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Doctor Clu's Dissertations - My First 40 Years of Computing


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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.) :P
-------- Dad gives me my first Newton 110 when I returned from Guam.
--------At first didn't know what to do with it. :P
-------- 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. :P
-------- 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. :D 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. :P Been part of an Amiga group since 2003. :D
------- 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/
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