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What was YOUR very first computer?


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The first Computer I got to use was an Apple ][+, with 48K of RAM and One ( or Two ) Disk ][ Floppies.

 

The first Computer I owned ( part owner ) was a Sinclair ZX81 that my dad and I assembled as a kit..

 

The second Computer I owned ( part owner ) was an Apple //e with 64K of RAM and One Disk ][ Floppy..

 

MarkO

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C64:

 

In late 84' or early 85' it was a toss up between that and an Atari computer (an XL I think). I really wanted an Apple but since my parents couldn't afford one I decided to pick one of those. My loyalty was Atari but I basically flipped through EG magazines looking at computer games and it was dominated by Apple and the C64 so I decided to get the 64.

 

Got mine at a place called Montgomery Wards and the first title I got was Bruce Lee from DataSoft from Toys R' Us.

 

Bruce_lee_01.gif

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It was the Vic-20 with a datasette and a monochrome monitor.

Soon after I got the old color tv and was ecstatic to view color on my computer!

After owning a Fairchild Channel F and Atari 2600 it was a big step up and then a couple of years later it was onto the C64 with the color monitor and floppy drive.

 

With the exception of the development of the internet, I could stay comfortable with that level of computer technology for the rest of my life. I love the 8-bit era so much!

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I don't mind all the advancements since the 8-bit days - as long as I have my original Apple 2 series paraphernalia I'm alright! Strangely enough, in reliving the contrast between the classic 8 bit stuff and today's big-ass 64GB ram setups I don't quite get as giddy over a new graphics card or HDD capacity bump. It's not the same as going from 143KB 5.25 Floppy to a Sider 10MB HDD. Today it's a ho-hum how much bigger jump this time..?

 

Does that make sense?

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My first was the Atari 800. 48K, which I upgraded to (I think it was) 288K. A 1200XL shortly thereafter with RAMbo XL 256 in it. Those are still my favorite models, probably bacause of the good keyboards. I have had 800XLs and 130XEs.

 

Now, years later, I have a U1MB 1200XL, and an Incognito 800 (which I would like to use for a BBS).

 

At one point ( a long time ago,) I wired up a relay to the joystick port connected to a small audio amp so I could pulse-dial the phone line, and use S.A.M. to speak to (harass) people :) If I did that now, I would probably get arrested....

 

It was lots of fun.

 

-K

 

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In either 1990 or 1991, I got an Epson Equity I, which was an 8088-based system with dual DD 5.25" drives, 640k of RAM, and a green monochrome monitor. All it came with was the software and books originally packed with the system. I got DOS 3.3, some word processing program, Lotus 1-2-3, and GW-Basic. Definitely had the most fun with BASIC, until I got some games. My best friend's dad was a programmer for Sierra (his name is in the King's Quest III or IV manual) so there was no shortage of games to play since he had a copy of almost every game that they made for the IBM platform.

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When I was 6 or 7 my parents picked up a TRS-80 CoCo (~1982), my Dad upgraded it to 64k RAM, added composite video out to it and later a floppy drive and printer. I showed so much interest in it (aside from gaming), my parents picked me up a TI-99/4A that was my own in 1984, it had only the cassette adapter and joysticks. Later in 1987 I built my first 8088 XT system, 640k ram, 320k floppy and a CGA card that was modified for composite video out running DOS 2.1, I later added an MFM 30MB harddrive to the mix and got a VGA monitor as a middle school graduation gift before upgrading to a AMD 286 w/ 1MB of RAM shoehorned in to the XT case which eventually became my BBS.

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I don't mind all the advancements since the 8-bit days - as long as I have my original Apple 2 series paraphernalia I'm alright! Strangely enough, in reliving the contrast between the classic 8 bit stuff and today's big-ass 64GB ram setups I don't quite get as giddy over a new graphics card or HDD capacity bump. It's not the same as going from 143KB 5.25 Floppy to a Sider 10MB HDD. Today it's a ho-hum how much bigger jump this time..?

 

Does that make sense?

I

I Know exactly what you mean. Things were more revolutionary back then than evolutionary. It's just more transistors, more pipes, more memory == more speed. I still have a 10yr old laptop that runs the latest and greatest Linux OS without a problem (but no modern games). I can't even conceive using a TI-99/4A from 1984 in 1994 when Pentium systems were emerging.

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I don't mind all the advancements since the 8-bit days - as long as I have my original Apple 2 series paraphernalia I'm alright! Strangely enough, in reliving the contrast between the classic 8 bit stuff and today's big-ass 64GB ram setups I don't quite get as giddy over a new graphics card or HDD capacity bump. It's not the same as going from 143KB 5.25 Floppy to a Sider 10MB HDD. Today it's a ho-hum how much bigger jump this time..?

 

Does that make sense?

Probably because computers just aren't changing as much now. My Mac Mini w/Win 7 and Boot camp basically does the same thing as my Windows 98 machine did. Sure I have 500 gigs of storage vs 3 gigs but it isn't like this computer is better at web browsing and word processing than that one was. I can play modern games and afford to be sloppy about extra junk I leave in internal storage but it's still the same basic idea.

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My first computer was an Atari 800 - I did scan computer magazines beforehand, and checked out what computers I could ... I decided to buy a computer in London, while on my OE (Overseas Experience) that some kiwis go on at some point in their lives - looked at what computers I could along the way - even managed to look over the Vectrex while briefly stopped over in LA. I seemed to be preset to buy an Atari 800 - buying one with 410 recorder, Pac man and Star Raiders cartridges and Shamus on cassette.

I was always graphics orientated and was always impressed by the coin-op games of that time - Galaga, Zaxxon, Scramble and the like - and wanted something capable of coming close to coin-op quality? The Atari 400/800 hardware was better than anything else at this time - and it was only until the C64 showed up, was there serious competition against it.

I could have gotten a TRS-80 clone (called Dick Smith 80 or something like this) - but it's blocky graphics did not impress me. The Apple II graphics did not appeal to me, nor it's price. The Atari 800 was similarly priced - but it's price was coming down when I was in Hammersmith looking for one to buy... about 6? months later the C64 did turn up - but that had nothing much to run on it, at that time.hen a

With the Atari 800 - I did get around to drawing some graphics, and was keen to design some game graphics - that opportunity finally opened up when a local friend/programmer started writing his own game - and so I was lucky enough to be able to work on two games for the Ataris - and now (this year) am fortunate enough to work on another Atari 400/800 game project again (but with a different programmer). See GTIABlast!

 

Harvey

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1st LCD-Game: VTech 2-Screen

1st Console: VCS2600jr

1st 8-Bit Computer: C64

1st 16-Bit Computer: Atari 520ST

1st 32-Bit Computer: Atari Falcon

1st Handheld Console: Atari Lynx

1st PC: Alcatel 486 (used - i worked at Alcatel and they sold the used PCs) I used it only for Internet and email.

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Apple II+

I attempt to explain to the youngsters how we all actually "learned" how to program home computers and understand how they worked,

.....instead of just playing a shooting zombies videogame.....

Everybody has all these electronic devices and are so clueless on how it is all working.

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