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Topic: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed" (Read 2216 times) previous topic - next topic

Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

The title says it all. What was your first computer?
 
The first computer I used was a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A. I used it wayyyy back in grade four (1982-ish)
 
The first computer I OWNED was:
 
Fujitech Jumbo PC
  • 6Mhz 8088 processor
  • 360k 5.25" floppy
  • 720k 3.5" floppy
  • 20MB "Winchester" HDD
  • 640kB RAM
  • "Hercules" monochrome graphics card with 16kb VRAM
  • 12" amber monochrome monitor
  • Epson LQ-1050 wide carriage dot matrix printer
  • Software included Dos 3.3, Professional Write, Stacker (doubled HDD space by compressing everything. Don't ask what happened when you got greedy and deleted the file "stackvol.dsk" in an attempt to free up some more room. This single file contained all info on the HDD. It was catastrophic enough that I remember that file name 18 years later...), Direct Access (this was pre-Windows, everything was command-driven, this was a rudimentary shell that allowed you to run programs by selecting them from a list) and XTREE Gold (a very primitive "Windows Explorer"-type program
That's it. No mouse, no modem, no internet, no sound, no color. Two "F-keys" on the keyboard. Looking back I can't even think of why I used it. It was HUGE, and when that Winchester HDD started spinning (there were no fans, it wasn't powerful enough too need them) you'd think somebody fired up a 747 engine. LOUD!
 
Naturally, that paled in comparison to my 3.2GHz P4, 80GB, 1GB, CD/DVD+/-R/RW, 17" flat panel Dell, but you know what? That ol' Fujitech ran Professional Write just as fast as the Dell runs Office XP...
2015 Mustang GT Premium - 5.0, 6-speed, Guard Green - too much awesome for one car

1988 5.0 Thunderbird :birdsmily: SOLD SEPT 11 2010: TC front clip/hood ♣ Body & paint completed Oct 2007 ♣ 3.55 TC rear end and front brakes ♣ TC interior ♣ CHE rear control arms (adjustable lowers) ♣ 2001 Bullitt springs ♣ Energy suspension poly busings ♣ Kenne Brown subframe connectors ♣ CWE engine mounts ♣ Thundercat sequential turn signals ♣ Explorer overhead console (temp/compass display) ♣ 2.25" off-road dual exhaust ♣ T-5 transmission swap completed Jan 2009 ♣

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #1 –
Some kind of Atari. Had no hard drive had a external 5.25 and a cartrage port on the side. Plus two controler ports and basic was installed on the computer.

Was using this back in 1984 when I was 4

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #2 –
First used, Apple ][, junior high era.. ('83-'85)

First owned: Commodore 16.. the cheap version of the Vic 20 and 64.. black case, gray keys. Late '80s.

First "IBM-compatible" owned: Packard-Hell 486 SX/20, 2 megs RAM expanded to 6. 130 meg HD I still own, half meg video RAM expandable to 1 meg, 2400 baud modem, both size floppies, (3.5"/5.25") 14" monitor. 1992. DOS 5/Win 3.1.

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #3 –
Old Television Commercial

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #4 –
Bought my first computer(used from freind at work) in '90, was a Epson 286 12mhz, I still have it..

I got a 14" VGA monitor and mouse with mine, :D also has...
40 meg Winchester HD
3.5 Floppy (1.44 meg, up graded the 720 orig in it)
5.25 floppy High densety 1.2 meg
What ever video card Epson supplied with the monitor..
640K memory..
no modem, never had it on line...
DOS 4.0
Bought it to get my feet wet in computers and run some data base programs and games... Used
PC Tools as a desktop.. No windows ever...

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #5 –
mine was a Commodore 64.. something like this one:


That was back in 1992 (i was 8 years old) when we moved out to Canada from Hungary and was given to us by my cousins. let me just say, in hungary i lived outdooors, I wasn't familiar with technology whatsovever. no video game consoles.. no cable.. not even a VCR.. and definitely no telephone.. so when we moved out, of course i thought the Ol' Commodore 64 was the most amazing piece of machinery i've ever seen.

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #6 –
First I've used was either an Apple ][ or a Commodore 64 (think the 64)
First my family owned: My brother won a 386SX 25Mhz with 4MB ram for a business contest in the very early 90's.  Was a very top of the line machine at the time.
First I exclusively owned: A Compaq Presario 4504, 200Mhz Pentium (not even MMX), 48MB Ram, STB Velocity 128 8MB graphics.  Got it slightly used with a ton of software from someone who didn't know what it was worth.
2000 Jaguar XK8 Convertible - 4.0L DOHC V8 (AJ27)
2018 Ford Explorer - 3.5L DOHC V6 (Duratec 35)
1999 Mercury Grand Marquis - 4.6L SOHC V8 (Modular)
1987 Mercury Cougar LS - 5.0L V8 (Windsor) [SOLD in 2009]

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #7 –
still useing most of my first computer  :D
my first comptuer that I built was a 486 dx with 8mb ram and 1.44mb as well as 5 1/2 floppy and external 24x cd player running windows 95. I was around 8 or 9 years old.(I am 18 now so yeah)

The first computer I owned was my very own "micron" computer. An old amd k6 @ 233mhz with 64 megs ram , matrox mistiuqe graphics card with 8mb cache. 3.1 and 7 gig hard drives with a dvd player, dvd decoder card, a 2x/1/6x cd burner, and a sound blaster 16 sound card, also it had two diffrent web cams :cool: . I added usb as soon as I figured out what it was. That was 1998ish maybe as late as 1999 I dont remember for sure. I remember my teacher showing me a lazer disk"the way of the future" when I was in 6th grade. after I had watched my first dvd. that computer would hit a clean 1600x1200 at 32 bit color and still get 32+ frames per second. I was one of the only people that I know that didnt have to upgrade for mechwarrior 2

The first computer that I actually built and owned was my 266mhz p2 overclocked to 300 mhz(oooh yeah) with the same dvd player from above, same surround sound, usb mouse, and 96 megs of ram.
all of which used the same 14" monitor bought from a flea market for $12 dollars. I just recentally upgraded to a 15" because it would hit maximum resolution.
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #8 –
hey baxo check this link out.
http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/c64/
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #9 –
First computer was the legendary lol, commodore 64. I didn't have another computer until work gave me a compaq laptop in '95, I have no idea what the memory or processor speed on it was other than slooow

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #10 –
hey thunder chicken, are you still interested in the old ti/99's? I have around 10 or so that I didnt throw out when we moved. I have the box thingy that goes under it and over 100 games. let me know
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #11 –
Somewhere around here I should still have a portable Trash-80.. if I still have it and I can find it, I should make a mini-ITX out of it.

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #12 –
Quote from: Haystack
hey baxo check this link out.
http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/c64/


that's frickin awesome.. however.. speaking of mini computing.. this is my newest toy (arriving sometime this week) the Apple macMini

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #13 –
I have an old "pizza-box" 386 case that I had in the soon-to-be-thrown-out box, that I just rescued since you reminded me of mini-ITX. Maybe instead of getting a Mac Mini, like I was hoping to do sometime this year, I'll build a mini-ITX out of the pizza box case.. could even put two ITX boards in it.

Re: Your first computer, or "My, how times have changed"

Reply #14 –
compaq pre pentium 486
80mb memory
windows 3.1
dos 5?
sim city (now called classic)
got it in 1990
internet connection thru PINE (mmmm text based internet, nothing like bbs!)
vga graphics
dont remember much else