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[CM] What was your first home computer?

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  [CM] What was your first home computer? RS Wood  <rsw@therandymon.com> - 2017-04-17 11:01 +0000
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> - 2017-04-17 15:05 -0400
      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Ian McCall <ian@eruvia.org> - 2017-04-18 11:45 +0100
        Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Nyssa <Nyssa@flawlesslogic.com> - 2017-04-18 11:14 -0400
          Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Roger Blake <rogblake@iname.invalid> - 2017-04-18 15:27 +0000
            Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2017-04-18 15:47 +0000
            Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Nyssa <Nyssa@flawlesslogic.com> - 2017-04-18 11:52 -0400
              Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-18 14:46 -0400
                Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Nyssa <Nyssa@flawlesslogic.com> - 2017-04-18 16:52 -0400
          Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-18 14:40 -0400
            Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2017-04-18 21:14 +0100
        Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-18 14:32 -0400
          Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net> - 2017-04-18 20:10 +0100
            Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-04-18 22:46 +0300
              Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2017-04-18 21:04 +0000
              Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Robert Swindells <rjs@fdy2.co.uk> - 2017-04-18 21:47 +0000
                Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Andy Leighton <andyl@azaal.plus.com> - 2017-04-18 17:57 -0500
                Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-18 23:40 -0400
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Jason Howe <jason@tatooine.smbfc.net> - 2017-04-19 04:34 +0000
                    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? JimP. <solosam90@gmail.com> - 2017-04-19 11:59 -0500
                      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? scott@alfter.diespammersdie.us (Scott Alfter) - 2017-04-19 18:17 +0000
                      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Jason Howe <jason@tatooine.smbfc.net> - 2017-04-19 18:45 +0000
                      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-19 19:59 -0400
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2017-04-19 03:28 -0300
                Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-04-19 12:55 +0300
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Larry Sheldon <lfsheldon@gmail.com> - 2017-04-19 05:40 -0500
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Nyssa <Nyssa@flawlesslogic.com> - 2017-04-19 10:02 -0400
                    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-19 12:49 -0400
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Bob Eager <news0006@eager.cx> - 2017-04-19 15:44 +0000
                    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? "J. Clarke" <j.clarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2017-04-19 22:05 -0400
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Richard Thiebaud <thiebauddick2@aol.com> - 2017-04-19 12:05 -0400
                    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? JimP. <solosam90@gmail.com> - 2017-04-19 12:11 -0500
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-19 12:44 -0400
                    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? bartc <bc@freeuk.com> - 2017-05-14 11:22 +0100
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Walter Banks <walter@bytecraft.com> - 2017-04-19 13:38 -0400
                    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Morten Reistad <first@last.name.invalid> - 2017-04-20 07:09 +0200
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> - 2017-04-19 13:58 -0400
              Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2017-04-19 02:37 -0300
              Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Ian McCall <ian@eruvia.org> - 2017-04-20 11:47 +0100
                Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Osmium <r124c4u102@comcast.net> - 2017-04-20 08:56 -0500
                Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-04-20 17:07 +0300
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Larry Sheldon <lfsheldon@gmail.com> - 2017-04-21 22:18 -0500
              Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> - 2017-04-21 14:10 +0300
                Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-04-21 15:00 +0300
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> - 2017-04-21 12:53 +0000
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> - 2017-04-21 15:01 -0400
                    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-04-21 23:35 +0300
        Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> - 2017-04-18 15:44 -0400
      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Brian Reay <no.sp@m.com> - 2017-04-18 22:23 +0100
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Jon Elson <jmelson@wustl.edu> - 2017-04-17 14:38 -0500
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Alan Frisbie <Usenet03_REMOVE@Flying-Disk.com> - 2017-04-17 18:17 -0700
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2017-04-17 20:06 -0700
      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2017-04-18 22:50 -0700
        Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-19 12:38 -0400
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2017-04-17 20:41 -0700
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? ANTant@zimage.com (Ant) - 2017-04-17 23:00 -0500
      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> - 2017-04-17 22:13 -0700
        Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-18 14:27 -0400
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Walter Banks <walter@bytecraft.com> - 2017-04-18 12:02 -0400
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> - 2017-04-18 21:58 -0500
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? songbird <songbird@anthive.com> - 2017-04-19 10:09 -0400
      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-19 12:52 -0400
        Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? songbird <songbird@anthive.com> - 2017-04-19 16:41 -0400
          Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> - 2017-04-19 20:31 -0700
            Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? songbird <songbird@anthive.com> - 2017-04-20 10:28 -0400
              Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Ian McCall <ian@eruvia.org> - 2017-04-21 10:47 +0100
                Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2017-04-21 09:50 +0000
                Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? songbird <songbird@anthive.com> - 2017-04-21 08:46 -0400
                  Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Ian McCall <ian@eruvia.org> - 2017-04-21 18:00 +0100
                    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-04-21 20:19 -0400
                      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Ian McCall <ian@eruvia.org> - 2017-04-22 11:18 +0100
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? "Jack Myers" <jmyers@n6wuz.net> - 2017-04-19 10:35 -0700
      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> - 2017-04-19 17:06 -0400
      Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? songbird <songbird@anthive.com> - 2017-04-19 16:29 -0400
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Mok-Kong Shen <mok-kong.shen@t-online.de> - 2017-04-20 10:49 +0200
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Ivan Shmakov <ivan@siamics.net> - 2017-04-20 10:13 +0000
    Re: [CM] What was your first home computer? Kara M'bola <maxupixu@in.val.it> - 2017-04-22 09:42 +0000

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#13448 — [CM] What was your first home computer?

From the «guy in the back with the Cray, sit down please» department:
Title: Ask Slashdot: What Was Your First Home Computer?
Author: help@slashdot.org
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2017 00:50:00 -0400
Link: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/R-8G1BsgeRw/ask-slashdot-what-was-your-first-home-computer

We've recently seen stories about old computers and sys-ops resurrecting 1980s
BBS's, but now an anonymous reader has a question for all Slashdot readers:
Whenever I meet geeks, there's one question that always gets a reaction: Do you
remember your first home computer? This usually provokes a flood of fond
memories about primitive specs -- limited RAM, bad graphics, and early versions
of long-since-abandoned operating systems. Now I'd like to pose the same
question to Slashdot's readers. Use the comments to share details about your
own first home computer. Was it a back-to-school present from your parents? Did
it come with a modem? Did you lovingly upgrade its hardware for years to come?
Was it a Commodore 64 or a BeBox? It seems like there should be some good
stories, so leave your best answers in the comments. What was your first home
computer?

[image 2][2][image 4][4][image 6][6]

Read more of this story[7] at Slashdot.
[image 8]

Links:
[1]: http://twitter.com/home?status=Ask+Slashdot%3A+What+Was+Your+First+Home+Computer%3F%3A+http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2pE7IRH (link)
[2]: https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png (image)
[3]: http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fask.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F17%2F04%2F15%2F0546240%2Fask-slashdot-what-was-your-first-home-computer%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook (link)
[4]: https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png (image)
[5]: http://plus.google.com/share?url=https://ask.slashdot.org/story/17/04/15/0546240/ask-slashdot-what-was-your-first-home-computer?utm_source=slashdot&utm_medium=googleplus (link)
[6]: http://www.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png (image)
[7]: https://ask.slashdot.org/story/17/04/15/0546240/ask-slashdot-what-was-your-first-home-computer?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed (link)
[8]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/R-8G1BsgeRw (image)

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#13453

On Mon, 17 Apr 2017 11:01:58 +0000, RS Wood wrote:
>
> We've recently seen stories about old computers and sys-ops resurrecting 1980s
> BBS's, but now an anonymous reader has a question for all Slashdot readers:
> Whenever I meet geeks, there's one question that always gets a reaction: Do you
> remember your first home computer? This usually provokes a flood of fond
> memories about primitive specs -- limited RAM, bad graphics, and early versions
> of long-since-abandoned operating systems.

This depends on the point of view. For many of us Commodore 64 users
(my first love btw.) with its 64K (while many others had still 16K) was
top of the line. And have you seen this smooth scrolling in Game XYZ?
Awesome!

Of course that's nothing by today's standards.

> Now I'd like to pose the same question to Slashdot's readers. Use the
> comments to share details about your own first home computer. Was it a
> back-to-school present from your parents? Did it come with a modem? Did
> you lovingly upgrade its hardware for years to come?  Was it a
> Commodore 64 or a BeBox? It seems like there should be some good
> stories, so leave your best answers in the comments. What was your
> first home computer?

No modem. Poor me could just afford a datasette (not even floppy) and a
joystick, and was happy as can be.
-- 
Andreas
You know you are a redneck if
the home shopping operator recognizes your voice.

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#13460

On 2017-04-17 19:05:57 +0000, Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> said:

> On Mon, 17 Apr 2017 11:01:58 +0000, RS Wood wrote:
>> 
>> We've recently seen stories about old computers and sys-ops resurrecting 1980s
>> BBS's, but now an anonymous reader has a question for all Slashdot readers:
>> Whenever I meet geeks, there's one question that always gets a reaction: Do you
>> remember your first home computer? This usually provokes a flood of fond
>> memories about primitive specs -- limited RAM, bad graphics, and early versions
>> of long-since-abandoned operating systems.
> 
> This depends on the point of view. For many of us Commodore 64 users
> (my first love btw.) with its 64K (while many others had still 16K) was
> top of the line. And have you seen this smooth scrolling in Game XYZ?
> Awesome!

Commodore pulled a bit of a con trick here though - it had 32k by most 
system's standards, with the other 32k being ROM. In terms of usable 
memory 32k put it on a par with the BBC B and behind my own first 
computer, the ZX Spectrum 48k.

That said there was plenty else to recommend it of course - hardware 
sprites, the incredible sound chip that got me into writing music. I 
still have a full C64 (C15N datasette, 1541 snail drive, GEOS mouse, 
MMC64 flash adapter to load from memory card) set up not three yards 
from where I'm typing this now.

And I -shall- beat the third mission of Psi 5 Trading company within my 
lifetime. I damned well shall.

Cheers,
Ian



-- 
Check out Proto the album: <http://studioicm.com/proto/>

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#13461

The Digi-Comp 1 in 1963. The box proclaims "first real operating
digital computer in plastic."

For those unfamiliar with this gadget, it's a kit to put together 
a manually shifted 3-bit "computer" that will do simple binary 
arithmetic.

The New Jersey company advertised in magazines such as Popular
Science back in the olden days, and I ordered it via snail mail
with a money order when I was a youngster.

And yes, I've still got it in the original box with the instruction
manual, unassembled now.

As for my first "real" home microcomputer it was a Franklin
Ace 100 with 64K memory. It was an Apple-compatible clone
that ran AppleDOS. I added the color chip (4 amazingly low-
res colors!) and later a couple of Apple floppy drives. One
thing that the Ace had that the Apple didn't was the ability
to type in lower case without an add-on and the full 64K out
of the box. Paired it with a Zenith monitor.

A few months later I added on a Z80 card that allowed me to
run the CP/M operating system including WordStar and several
other (for the time) higher end business and programming
packages.

Nyssa, who sometimes wishes she could have kept that Franklin
Ace system

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#13462

On 2017-04-18, Nyssa <Nyssa@flawlesslogic.com> wrote:
> The Digi-Comp 1 in 1963. The box proclaims "first real operating
> digital computer in plastic."

I had one of those as well, forgot about it! 3-bit computing with
straws and rubber bands. It doesn't get any better than that!

> And yes, I've still got it in the original box with the instruction
> manual, unassembled now.

Unfortunately mine is long gone. There is a company offering a reproduction:

  http://mindsontoys.com/kits.htm

I've thought about ordering one but at $59 haven't pulled the trigger
on it. (Though taking into account the overall inflation rate since
1963 this is probably cheaper than the original.)

> Nyssa, who sometimes wishes she could have kept that Franklin
> Ace system

I remember those. As I recall Franklin got into legal trouble with
Apple and went into producing some other kind of electronic product.
(Could look it up of course but I'm too lazy.)

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Roger Blake (Posts from Google Groups killfiled due to excess spam.)

  NSA sedition and treason        -- http://www.DeathToNSAthugs.com
  Don't talk to cops!             -- http://www.DontTalkToCops.com
  Badges don't grant extra rights -- http://www.CopBlock.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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#13463

Roger Blake <rogblake@iname.invalid> wrote:
> I remember those. As I recall Franklin got into legal trouble with
> Apple and went into producing some other kind of electronic product. 
> (Could look it up of course but I'm too lazy.)

Yep.  Apple sued them for copying the Apple ][ ROM's.  Turns out Apple had
inserted some bytes into the ROM's that was not used by any part of the
system as "identification".  Franklin's ROM's had the same byte
signature(s) at the same locations(s).  Franklin lost the copyright case.

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#13464

Roger Blake wrote:

> On 2017-04-18, Nyssa <Nyssa@flawlesslogic.com> wrote:
>> The Digi-Comp 1 in 1963. The box proclaims "first real
>> operating digital computer in plastic."
> 
> I had one of those as well, forgot about it! 3-bit
> computing with straws and rubber bands. It doesn't get any
> better than that!
> 
>> And yes, I've still got it in the original box with the
>> instruction manual, unassembled now.
> 
> Unfortunately mine is long gone. There is a company
> offering a reproduction:
> 
>   http://mindsontoys.com/kits.htm
> 
> I've thought about ordering one but at $59 haven't pulled
> the trigger on it. (Though taking into account the overall
> inflation rate since 1963 this is probably cheaper than
> the original.)
> 
>> Nyssa, who sometimes wishes she could have kept that
>> Franklin Ace system
> 
> I remember those. As I recall Franklin got into legal
> trouble with Apple and went into producing some other kind
> of electronic product. (Could look it up of course but I'm
> too lazy.)
> 
Franklin Bookman as well as a range of hand-held dictionaries
and spell checkers.

I've got two of the Bookmans along with a selection of the
snap-in cards (books). It has a built in dictionary and
some word games like hangman and anagrams. I've got the
upgraded dictionary, thesaurus, a German dictionary, a
nutrition/calorie application, and additional word games
plus a couple of others that don't come to mind. 

They run on a pair of lithium button batteries. The two 
still get some limited use when I need to do a quick
lookup and I'm away from the computer.

We also had larger Franklin dictionary/spell check that
ran on regular batteries. It's probably in one of my
parts boxes somewhere. I doubt it got thrown out.

Nyssa, who has plenty of gadgets, spare parts, and old
computers taking up space

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#13469

On Tue, 18 Apr 2017, Nyssa wrote:

> Roger Blake wrote:
>
>> On 2017-04-18, Nyssa <Nyssa@flawlesslogic.com> wrote:
>>> The Digi-Comp 1 in 1963. The box proclaims "first real
>>> operating digital computer in plastic."
>>
>> I had one of those as well, forgot about it! 3-bit
>> computing with straws and rubber bands. It doesn't get any
>> better than that!
>>
>>> And yes, I've still got it in the original box with the
>>> instruction manual, unassembled now.
>>
>> Unfortunately mine is long gone. There is a company
>> offering a reproduction:
>>
>>   http://mindsontoys.com/kits.htm
>>
>> I've thought about ordering one but at $59 haven't pulled
>> the trigger on it. (Though taking into account the overall
>> inflation rate since 1963 this is probably cheaper than
>> the original.)
>>
>>> Nyssa, who sometimes wishes she could have kept that
>>> Franklin Ace system
>>
>> I remember those. As I recall Franklin got into legal
>> trouble with Apple and went into producing some other kind
>> of electronic product. (Could look it up of course but I'm
>> too lazy.)
>>
> Franklin Bookman as well as a range of hand-held dictionaries
> and spell checkers.
>
> I've got two of the Bookmans along with a selection of the
> snap-in cards (books). It has a built in dictionary and
> some word games like hangman and anagrams. I've got the
> upgraded dictionary, thesaurus, a German dictionary, a
> nutrition/calorie application, and additional word games
> plus a couple of others that don't come to mind.
>
> They run on a pair of lithium button batteries. The two
> still get some limited use when I need to do a quick
> lookup and I'm away from the computer.
>
> We also had larger Franklin dictionary/spell check that
> ran on regular batteries. It's probably in one of my
> parts boxes somewhere. I doubt it got thrown out.
>
There was a time when I was tempted to get one.  But even on sale in the 
flyers, they seemed a tad more expensive than I was willing to spend.

Oddly, I kept on using a dictionary until fairly recent times, I even 
bought a new one in 2009, to replace the one I bought as a clearance item 
(bent cover) in 1977.  But I kept using the old one.

But somewhere along the way, I saw something about the look command in 
Unix/Linux, and that's so much easier to look up words.  So I mostly don't 
use the paper dictionary now.

   Michael

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#13474

Michael Black wrote:

> On Tue, 18 Apr 2017, Nyssa wrote:
> 
>> Roger Blake wrote:
>>
>>> On 2017-04-18, Nyssa <Nyssa@flawlesslogic.com> wrote:
>>>> The Digi-Comp 1 in 1963. The box proclaims "first real
>>>> operating digital computer in plastic."
>>>
>>> I had one of those as well, forgot about it! 3-bit
>>> computing with straws and rubber bands. It doesn't get
>>> any better than that!
>>>
>>>> And yes, I've still got it in the original box with the
>>>> instruction manual, unassembled now.
>>>
>>> Unfortunately mine is long gone. There is a company
>>> offering a reproduction:
>>>
>>>   http://mindsontoys.com/kits.htm
>>>
>>> I've thought about ordering one but at $59 haven't
>>> pulled the trigger on it. (Though taking into account
>>> the overall inflation rate since 1963 this is probably
>>> cheaper than the original.)
>>>
>>>> Nyssa, who sometimes wishes she could have kept that
>>>> Franklin Ace system
>>>
>>> I remember those. As I recall Franklin got into legal
>>> trouble with Apple and went into producing some other
>>> kind of electronic product. (Could look it up of course
>>> but I'm too lazy.)
>>>
>> Franklin Bookman as well as a range of hand-held
>> dictionaries and spell checkers.
>>
>> I've got two of the Bookmans along with a selection of
>> the snap-in cards (books). It has a built in dictionary
>> and some word games like hangman and anagrams. I've got
>> the upgraded dictionary, thesaurus, a German dictionary,
>> a nutrition/calorie application, and additional word
>> games plus a couple of others that don't come to mind.
>>
>> They run on a pair of lithium button batteries. The two
>> still get some limited use when I need to do a quick
>> lookup and I'm away from the computer.
>>
>> We also had larger Franklin dictionary/spell check that
>> ran on regular batteries. It's probably in one of my
>> parts boxes somewhere. I doubt it got thrown out.
>>
> There was a time when I was tempted to get one.  But even
> on sale in the flyers, they seemed a tad more expensive
> than I was willing to spend.
> 
> Oddly, I kept on using a dictionary until fairly recent
> times, I even bought a new one in 2009, to replace the one
> I bought as a clearance item
> (bent cover) in 1977.  But I kept using the old one.
> 
> But somewhere along the way, I saw something about the
> look command in
> Unix/Linux, and that's so much easier to look up words. 
> So I mostly don't use the paper dictionary now.
> 
>    Michael

The dictionary and thesaurus models were mostly meant for the
desktop. Faster to type in a partial word and have the
gadget find the matches than thumb through a book, especially
if you weren't sure how to spell it in the first place.

The Bookman was a pocket-sized gadget about the size of a
calculator and had the added benefit of a range of available
topics in the form of plugin ROMs as "books" that were easier 
to carry around than reference volumes. 

I still carry one of my Bookmans and a few of the ROMS in the 
same bag as my planner since it's smaller than a laptop. ;) 
Nice for a quick lookup for those of us who don't have 
smartphones. And unlike most smartphones, they have a QUERY 
keyboard with real buttons.

Nyssa, who finds plenty of uses for older tech devices

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#13468

On Tue, 18 Apr 2017, Nyssa wrote:

> The Digi-Comp 1 in 1963. The box proclaims "first real operating
> digital computer in plastic."
>
> For those unfamiliar with this gadget, it's a kit to put together
> a manually shifted 3-bit "computer" that will do simple binary
> arithmetic.
>
> The New Jersey company advertised in magazines such as Popular
> Science back in the olden days, and I ordered it via snail mail
> with a money order when I was a youngster.
>
> And yes, I've still got it in the original box with the instruction
> manual, unassembled now.
>
About 1968, or 1969, there was an article in the paper about two kid who'd 
built their own computer.  I was all excited, and suddenly wanted my own 
computer, though of course it took a decade before I got one.

But in retrospect, it had to be on the level of the Digi-Comp, though who 
knows exactly what. I can see a vague picture in my mind, and maybe it 
looks like the Digi-Comp.  But obviously at the time it couldn't have been 
much more than that sort of computer.  But the story wsa about two kids, 
so of course it was news.

I'm kind of lost about the sequence. DId that come after I found out about 
amateur radio, or not?  The stories I read about ham radio would have been 
about the same time.  But it's garbled.  I know I read all the books about 
electronics in the children's library in the summer of 1970 (most were 
really about electricity) and found the hobby electronic magazines in 
January of 1971.  But by then I already knew about amateur radio, planning 
to get a license, except in Canada at the time, one had to be 15 or older, 
so it was kind of on hold.  So instead of learning for the test, I just 
soaked up all the electronic and radio stuff I could find.

And then in 1972, Canada changed the rules, and I got licensed at age 12, 
within 2 months of the rule change.

And then of course the home computers came along, sort of a backseat to 
ham radio for me at the time, so I didn't get a computer until 1979, a 
KIM-1.

   Michael

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#13473

On Tue, 18 Apr 2017 19:40:43 +0100, Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> wrote:

> On Tue, 18 Apr 2017, Nyssa wrote:
>
>> The Digi-Comp 1 in 1963. The box proclaims "first real operating
>> digital computer in plastic."
>>
>> For those unfamiliar with this gadget, it's a kit to put together
>> a manually shifted 3-bit "computer" that will do simple binary
>> arithmetic.
>>
>> The New Jersey company advertised in magazines such as Popular
>> Science back in the olden days, and I ordered it via snail mail
>> with a money order when I was a youngster.
>>
>> And yes, I've still got it in the original box with the instruction
>> manual, unassembled now.
>>
> About 1968, or 1969, there was an article in the paper about two kid  
> who'd built their own computer.  I was all excited, and suddenly wanted  
> my own computer, though of course it took a decade before I got one.
>
> But in retrospect, it had to be on the level of the Digi-Comp, though  
> who knows exactly what. I can see a vague picture in my mind, and maybe  
> it looks like the Digi-Comp.  But obviously at the time it couldn't have  
> been much more than that sort of computer.  But the story wsa about two  
> kids, so of course it was news.
>
> I'm kind of lost about the sequence. DId that come after I found out  
> about amateur radio, or not?  The stories I read about ham radio would  
> have been about the same time.  But it's garbled.  I know I read all the  
> books about electronics in the children's library in the summer of 1970  
> (most were really about electricity) and found the hobby electronic  
> magazines in January of 1971.  But by then I already knew about amateur  
> radio, planning to get a license, except in Canada at the time, one had  
> to be 15 or older, so it was kind of on hold.  So instead of learning  
> for the test, I just soaked up all the electronic and radio stuff I  
> could find.
>
> And then in 1972, Canada changed the rules, and I got licensed at age  
> 12, within 2 months of the rule change.
>
> And then of course the home computers came along, sort of a backseat to  
> ham radio for me at the time, so I didn't get a computer until 1979, a  
> KIM-1.
>
You were very very lucky. See (if you dare) the mess that is  
news:uk.radio.amateur

>    Michael


-- 
Bah, and indeed, Humbug

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#13467

On Tue, 18 Apr 2017, Ian McCall wrote:

> On 2017-04-17 19:05:57 +0000, Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> said:
>
>> On Mon, 17 Apr 2017 11:01:58 +0000, RS Wood wrote:
>>> 
>>> We've recently seen stories about old computers and sys-ops resurrecting 
>>> 1980s
>>> BBS's, but now an anonymous reader has a question for all Slashdot 
>>> readers:
>>> Whenever I meet geeks, there's one question that always gets a reaction: 
>>> Do you
>>> remember your first home computer? This usually provokes a flood of fond
>>> memories about primitive specs -- limited RAM, bad graphics, and early 
>>> versions
>>> of long-since-abandoned operating systems.
>> 
>> This depends on the point of view. For many of us Commodore 64 users
>> (my first love btw.) with its 64K (while many others had still 16K) was
>> top of the line. And have you seen this smooth scrolling in Game XYZ?
>> Awesome!
>
> Commodore pulled a bit of a con trick here though - it had 32k by most 
> system's standards, with the other 32k being ROM. In terms of usable memory 
> 32k put it on a par with the BBC B and behind my own first computer, the ZX 
> Spectrum 48k.
>
Yes, there was a contradiction.  It did include 64K of RAM, when most 
computers didnt' out of the box.  So one could make use of much of it, 
except you needed the right software.  But yes, it tied up half the 
address space, when other computers were more efficient.  The Apple II 
could use 48K out of the box, the ROM and hardware used up only 16K.

I think there were tricks for the C64 where the BASIC was copied to RAM, 
so the firmware could be modified.  I know that happened with the Radio 
Shack Color computer on it got 64K.

   Michael

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#13470

On Tue, 18 Apr 2017 14:32:09 -0400
Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> wrote:

> I think there were tricks for the C64 where the BASIC was copied to RAM, 
> so the firmware could be modified.  I know that happened with the Radio 
> Shack Color computer on it got 64K.

	Yep it was a fairly common trick of the time, at reset reads go to
the ROM, writes go to the RAM. The startup code looks odd reading data and
writing it back in the same place then there's an IO instruction or access
to a special address and reads come from the RAM from then on. By the time
I used it in the Torch it was a well known technique.

-- 
Steve O'Hara-Smith                          |   Directable Mirror Arrays
C:>WIN                                      | A better way to focus the sun
The computer obeys and wins.                |    licences available see
You lose and Bill collects.                 |    http://www.sohara.org/

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#13472

Ok, all this hardware. What did you do with it?

I bought an Atari 520ST. A big disappointment. You couldn't do anything
with it. It came with the lamest imaginable Basic interpreter and a Logo
turtle. I joined a local Atari club, but nobody was interested in
programming so I quit.

I had had much more fun with my father's Xerox 820 (CP/M) office
computer, with its CBASIC and Pascal compilers and Z80 assembler. I
created a PACMAN clone. I produced polyphonic Bach's chorals with the
"IN 30" and "IN 31" assembly instructions. I produced computer graphics
with the graphic characters. I created a radio amateur's competition
logger that computed distances between contestants, etc.


Marko

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#13475

In comp.misc Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> wrote:
> 
> Ok, all this hardware. What did you do with it?
> 
> I bought an Atari 520ST. A big disappointment. You couldn't do
> anything with it.  It came with the lamest imaginable Basic
> interpreter and a Logo turtle.

The Atari ST's were Atari's offering to compete with the Apple
Lisa/Apple Mac that were released just a year or two before.  Those
(the Lisa/Mac) were in some ways the beginning of the "your computer is
for consumption, not creation" mindset that is now everywhere.  And
with that idea in mind, it is not surprising they did not ship with
much for programming them, the expectation was that buyers would be
"users" (of someone else's creations) and not "creators" themselves.

Fast forward, and now we have locked down tablets where you only get to
install programs that "daddy-steve" has preapproved as suitable for
you.

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#13478

On Tue, 18 Apr 2017 22:46:46 +0300, Marko Rauhamaa wrote:

> Ok, all this hardware. What did you do with it?
> 
> I bought an Atari 520ST. A big disappointment. You couldn't do anything
> with it. It came with the lamest imaginable Basic interpreter and a Logo
> turtle. I joined a local Atari club, but nobody was interested in
> programming so I quit.

The Atari ST had several good free C compilers for it, you could write
whatever software you wanted.

I ran Franz Lisp on mine too, it was a lot cheaper than a Sun workstation.

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#13479

On Tue, 18 Apr 2017 21:47:54 -0000 (UTC), Robert Swindells <rjs@fdy2.co.uk> wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Apr 2017 22:46:46 +0300, Marko Rauhamaa wrote:
>
>> Ok, all this hardware. What did you do with it?
>> 
>> I bought an Atari 520ST. A big disappointment. You couldn't do anything
>> with it. It came with the lamest imaginable Basic interpreter and a Logo
>> turtle. I joined a local Atari club, but nobody was interested in
>> programming so I quit.
>
> The Atari ST had several good free C compilers for it, you could write
> whatever software you wanted.
>
> I ran Franz Lisp on mine too, it was a lot cheaper than a Sun workstation.

Yep the ST was quite capable although the original 520ST was a little
lacking when compared to later models. Certainly fairly easy to write assembler
on, and there were replacement BASICs that were better than the supplied one.

-- 
Andy Leighton => andyl@azaal.plus.com
"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"
   - Douglas Adams

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#13481

On Tue, 18 Apr 2017, Robert Swindells wrote:

> On Tue, 18 Apr 2017 22:46:46 +0300, Marko Rauhamaa wrote:
>
>> Ok, all this hardware. What did you do with it?
>>
>> I bought an Atari 520ST. A big disappointment. You couldn't do anything
>> with it. It came with the lamest imaginable Basic interpreter and a Logo
>> turtle. I joined a local Atari club, but nobody was interested in
>> programming so I quit.
>
> The Atari ST had several good free C compilers for it, you could write
> whatever software you wanted.
>
> I ran Franz Lisp on mine too, it was a lot cheaper than a Sun workstation.
>
I thought the Atari 520 was great, certainly it was more in my price 
range.  I spent $300 in 1989 for mine, it was a clearance item.

It had great potential, and at that point lots of programs (I was buying 
ST Format that came from the UK, for the cover discs, still floppies then. 
And I picked up a copy of the Mark Williams C COmpiler when some local 
dealer was dropping the Atari, so it was cheap.

The problem was, my ST was flakey.  I got it, it worked as far as it could 
without a floppy drive.  MOnths later I get a floppy drive, and the ST 
isn't working.  The power supply had a problem, which I fixed, but one of 
the RAM ICs was damaged.  I was lucky, one was noticeably warmer than the 
rest, so getting that out and a new one in fixed that problem.

But there wsa something else wrong, maybe the reason I got it cheap. 
Every so often it would scramble a floppy disc, which made it too 
unreliable, so I eventualy gave up on it.  I did like it, it gave me a 
68000 without the cost of a Mac. When I did get a Mac Plus in late 1993, a 
hand me down with a flakey connector to the deflection coil, it felt 
lacking.  I had to get a hard drive, my first, because a single floppy 
drive wsan't very useful, and a second one from Apple (they being 
non-standard) was almost as much as a hard drive, so I went with the hard 
drive.  But the speed and greater memory just seemed to be used up with 
the GUI operating system, like I'd moved forward and then back two steps. 
The Atari had more built in hardware (of a more universal kind) and seemed 
snappy enough.

I was even lucky, at a local amateur radio flearmarket, I bought bunch of 
Atari ST boards that were in various shape, so I did have spare parts, but 
I just never got my Atari ST going reliably.

ALmost thirty years later, it was such a different time.  Now, so much 
better hardware is out there on the used market, and if anything breaks 
down, it's easy and cheap to find a replacement.  Circa 1989, the computer 
world was bigger than the hobbyist world, but not by that much.

Michael

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#13482

On Tue, 18 Apr 2017 23:40:29 -0400, Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> wrote:
> ...But the speed and greater memory just seemed to be used up with 
> the GUI operating system, like I'd moved forward and then back two steps. 
> The Atari had more built in hardware (of a more universal kind) and seemed 
> snappy enough.
>
I jumped right from an Atari 8-bit to a 68k Mac about at about the same
time.  I too felt that I had whole lot of computer in front of me that
was really busy drawing pictures for me.  My Mac turned out to be all
sorts of flaky and pretty much swore me off Apple products for 15 years.

> I was even lucky, at a local amateur radio flearmarket, I bought bunch of 
> Atari ST boards that were in various shape, so I did have spare parts, but 
> I just never got my Atari ST going reliably.
>
> ALmost thirty years later, it was such a different time.  Now, so much 
> better hardware is out there on the used market, and if anything breaks 
> down, it's easy and cheap to find a replacement.  Circa 1989, the computer 
> world was bigger than the hobbyist world, but not by that much.
>
> Michael
>

So yeah, my first was a hand-me-down Atari 800 from my Dad.  This was c.
1986, I was about 6 years old.  Dad never really did anything with the
800 and I didn't see him touch a computer again until the Windows 95
era.  C. 1993 when the family got a new Mac, I never really took to it.
Neither did Mom (She used to program Wang and IBM minis before kids).  She never
felt it was a "real" computer.  Typing this now, I remember when I was
about 8 or 9, Mom helped me learn how to program on the Atari in
BASIC...that's an awesome memory that just came back :)

Anyway, I don't still have that original Atari 800 (I lost it to water
damage in the late 90's), but was able to pick up another one a few
years ago, and am actually typing this response on it now, using it as a
terminal to my linux box.  I do still have my original 810 disk drive,
though it is awaiting repairs.

--
Jason

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#13498

On Wed, 19 Apr 2017 04:34:21 -0000 (UTC), Jason Howe
<jason@tatooine.smbfc.net> wrote:

>On Tue, 18 Apr 2017 23:40:29 -0400, Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> wrote:
>> ...But the speed and greater memory just seemed to be used up with 
>> the GUI operating system, like I'd moved forward and then back two steps. 
>> The Atari had more built in hardware (of a more universal kind) and seemed 
>> snappy enough.
>>
>I jumped right from an Atari 8-bit to a 68k Mac about at about the same
>time.  I too felt that I had whole lot of computer in front of me that
>was really busy drawing pictures for me.  My Mac turned out to be all
>sorts of flaky and pretty much swore me off Apple products for 15 years.
>
>> I was even lucky, at a local amateur radio flearmarket, I bought bunch of 
>> Atari ST boards that were in various shape, so I did have spare parts, but 
>> I just never got my Atari ST going reliably.
>>
>> ALmost thirty years later, it was such a different time.  Now, so much 
>> better hardware is out there on the used market, and if anything breaks 
>> down, it's easy and cheap to find a replacement.  Circa 1989, the computer 
>> world was bigger than the hobbyist world, but not by that much.
>>
>> Michael
>>
>
>So yeah, my first was a hand-me-down Atari 800 from my Dad.  This was c.
>1986, I was about 6 years old.  Dad never really did anything with the
>800 and I didn't see him touch a computer again until the Windows 95
>era.  C. 1993 when the family got a new Mac, I never really took to it.
>Neither did Mom (She used to program Wang and IBM minis before kids).  She never
>felt it was a "real" computer.  Typing this now, I remember when I was
>about 8 or 9, Mom helped me learn how to program on the Atari in
>BASIC...that's an awesome memory that just came back :)
>
>Anyway, I don't still have that original Atari 800 (I lost it to water
>damage in the late 90's), but was able to pick up another one a few
>years ago, and am actually typing this response on it now, using it as a
>terminal to my linux box.  I do still have my original 810 disk drive,
>though it is awaiting repairs.

Speaking of theAtari 400 and Atari 800, I was reading a computer
magazine article back in the 1980s about them. The Atari company
decided to save some money and didn't put the little springs in the
chip holders. These springs kept the chip in its inline socket so that
heating and cooling didn't lift the chips out of their sockets.

The official fix ? Drop the computer a short distance onto a rugged
surface like a table.
-- 
Jim

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