When did you first use a computer?

RobAPI

New member
When did you first use a computer?
What was it?
What differences now do you think are better, anything you think has got worse in computers since you used your first?
 
Well I grew up with computers, so as far as when did I start using one? Probably before I can even remeber :P

I started out on an old Commodore 64.. real old.. then moved up to an IBM 486 SX.. I believe it was 33mhz?

I think computers keep getting better every year. And I much prefer them now than before.
 
I can't even remember...
First computerised hardware I had was mainly for gaming (From what I remember...).
You put tapes into it to play whatever was on the tapes, just remember the graphics were really bad but were probably good for back then.

I think that is the first one I used anyway...
Home computers like we have today weren't really popular in Ireland, in the country, they still aren't.
It's only in the cities that a lot of people would have them now, still no where near the % compared to the states.
 
I started using computers when I was about 10-11 yrs old for playing video games and typing. The first PC I had to myself was an IBM AT which ran Dos 3.1. I used it to play Magic Craft...wow that was a long time ago. We then moved on to an HP which was a 90mhz processor, then to another HP which was 233mhz, then after that I started building my own systems. This was probably when I was around the age of 14. Ive built my own ever since.
 
It must've been about 15 years ago. For some reason I can't recall it exactly. It was an HC90 (a Sinclair Spectrum).
 
OK, I guess I'm really sad then, my first computer experience was a binary computer used by the Open University (UK correspondence based university). My dad did a computing & maths option and I got to "play" with the computer. This must have been at least 25 years ago. You had to set the switches, press buttons and then read the row of LED's to get the results :) I guess there weren't many pre teen's then who even knew what a computer was, let alone used one.

By 1982, I was programming in Z80 assembler and had outgrown BASIC on my ZX81 even with the huge 16K rampack.

As to what's better with computers now... you don't loose everything when Mum unplugs it to use the toaster as it's done an autosave to your hard drive :)

What's worse... everything is dumbed down and so much the same, this may be ideal for newbies.
 
monaghan said:
OK, I guess I'm really sad then, my first computer experience was a binary computer used by the Open University (UK correspondence based university). My dad did a computing & maths option and I got to "play" with the computer. This must have been at least 25 years ago. You had to set the switches, press buttons and then read the row of LED's to get the results :) I guess there weren't many pre teen's then who even knew what a computer was, let alone used one.

By 1982, I was programming in Z80 assembler and had outgrown BASIC on my ZX81 even with the huge 16K rampack.

As to what's better with computers now... you don't loose everything when Mum unplugs it to use the toaster as it's done an autosave to your hard drive :)

What's worse... everything is dumbed down and so much the same, this may be ideal for newbies.

Hehe, I just learned about all that stuff in my Computer Operating Systems course at University. They had us write the code to take input from a keyboard. That took our group about 3 days to write.... yeah I know, pathetic.

Nice to see someone on the forum with this amount of indepth past experience.
 
monaghan I think your one is most impressive, although don't think I could stick that for too long :D

I would rather have my GUI and a TFT monitor ;)

(Speakers that aren't monotone wouldn't be too bad either)
 
Packard bell... Pentium 233mhz. was my first orginal computer. Remember this was my first computer to my self. But I remember the ones were you had the big 5" floppys to run stuff off of :P
 
Well,

I can't remember what was my first computer, but I think it was one of the first 486 IBM Computers, I remember I played the Star Wars game on it...

Thank God for the Internet, I remember those Dark ages! :D
 
RobAPI said:
monaghan I think your one is most impressive, although don't think I could stick that for too long :D

I would rather have my GUI and a TFT monitor ;)

(Speakers that aren't monotone wouldn't be too bad either)

It's all too easy now, the average teen can be running as a reseller with their WHM / Cpanel system in a few hours with virtually no knowledge. Your average joe can install a Windows server for their department.

I still get to cut the occaional bit of code, but it's mainly all high level stuff (database, php etc...) although I have recently gained an interest in the PIC microcontroller and have been enjoying the delights of low level coding once again. Debug messages via RS232 or 2*16char LCD :)

TFT monitor - I built a PC for my Mum the other week with a 15" TFT, then looked at the cost of getting a 19" TFT that wouls do 1600x1280 to replace my 19" CRT. I guess I'll be sticking with the CRT for a while unless sales improve dramatically :(
 
RobAPI said:
When did you first use a computer?
What was it?
What differences now do you think are better, anything you think has got worse in computers since you used your first?

When I found out the internet offered free porn :D
 
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