RSS Bot Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I was asked what got me interested in the Atari and later what got me to move onto other computer platforms. So this is my story: 1977 - Dad had the Sol Terminal 20. Cool machine. Lots of Trek80 and Targ played. -------- We got a Sears Telegames system, which got us into Atari stuff. 1980 - Sold newspaper subscriptions and got my own Atari VCS. 1981 - Sold the VCS, got a Atari 400 when I saw Choplifter, Miner2049er, and Archon -------- on the computer. Also learned about floppy disks and piracy! 1982 - Later in this year got on my first computer BBS. Now I could get games over -------- the phone! Whoo hoo! 1984 - Attended Atari user meetings at the Dallas Infomart. 1986 - Dad had already upgraded the 400 to 48K, but installed a Atari 1400 keyboard -------- from Radio Shack. 1989 - Bear in mind, no internet yet, really believed Atari was dead. Saw a friend's -------- Mac SE with Dark Castle and managed to score a Mac 128K. Later would -------- upgrade that to 4 mb. 1993 - I get onto the text internet while in college computer labs. 1994 - While in Guam, scored a Mac Plus. Lots of BBSing while on the island. 1995 - I see my first graphical internet page on Mosiac. (Didn't think it'd catch on.) -------- Dad gives me my first Newton 110 when I returned from Guam. --------At first didn't know what to do with it. -------- First home internet service... through a BBS (Chrysalis BBS in Dallas) 1996 - Picked up a Performa 550 (68030) later upgraded to 68040 -------- with math co-processor. 1997 - Picked up the amazing Newton 2000. 10x faster than my Newton 110. Played video! -------- Started using graphical web browsers. (I was a slow adopter on that one.) 1999 - Out of college, found out Atari user group was still around. Borrow 520 ST -------- (upgraded to 4 mb) for newsletter. Used Pagestream and had a laser printer! 2000 - Managed to score an Atari TT030, Lynx, Atari Jaguar. Atari user group folds due to -------- having to move from the Informart that they had for nearly fifteen years. -------- I learn of Bubsy Bobcat on the Jaguar! -------- Continued using TT030 alongside Performa 550 for internet. -------- Featured in the Dallas Morning News, Atari Jaguar on front cover. -------- I meet the local Dallas Amiga User Group as they were also in the newspaper article. 2001 - Got an IT job, used a Athlon 1 Ghz processor with Win98. Later used Linux. -------- Still tinkered with retro computers (Atari XE and ST) -------- Get my first DVD player as the spiritual successor to the Jaguar, the Nuon --------- Samsung 2000. 2002 - Scored two Macintosh G3 Powerbooks for my wife and I. I was back in the -------- Mac world!! Using OS 9. 2003 - Join Amiga User Group. They help me get an Amiga 3000 working that I picked -------- up at JagFest in 2002 in Austin, TX. Even had a ethernet card! -------- Attended the JagFest in St. Louis (while visiting wife's family). 2004 - Upgraded to OS X.3 2005 - Won the retrochallenge (like the first or second year of it) using nothing but an --------- Atari 800 for one month. Figured out I didn't need portable computing right -------- before smart phones. -------- My Newton 2000 and Duo Macs became used less. -------- Year I was handed a G4 12" 800 mhz Powerbook. Beautiful little computer! -------- Well I was handed it in parts and I managed to reassemble it. -------- Tinkered heavy in the Dreamcast after a friend showed me that system. -------- For the next five years lots of calling BBSs and internet with beige Atari 800. -------- Many discussions over Atariage and Atari IRC channels. 2008 - Started the Bubsy Fan Blog. 2010 - Got a Macbook Pro dual Core processor laptop in parts, fixed it up. Hated it. -------- Traded for 1.2 ghzG4 12" laptop. Used that G4 through my time in Kuwait -------- along with a 1.4 Ghz G4 Mac Mini. 2011 - My first Android device, the Archos 32, and my first experience with Angry Birds! 2012 - Got my first Intel iMac 1.5 ghz from a sidewalk sale. 2014 - Picked up a Amiga 500 from a friend. Fix it up to 8 mb and SD card slot. Then ------- get a Amiga 1200. Been part of an Amiga group since 2003. ------- This was also the year I tinkered hard on the Intellivision and used it to call Atariage ------- and leave message. Also created concept for the dual action controller. 2015 - Picked up a Macbook Air 1.8 ghz from a friend. (what I'm using to write this.) -------- Help with some development and testing on Atari Jaguar games. Mainly Joust -------- and Moon Patrol. 2016 - Picked up a 27" iMac 2.7 Ghz 32 GB ram from a friend. -------- Set up Internet server on the Newton 2000 for a while. -------- Bubsy Fan Blog interviews Bubsy creator Michael Berlyn. -------- Get the Atari Flashback Portable from Atgames that gets me back into the -------- Atari 2600. Help in testing hundreds of games to see what is compatible with the -------- SD card slot. Then work with fan hackers to get dozens more tuned up and working. 2017 - Get the Sega Flashback Portable from Atgames, causing me to get into some -------- tinkering on Sega Genesis. -------- To date, Bubsy Bobcat Fan Blog on Atariage has had 175,398 visitors. -------- Still call computer BBSs and write a blog on that as well. -------- And local Amiga user group in Dallas, TX is still active with live YouTube -------- broadcasts every month. Wow, 40 years of computing. Been a fun ride. http://atariage.com/forums/blog/653/entry-13618-my-first-40-years-of-computing/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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