Video & Multimedia

Blanks

(4,835 posts)

15. My first computer was a Commodore Vic 20

Sat Mar 30, 2013, 09:12 AM

Mar 2013

It had no external memory (1983 or 1984). I bought a cassette drive so I could save programs. I also bought a disk of programs. I remember the startup screen said 3580 bytes free.

It didn't do much (I wrote a little jumping jacks program - my first 'for' loop), I learned a lot about what programming was gonna look like. My next computer was a Tandy 8088 in 1989. I learned how to develop databases in a program called Nutshell. Then in 1992 my wife bought me a 386. I used this database experience to develop a fleet maintenance program in Borland Paradox.

My wife first connected to the Internet (text based in 1995 - I believe). We got two lines one for data and one for voice. A little later we connected with Netscape. Then in 2000 or so we got high speed Internet and since then it has been a necessity.

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What the Internet looked like in 1995 [View all] pokerfan Mar 2013 OP

awesome, thanks..nt Paul E Ester Mar 2013 #1

Archie... Wow. Totally forgot about that. JimDandy Mar 2013 #2

It'll never take off; who wants to buy a clunky computer.. zebonaut Mar 2013 #3

Bought my first, real, computer at Xmas 1995. greiner3 Mar 2013 #4

I bought my first computer in the eighties. MADem Mar 2013 #5

Mine came with a refurbished box in January 1996, right after Warpy Mar 2013 #7

That lovely Dos 3.1 and Win 95 Mnpaul Mar 2013 #20

A month after getting that first box, Warpy Mar 2013 #24

Because my job involved xxqqqzme Mar 2013 #6

I still have my 1995 grey Toshiba laptop JimDandy Mar 2013 #9

Hah, my internet access until 1996 was even more spartan than that, Sen. Walter Sobchak Mar 2013 #8

It was the summer of 1994.... Johnny Noshoes Mar 2013 #10

in early '88 we used to get on the early internet or BBS boards on a Commodore 64 & 300 baud modem Divine Discontent Mar 2013 #11

I had a little Macintosh on my desk in November of '88 PDittie Mar 2013 #14

hehe try using IRC sometime...same thing. axollot Mar 2013 #17

ha! yeah, writing code is Swahili to me. Glad some can do it. And I remember TS-80's, we used Divine Discontent Mar 2013 #30

Great Video Thanks for posting. I bought my first computer in 1998. aaaaaa5a Mar 2013 #12

nothing would be faster - oh my word! LOL... if you could ONLY find him again! hahaha Divine Discontent Mar 2013 #31

I was on the internet in the 1980s. I think I probably watched this video too... ProfessionalLeftist Mar 2013 #13

My first computer was a Commodore Vic 20 Blanks Mar 2013 #15

That was my first computer too :) ET Awful Mar 2013 #19

I felt that it gave me a boost when computers started entering the workplace. Blanks Mar 2013 #21

It was cheaper to go online then it was to call the US from Australia.. axollot Mar 2013 #16

fun story, thx Divine Discontent Mar 2013 #32

My first computer pokerfan Mar 2013 #18

I did some Fortran programming in the late 80's. Blanks Mar 2013 #22

Yeah, this was the seventies pokerfan Mar 2013 #25

The flash drive on your key chain? Blanks Mar 2013 #34

Yeah, I overpaid for it a couple of years ago pokerfan Mar 2013 #37

Over $54 million for that much storage back then. Wow. eom Blanks Mar 2013 #38

That's nothing pokerfan Mar 2013 #39

When I hear folks gripe about Windows 8, I think back to those monsters and the punch cards. n/t Hoyt Mar 2013 #26

I had to store my ASCII star trek game on paper tape DBoon Mar 2013 #29

It's a series of tube... kjones Mar 2013 #23

My First "Remote" Desktop was an ASCII Terminal and 300 Baud MODEM from work. dballance Mar 2013 #27

I worked at the county public works department. Blanks Mar 2013 #35

Nothing like a Netcom shell account DBoon Mar 2013 #28

It was fun to see that the host of the show is pretty liberal politically. mucifer Mar 2013 #33

The whole earth catalog was pretty cool. eom Blanks Mar 2013 #36

I wonder what it will look like 18 years from now aint_no_life_nowhere Mar 2013 #40