What was the first computer you used?

[Driver]

The first one I owned and learned how to use was a Sinclair Spectrum Z80 - sometime around 1981. It was a clever design. The whole thing was housed in a black keyboard about the size of the one I'm using now, minus the RH one-third. You had to plug it in to a TV for a monitor and a tape cassette recorder for RAM. There was a small thermal printer available. It used a silver-coloured paper roll.

You could buy some proprietary software on cassettes but it came with a pretty good manual that taught you how to use Sinclair Basic. I was very proud of myself when I wrote a program for cost estimating steel structures. (This was in the days when I was a structural engineer / project manager).

I've probably still got that little machine somewhere. Hmmmm......

[Shedhand]

My brain

then

a stupid PDP8 which was always broken down and shared by about 150 people on a roster.

[Eddie Jones]

I worked in computer support from 1982 till retiring 2 years ago, not sure what the FIRST computer I used was - Probably a PDP-8 - but certainly my favourite one was given to me once as a birthday pressie.

It was from Dick Smiths. A small piece of green plastic with 5 holes for the fingers! Oh and there was a bit of that green twistie-tie too. That was the memory!

Eddie

[martrix]

MicroBee at school?

Apple IIc at home.

word, me too except the Microbee was at home.

[outback]

1st, dunno what it was, same deal as Ruffly, you had to learn a heap of crappy commands just to see a word on the screen. It was really more of a programmable calculator than a computer.

2nd Microbee. Loaded the program via the audio cassette hookyuppygadget.

[MICKYG]

Vic 20, Commodore 64, TRS 80, and then ibm type clones.

Regards Mike

[scooter]

...a terminal addiction...

[groan]

Remember those adventure games. Open Door, look left, get ball....

Hobbit was one I think?

[Landseka]

Well golly-gee, don't tell me I was thoe only person to own an Atari 400? What a machine it was, 16K memory I think, Cassette tape storage, 51/4" disc drive stand alone for $400 odd I think, membrane keyboard. (actually I still have it)

This was very early 80's and I vividly recall getting everything home & powering up only to find I just had an expensive calculator. Rang the shop and was told I would need the 'optional' basic in a cartridge if I wanted to do more than calculating. ,

I'd love to sell that geek a car, then sell him the 'optional' engine. (but only if you want to drive the car sir)

Regards

Neil

[Hoppoz]

An Apple IIe with monochrome green screen and used to play StarTrek which repesented the Enterprise with an "E" and Klingons were "Ks"

Hoppoz

[rrich]

The first one, that I actually put fingers on...

RCA - 301

First one that I programmed...

IBM - 1620

First personal computer...

IBM 370/155
(It was all mine during second trick. Until a VP saw me using the system one evening. He asked me, "Are you aware that the corporate financial informaton and human resource information is on this system?" My answer was, "Yeah, but it is on those other disc packs and I never spin those up. I'm just debugging this program." The next day I had an operator for my PC. )

Other systems that I've repaired or programmed
RCA Spectra/70
PDP 8
PDP 11
VAX
DECSystem 20/20 (A real POS)
CDC 6500, 6600, 7600
IBM 360/50, 370/167
GE/PAC 4020 and 4010
A system (APZ something, I can't remember the name, the North Electric version was ETS-4) for Telephony switching by L.M. Erickson (I believe that Telstra has/had some of these)
Interdata 7/16 and 7/32

At home we've had either access to a remote system or an actual PC since 1971.

[Wood Butcher]

The first computer that I used was a Dick Smith VZ-300. Similar to what Tankstand mentioned earlier by the looks of things. Used to spend hours programming BASIC games into it and recording them onto tape if we thought they were good enough (out of memory the tapes were 5min long)

Sort of lost interest after a while till the old boy bought a xt 086 which had 2 x 5 1/4" floppy drives which I thought was fantastic. Then for the huge upgrade to a 5 mb HDD and eventually a colour monitor. I still had this until only a few years ago when I gave it to some friends that are interested in collecting old working desktops. Still goes too!

[Stuart]

[groan]
Hobbit was one I think?

Yup, and Zork, and a whole heap of others. Think one of the best derivations (around the 386 time) was Gateway, an adaption of a book by Frederik Pohl.



Then there was Ultima (Exodus Ultima 3 was my favourite), can still remember most of the commands - each key on the keyboard was a different action (a)ttack, (b)oard, (c)ast, (d)escend, (e)nter etc etc



I have a few GB of these early games, part of my collecting obsession. There's a great book called "Hi Score" which is a gloss-over look at gaming history.

Those same boffins now give me a hard time because my mouse has only one (actually no) button or scroll wheel.

P

You probably are too proficient with what you have, but if you want the best of both worlds, the Apple Mighty Mouse is an awesome bluetooth mouse. (looks like it is only 1 button, but you can left & right click, has a wheel etc etc). Great for us PC users converting to mac.

[Cliff Rogers]

Anybody remember 'Hunt the Wumpus' (sp)

How about Scott what's'isname's Adventure series?

And what about Startrek?

[Harry72]

TRS80 for me, we used to make our own games for it!
Still bloody addicted to games now...

[craigb]

And what about Startrek?

Yes mate. Many wasted hours playing that on a 3270.

In fact, I think it was the last computer gane I played. Either that or Adventure.

Here is a history:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/maury/games...star_trek.html