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dballance

(5,756 posts)

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

Sat Mar 30, 2013, 04:28 PM

Mar 2013

I was a part-time computer operator during college (among other jobs at the same time). My boss let me bring home a terminal and modem so I could log in on the weekends. I could log in and get an idea of what my weekend was going to be like when I went in to do the tape backups and print all the customer billing statements.

The modem was 300 baud and you had to use a phone to dial the computer at work then flip a switch on the modem to get it to connect once you heard the tones from the remote end. That's right, no "AT" commands on that modem. It was primitive. But since it was all text and no graphics it wasn't that awful.

My house-mates at the fraternity house thought I was really cool for a nerd.

So who remembers the "AT" commands that were standard on modems back then?

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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