What was your first computer & When did you get into it as a hobby?

[VegasRonin]

My first computer was a TRS-80 Micro Color Computer (MC-10). I soon upgraded to a full TRS-80 Color Computer and a Commodore 64. Back then (around 84') we didn't have the net as you youngsters know it today. You had to dial in to an individual BBS (Bulletin Board System). I remember the first "Paint" type program I purchased for my Color Computer, it had a pull down "Windows" type of format, and my friends and I were totally blown away. You kids today are spoiled. :lol:

Check out the Color Computer Emulatorhttp://discover-net.net/~dmkeil/coco/

[MacRasta]

My first computer was a Schneider 64, with buid-in tape recorder. I was 12, with the green monitor and all. Basic was my thing, only 3 months later I made a DBase programm with password and all, even with graphs.

I sometimes sit in front of my computer and think about that time, when you loaded a game via tape, it took 15-20 minutes for something not even half as big than your average Patience game on Windows.

Now our PC's load more stuff on startup, keeping it just in memory, than all the harddrives you could pay in that time! And we're not even talking about the graphics.....

MacJurassicPc

[grandiose]

I had a zx spectrum and therefor I am of the viewpoint that ever since then games companies dont have to try as hard to make gameplay an issue like they did in those days
each game cost less than even half of your pocket money mostly
the graphics were awful so the gameplay had to be the main selling point
it gave us such gems as 'treasure island dizzy' - an egg with boxing gloves
'chase hq' - u played the FBI, who had to ram suspects cars
'paperboy' - yes you played an erm...paperboy!
each game took a dogs age to load, and often u would get about 10 complete games on the cover of spectrum magazines
the graphics got very impressive near the end of its life,(well kids today wouldnt agree) but I still remember being in sheer awe the first time I laid eyes on the 'prince of persia'
I noticed its been re-released on todays consoles just the other week
only exceptionally brave games like grand theft auto and the other rockstar titles have such playability nowadays

[AngelTV]

I remember spending hours filling in computer data cards so I could have the thrill of seeing them go through the card reader only to have an error and you would have to correct your basic or pascal programming. My first game was a high/low card game with the incredible randoms function. Whoa that was nifty.
Your right VR. These young whipper snappers got knows ideas what their founding fathers had to go through just to get a printout drawing made up of x's. Reminds me of the time..........

[VegasRonin]

Thought I was old:lol: You're talking Punch Cards, you're going WAY back.

[AngelTV]

I'm that old they called me Abacus Angel.:lol:

[lotrfan55345]

I had my parent's old 386 when I was like 3. My mum made a program to teach me #'s or was it ABCs, I dont remember but there were those old bendy flopy discs that could fit almost any program...whoa. Then I had a 486 then a PI and then the one I have, a crappy 5 year old PII.

[VegasRonin]

Then I had a 486 then a PI and then the one I have, a crappy 5 year old PII.
Ah, don't worry about that. Everyone knows that a computer is obsolete 6 mos after ya buy it anyway.:smokin:

[Smersh]

My first computer was the Commodore 64. It came with a separate small cassette player for loading software (mostly games of course ;) ) although it was later possible to buy a separate floppy disc drive, but I never did. There was no "hard disc" of course, the programs loaded directly into RAM (although a few also loaded extra segments in from the tape sometimes.)

Although it had a massive 64k of RAM, only about 29k I think it was, was available to loaded software as the rest was used to control various hardware data. It was possible to buy an upgrade cartridge which gave 128k of ram, but I never bothered with that either, as practically all games were designed for just the 64k version.

[lotrfan55345]

Ah, don't worry about that. Everyone knows that a computer is obsolete 6 mos after ya buy it anyway

More like 3 months;)

[keratas]

A commodore 64 was my first computer back in the early 90s. Just for games, then in 1996 we got our first PC. Gradually started spending too much time on it (especially internet from 1999 onwards) and in 2001 we purchased a new system. Internet obsession reached peak, calmed down in a major way as of 2004.

[lotrfan55345]

I started my internet obsession in 2001, I still have not reached my peak. :/

[Maleko]

My first comp was a TRaSh 80, way back in the 80's. After that I kinda got away from comps for a bit, then in early 97 I bought a 66 (I think) mhz intel, then got a P133 in 98 or 99 and have been online ever since.

[lotrfan55345]

Whoa! Upgrade as soon as you can! Unless you like that "dinasour", as the Indian person put it. (Sorry, forgot your screenname, indian person!)

[Maleko]

I'm currently in front of my 950 duron with my 1 ghz t-bird next to it :-)

[Defiant Noquisi]

Whoa! Upgrade as soon as you can! Unless you like that "dinasour", as the Indian person put it. (Sorry, forgot your screenname, indian person!)
LOL, tis I lotr! :crazy:

[evilwill]

Is a PIII 455MHz.

The same comp I'm posting with now. I got it in about 1998/9, i'm not quite sure.

Through that time, many components have died. I've gone through:

3 hard drives

3 video cards

2 sound cards

3 sets of RAM

1 printer

The network card is still going, so are the floppy and disc drives. My motherboard is screwed, it kills most components that I place within it and so I try not to play around with my comp at all. Because of the delicate situation, I have no sound card.

The experiences with this PC have caused me to become bitter and twisted towards all computers, with very little patience for them. In return, they spite me whenever they get the chance.

[Defiant Noquisi]

The first computer I ever used was a Tandy TRS-80 model III running BASIC, floppy discs(2!) tape drive back-up(so you could save your work) and all. http://oldcomputers.net/trs80iii.html The high school I went to bought them as soon as they came out. However, I sucked in algebra so I wasnt allowed to take computer class. Everything I learned came from other computer geek kids who felt sorry for me. I even attended a "challenge" class so I could show them I was BASIC savvy even though I was retarded in math. I lost out getting waived into computer class to another kid by one point.

Alas, I was so heartbroken I stayed away from computers until I bought my first hot and fast Tandy 1200 with DOS 3.1 :crashpc:

Trucking takes alot of your life so I didnt get another computer until 1998 and discover the thrills and spills of the internet.

[lotrfan55345]

Good ol' BASIC ! :bye:

[honeycomb]

i was 8 then. can't remember the hardwares - but there's WordStar & Lotus. the best printed font is somewhat like Times New Roman, that's all! in Lotus, i used to be intrigued with the "Import/Export" term, which i thought must be some kinda import/exporting commodities! i really thought global transactions will be going on if i click it... what a kid...

well if my own PC, bought with my hard earned money, i guess the one i'm using now is the first. it's black & tough (endured falling down the stairs!). P4, Jetway mainboard (my bro said it's chicken brand.. grrrr), GForce card. i also have a TV-card... now i don't even need an entertainment system. my PC is everything. :vbroll:

[midnightsonblaze]

My first computer was a Mac Performa 6116CD....I still have it hooked up....but it's slow as death compared to my one now....I got it back in 94 or 95 and connected to the net right after....I've been surfing for about 10 years now

[Marajadex]

The first computer I had a chance to use was a "hand me down" Tandy 286 with a 40 meg hard drive, wonderful windows 3.1 and no mouse. Must have been in the early 90's. Then I did alot of garage sale hopping and going to used parts stores and cobbled together a 486. It was good enough to get me on the internet. Since then I have built many PI's PII's and have finally got myself a whopping PIII 550. I have never purchased a whole already built computer. Always a generation behind and built myself. They all work tho! :thumbs:

[Defiant Noquisi]

Thats fabulous! Im going to have to do that myself so I can learn all these idiosyncrecies(sp) Im lacking in, even though I cant stand shopping. Ill just have to remind myself its for education! Thanks for posting that Marajadex.

[dutchie]

First comp ever: Radio Shack Tandy TRS 80, then added a Sinclair ZX81, a Philips MSX, Apple II, Commodore 64, 80286 PC, HP 260 mini, Apple Mac 1, Atari 1024 STf, Pentium I 90 Mhz PC, Pentium II 450 Mhz PC, Pentium III 700 Mhz PC (with a LOT of very FAST storage: 1.5 terabyte scsi level 3 RAID system, lots of disks)

[lotrfan55345]

scsi, raid 3 = WOW!!!!

That will blow my slow 7k HDD away!

Though I suppose RAID on S-ATA will be replace SCSI in the near future..

[Strife]

My brother's old IBM. It was around 1998, him and his friend decided to swap one of the useless computers at his high school (my high school now) and experiment with it. I believe it ran Windows 3.0/95 on it. The machine only had about 66mhz with a 486 processor, and maybe around 16/32 Mb of ram, whoa. Then we went on from that, to Pentium(133Mhz), MMX(266Mhz), Pentium 2(400-450Mhz?), Athlon(466Mhz) , and from a big jump to a Pentium 4 2.5 Ghz. :grin