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| How old will you be Dec 31st 2004? |
| 12-15 |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| 16-20 |
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2% |
[ 1 ] |
| 21-26 |
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17% |
[ 8 ] |
| 27-33 |
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13% |
[ 6 ] |
| 34-41 |
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17% |
[ 8 ] |
| 42-50 |
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39% |
[ 18 ] |
| 51 and up |
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10% |
[ 5 ] |
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| Total Votes : 46 |
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Grizzly
Prince
Joined: 01 Jun 2002
Posts: 3136
Location: Creepy (Crawlley)
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 Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2004 5:44 am Post subject: |
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| Sir Furry Mark wrote: | Are you sure it was an Olivetti?
I do remember seeing a (broken) P101 that matches some of your description, but given the price you quoted I suspect it was more likely to be an OGE Gamma-115 (rebadged GE-115)
Curiously, the first PCs I had for business were Olivetti M24's - faster and cheaper (at around £5000  ) than the equivalent IBM PCs.
My sister continued using one of my original systems at home until January 1st 2000, when she unexpectedly had to buy a new system...  
(How many modern PCs will still be going strong 15 years later?)
Ni!  |
Thanks STM , however it was an Olivetti . It was the size of a desk - in fact it was a desk , with everything built in including a small drawer to catch the myriad small chads created when making a punch card/strip which held customer information . And indeed this was a computer , not a glorified adding machine . Upon reflection I may have miss-remembered the date , it is more likely to be 1968/9 as I was definitely at South East London Poly redoing my Physics A level Not a good enough grade 1st time for the Uni/course I wanted  Much better now .
The 1st computer I purchased was a Sharp MZ-80K , cassette drive , 36K RAM (upgraded to 48K with the aid of a soldering iron) CPU @ ~2 Meg and was cheaper but better (my opinion) than the Commode(*) PET I used at work (circa 1979) . Still have it and it still works - just have trouble keeping the tapes functional ! Incidentally , I wanted and could only afford the Sir Clive do-it-yourself MZ-80 @ that time , but I was made redundant (1st time) and won the discussion with "she who no longer must be obeyed" as to where I could spend my redundancy, next 3 months salary(bonus) and Army bounty if I replaced my job by the end of the month . Yep , that paid for the Sharp , and not a new car that she wanted . She got mine and I walked over a mile to my new job every day 
Rambled enough
Regds Grizz
_________________
Oh Bugger Forgot again - or is it Oh Father Reboot again ?
Ps Grizz in his second childhood - but not his last !
Edihtor of the KoKC (excused spel;l checher'er)
AND NI !!! Tophat 10e
[img]http://www.katrinashome.com/grizzly_counter.php[/[url=http://www.katrinashome.com/] ][/url]
Last edited by Grizzly on Mon Nov 29, 2004 4:39 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Dagger
Prince
Joined: 10 Mar 2004
Posts: 2918
Location: BC Canada
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| Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2004 10:04 am Post subject: |
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Found some info on that "old" comp i first used..
NAME TRS 80 MODEL III
MANUFACTURER Tandy Radio Shack
TYPE Home Computer
ORIGIN U.S.A.
YEAR 1981
END OF PRODUCTION Unknown
BUILT IN LANGUAGE TRS-80 Level II BASIC
KEYBOARD Full-stroke keyboard with separated numeric keypad
CPU Zilog Z80 then Z80A
SPEED 2.03 MHz
RAM 16 KB (up to 48 KB)
ROM 14 KB
TEXT MODES 32 or 64 columns x 16 lines
GRAPHIC MODES 128 graphic characters
COLORS monochrome
I/O PORTS Tape (500 or 1500 bauds), Centronics, RS232
BUILT IN MEDIA Zero, one or two 5.25'' disk-drives.
OS TRS DOS (other OSes were available : New DOS, LDOS, MultiDOS, ...)
POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit
PERIPHERALS Various Tandy peripherals
PRICE No disk model : AU$1450 (Australia, 1981)
Taken from Old-Computers.com
_________________
When in doubt, kick it until it works. |
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The King of Swamp Castle
Prince
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 802
Location: the dutch swamps
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 7:13 am Post subject: |
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Here's the first computer I used :
Pong!
1979.. (I was 9)
_________________
Save the rainforest! Eat more woodpeckers! |
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jbyram2
Prince
Joined: 23 Jun 2004
Posts: 7129
Location: NMoP EpISdn
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 7:17 am Post subject: |
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First comp (1977) was a KIM-1., using the 6502 processopr. 1MHz, 1k RAM, and all programming was done in hex on a keypad.. after you assembled the program by hand.
Taught it to play music. like "mary had a little lamb" in two part harmony.
Set the keypad to play notes when pressed, organized like a bass guitar fretboard.
_________________
0.0 Giggly hertzes Folding!
Go Diskless..Pure computing elegance, no frills
The brain I'm wearing makes me eat chocolate and cry!!
Something Completely different |
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Sir Latch
Dutchubus
Joined: 30 Oct 2004
Posts: 2394
Location: Closer than you want (Arbutus, MD)
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| Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 8:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Dagger wrote: | Found some info on that "old" comp i first used..
NAME TRS 80 MODEL III
MANUFACTURER Tandy Radio Shack
TYPE Home Computer
ORIGIN U.S.A.
YEAR 1981
END OF PRODUCTION Unknown
BUILT IN LANGUAGE TRS-80 Level II BASIC
KEYBOARD Full-stroke keyboard with separated numeric keypad
CPU Zilog Z80 then Z80A
SPEED 2.03 MHz
RAM 16 KB (up to 48 KB)
ROM 14 KB
TEXT MODES 32 or 64 columns x 16 lines
GRAPHIC MODES 128 graphic characters
COLORS monochrome
I/O PORTS Tape (500 or 1500 bauds), Centronics, RS232
BUILT IN MEDIA Zero, one or two 5.25'' disk-drives.
OS TRS DOS (other OSes were available : New DOS, LDOS, MultiDOS, ...)
POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit
PERIPHERALS Various Tandy peripherals
PRICE No disk model : AU$1450 (Australia, 1981)
Taken from Old-Computers.com |
I still have 2 (or is it 3?) in my basement... they should still work... I'll sell it to you at a bargain of $150 (way below the retail) 
_________________
Sir Latch of the Highlands
Bewarer of the Loonies
I visited the castle in the swamp and all I got was this alpaca scarf... *BURP*
The general rule about people on IRC seems to be: Attractive, Single, Mentally Stable... choose two.
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Sir Hamster of Elderberry
KWSN ArchBishop
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 5117
Location: Beer City, Cheese Quadrant
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| Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 10:07 am Post subject: |
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My first computer:
Click for info
In college I had the privilege of hand-wiring a PDP-8 and doing the input/output with toggle switches and lights. Great fun! Many sleepless nights spent wrapping wires. Other nights with nightmares about wrapping wires, and my right hand going into a tic just thinking about it. I used to lug it around in a pizza box (unused) to work on it outside the lab. Can't find a decent picture of it though, the front panel I used must have been kit-built too.
Oh ... that makes me almost 41.
ni! i!u
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-- Have you seen my goat? |
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She Turned Me Into A Newt
KWSN ArchBishop
Joined: 18 May 2002
Posts: 4911
Location: On an Alpaca farm
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Gunslinger
Duke
Joined: 19 May 2002
Posts: 353
Location: Behind you
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| Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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The first program I wrote was for an English Electric KDF9 (too old to be mentioned at www.old-computers.com I guess)
The program printed out all Prime Numbers between 2 and 10
As I recall, the printout looked something like this:
3.000
4.999
6.998
Heck! I thought those were pretty good answers compared to the accuracy I could get from a slide rule..
NI! 
_________________
Psychopathic Gun-toting Knight. Available for Hire! |
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Sir Latch
Dutchubus
Joined: 30 Oct 2004
Posts: 2394
Location: Closer than you want (Arbutus, MD)
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| Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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Geez... how many of you personally remember the great depression? 
_________________
Sir Latch of the Highlands
Bewarer of the Loonies
I visited the castle in the swamp and all I got was this alpaca scarf... *BURP*
The general rule about people on IRC seems to be: Attractive, Single, Mentally Stable... choose two.
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Terry West
Prince
Joined: 29 Aug 2004
Posts: 572
Location: As long as I'm here, what does it matter?
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| Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Sir Latch wrote: | | Geez... how many of you personally remember the great depression? |
Remember it? Major Kong and Herbert Hoover caused it!  |
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KWSN Sir CADCAM
hoser
Joined: 27 Sep 2002
Posts: 7498
Location: South of Nunavuut
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| Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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OK, lets talk old.
First "business machine" worked on was an ICL 550 tabulator, printer, gang-puch system with plug boards to program it and all programmers carried a wire brush to clean the plug board contacts.
Upgraded to an ICL 1901, 32 K, 4 tape drives, card reader, card punch and printer. Programmed in PLAN.
Moved on to ICL 1902 & 1903A with some COBOL thrown in for good measure.
Migrated to IBM 1440/1460 combo with an OCR card reader and 'Hard Disk Drives'
Worked on an emulator to run the IBM 1440/1460 routines on a Univac 1108 http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/univac/config1108.html with several Univac FastRand Disk Drives http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/univac/fastrand.html
In the mid to late '70s I even worked with Singer System 10 computers !!!
_________________
KWSN Sir CADCAM of the Wooden Rabbit
"Semper In Excrementa" "Hominem Iniocosum Non Diffidite"
"Cîam en des sterko" "Havi ne malesperi personoj kiu havi ne kompreno humuro"
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djsmiley2k
Knight
Joined: 16 Aug 2004
Posts: 39
Location: Coventry, UK
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 7:18 am Post subject: |
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wrong, im 20 \o/
_________________
Smiley  |
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Frank the Historian
Prince
Joined: 17 Feb 2004
Posts: 781
Location: Up North, Down East
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 12:37 pm Post subject: |
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Here goes -
Computers in school - TRS 80 Color Computer, Apple II+ and IIe
First computer class (outside school) - Timex Sinclair 1000
First computer at home - Atari 800
Friends had - Commodore 64, Atari 400
I think the youngest, if he's still around, is F-12 Pilot. I'm now 32.
Frank |
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Fart in your gen direxion
I am the goatse.cx guy
Joined: 24 May 2002
Posts: 2022
Location: Regrettably for you, I'm Upwind in Upstate N.Y.
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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You're 32 forever cuz you're DEAD  ! |
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Sir BaldyHead
KWSN Castellan
Joined: 16 Dec 2002
Posts: 352
Location: detention, 1st cell on the right
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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Now where is the cat. 0-12? By not mentioning it you forced the Wabbit and lady BB to vote their imagined age...
Ni!
_________________
Stay away from the Annex to the outhouse !! nothing to see there...
Find out who's who in KWSN-gallery or Mistajon's KWSN gallery |
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Frank the Historian
Prince
Joined: 17 Feb 2004
Posts: 781
Location: Up North, Down East
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 1:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Fart in your gen direxion wrote: | | You're 32 forever cuz you're DEAD ! |
Oops, I meant to say, "I'm now 32 years in the ground." (something like that)
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Sir Latch
Dutchubus
Joined: 30 Oct 2004
Posts: 2394
Location: Closer than you want (Arbutus, MD)
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| Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Sir BaldyHead wrote: | Now where is the cat. 0-12? By not mentioning it you forced the Wabbit and lady BB to vote their imagined age...
Ni! |
It would be the category 0-11... 12 is available... I think I left that category at the Disney site!
_________________
Sir Latch of the Highlands
Bewarer of the Loonies
I visited the castle in the swamp and all I got was this alpaca scarf... *BURP*
The general rule about people on IRC seems to be: Attractive, Single, Mentally Stable... choose two.
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Michelle
Moistened Bint
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10233
Location: At my desk
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The King of Swamp Castle
Prince
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 802
Location: the dutch swamps
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| Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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_________________
Save the rainforest! Eat more woodpeckers! |
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Sir Latch
Dutchubus
Joined: 30 Oct 2004
Posts: 2394
Location: Closer than you want (Arbutus, MD)
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| Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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Especially the fact that it IS the year 2004!!!
They are right about one thing... the average individual wouldn't be able to afford to purchase THAT computer new... of course, they could afford a much better computer without all the extra bells & whistles
_________________
Sir Latch of the Highlands
Bewarer of the Loonies
I visited the castle in the swamp and all I got was this alpaca scarf... *BURP*
The general rule about people on IRC seems to be: Attractive, Single, Mentally Stable... choose two.
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