanium series 1GHZ ( yup, the same material used in the SR-71 and Russian MiGs)

But I can't say I ever owned a Heathkit H8 ;)
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: jedijeff on September 07, 2007, 09:24:14 PM
Our Family had a few computers, we had an XT and a 286. The first computer I ever owned myself was 486 - 66 DX and I got 16mb of Ram with it. At the time I thought it was a pretty hot computer. What really excited me was that I could Play X-Wing on it, and I spent hours playing it.

Since then I have had quite a few PC's, lost count, most of them I built myself. Kind of miss the old days of computers when it was more of a hobby then it is now. I liked going to specialized computer stores and looking at the parts, and the new games that came out. I miss those stores, and even though a person can go to places like Bestbuy, just does not have the same feel like the old days.
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: moyer777 on September 07, 2007, 10:03:39 PM
Wow, cool topic.

Ok, the first one that my wife and I used was a timex computer that hooked up to the tv. 

Then as time went on I used Apple IIe at school and then a few years after I graduated I got an XT. with Dos 3.1.

At the radio station I worked for we got a state of the art 286 with Peach Tree accounting and a dot matrix printer.  Man, it was so cool at the time.  And of course DOS upgraded.

After that as time went on I got a cool Packard Bell 486 DX-66 with a whopping 4 megs of ram and a 2600 baud modem.  Wow.  Windows 3.0

Then of course the amazing thing called the Pentium computer came out and of course I had a friend build me one and then upgrade after upgrade....

And here we are with everything pretty fast and fun.

Ah the memories. 

Casette Tape drives for back up, 5.5 floppies, getting my first mouse.  That was cool.

:)
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: X on September 08, 2007, 09:58:03 AM
Mine was an IBM 880 or 8080 and them an Apple II.
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: iceman on September 08, 2007, 06:43:10 PM
mine was a commoadore 64
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: Rico on September 08, 2007, 07:54:25 PM
Well, not counting the mainframes at college, first PC I owned was a Commodore 64.  Wrote a full blown Monopoly game for it.  I still miss it.
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: Blackride on September 10, 2007, 07:09:51 AM
Commodore 64 first than a 386..... of I recall the EMM days.
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: Duffster on September 10, 2007, 07:19:43 AM
Wow, davekill, the COCO was my first computer also. Next was a C64...man I loved that thing. I held out on moving to a pc for a long time. I was working in a computer store fixing pc's and apples, and refused to switch because I loved the sound and the graphics on the C64 much better.

Well, EGA and Adlib changed that for me!

heh...I remember how cool it was when I got my 300 baud modem for the C64. It came with some free compuserve time. That was very cool at the time at least.
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: Dan M on September 10, 2007, 07:52:24 AM
Apple IIGS, Woz signature edition (for Steve Wozniak): http://www.digibarn.com/collections/systems/appleIIgs-wozedition/running-IIgs/1DSC08753.JPG

I used that all through college.
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: Bryancd on September 10, 2007, 08:35:23 AM
Apple Macintosh Plus:

CPU: Motorola MC68000
CPU Speed: 8 MHz
FPU: none
Bus Speed: 8 MHz
Data Path: 16 bit
ROM: 128 kB
RAM Type: 30 pin SIMM
Minimum RAM Speed: 150 ns
Onboard RAM: 0 MB
RAM slots: 4
Maximum RAM: 4 MB
Video
Monitor: 9" built-in
Max Resolution: 1 bit 512x342
Storage
Floppy Drive: 3.5" 800 kB

Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: darthcooley on September 30, 2007, 05:09:55 PM
Started out with a Texas Instruments with the Casette Drive Later I begged for a Apple 2 C & was shot down. About a year or so later I upgraded to a Commador 64 Portable ( Weighed like 50 pounds & had a 3 inch monitor..
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: markinro on September 30, 2007, 07:46:08 PM
Lets see if I remember this
Commodore VIC-20 - NO TAPE DRIVE - ARRGGGH and I paid 300 smackers too   >:(
Commodore 64 - paid $600 - didn't learned my lesson yet  :mad2:
Amstrad luggable  with 200baud modem :ohmy
IBM PC - full height 10mb hard drive (4k sectors) -- still screaming at this point  :old_bash:
PC 286 - a little better.  Can play DOOM now :boxing
PC 386 - nice bump
PC 486 - on the edge of coolness  :ohbaby
Full range of Pentiums after this

What a trip its been but now, I'm happy.   :metallica: 
Upgrading components instead of just RIPPING everything out and starting over. :)


Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: Rico on October 01, 2007, 04:40:37 AM
Man Mark.  I still remember that first Vic 20 you got.  Those were fun times.
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: billybob476 on October 01, 2007, 05:21:18 AM
The first computer I ever used was a family computer. Apple II, that thing was amazing. It had the best games! Sometimes my dad let me touch his PC (yes we had an 8087). It was usually for work but if I wanted to type something out he let me touch it.

The first machine I ever bought and built myself was my Linux box, AMD Athlon XP 2000+.
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: markinro on October 01, 2007, 08:56:06 AM
Quote from: Rico on October 01, 2007, 04:40:37 AM
Man Mark.  I still remember that first Vic 20 you got.  Those were fun times.

Yeah -- especially without a tape drive.  I think I wrote Yahtzee three times.  Bet I can still find them on eBay
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: psikeyhackr on October 03, 2007, 09:51:45 PM
The first one I wrote programs on was an IBM System 3 model 8, I think.

I didn't own one until 9 years later, a Heathkit H-8.

2 MHz 8080 with 20 K of memory.  Soldered together by hand. 

They just don't make them like they used to.   :roflmao

I still haven't learned to do surface mount soldering. 

psik
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: PepperDude on October 09, 2007, 07:44:00 PM
Ya'll make me feel young. My first PC was a Windows 95 Packard Bell with a sizzling Pentium clocked at 166 Mhz, 32 MB of RAM, 1 MB of video RAM, 2.5 GB hard-drive, Sound Blaster card, CD-ROM drive, and 33.6 modem. Wow, I still remember all the major specs.

I really liked my first PC.
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: KingIsaacLinksr on October 09, 2007, 08:40:45 PM
Quote from: PepperDude on October 09, 2007, 07:44:00 PM
Ya'll make me feel young. My first PC was a Windows 95 Packard Bell with a sizzling Pentium clocked at 166 Mhz, 32 MB of RAM, 1 MB of video RAM, 2.5 GB hard-drive, Sound Blaster card, CD-ROM drive, and 33.6 modem. Wow, I still remember all the major specs.

I really liked my first PC.

Be happy, I didn't...stupid Emachines junk that frustrated me for 5 years.  thank goodness I don't have to worry aobut it. 

King Linksr
Title: Re: What was your first computer?
Post by: The IC on October 15, 2007, 02:32:49 PM
IBM 486 SX 25

20MD HDD, and 2 MB of Ram

I upgraded the Ram to 6MB, and added a 230MB HDD