Your first computer?

[Eric]

Re: Your first computer?

The first computer I worked with was at school, where I learned to program in assembly language on punch cards. The next year they put in terminals, so that was that for the cards.

I got my own first computer in 1986. It was a Leading Edge Model D (an XT clone) running at 4 MHz with a 20MB hard drive. Oh, the power. My first upgrade was installing a 1200 baud modem to replace the 300 baud modem that came with the PC. Whoo-ee, that thing was zippy.

[kimo55]

Re: Your first computer?

mac, then a mac, then another mac, then, well, a mac. then, hmmm lemmee think. Oh yea. a mac. Then a PC then a mac then anodda mac.
Got to learn:
MAC stands for Mother of All Computers.
and PC?
yep, You guessed it.
Piece o' Cr...

'scuse me.

actual lineage:
2e
plus
LC
powerbook 100
quadra
performa
powermac 6100
a few more... forgot what..
G3
G4

[kamlost]

Re: Your first computer?

My first computer was a 286. I had those huge floppies, boot diskettes, etc. No matter, I had the best games.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Your first computer?

mac, then a mac, then another mac, then, well, a mac. then, hmmm lemmee think. Oh yea. a mac. Then a PC then a mac then anodda mac.
Got to learn:
MAC stands for Mother of All Computers.
and PC?
yep, You guessed it.
Piece o' Cr...

'scuse me.

actual lineage:
2e
plus
LC
powerbook 100
quadra
performa
powermac 6100
a few more... forgot what..
G3
G4

Yep I tell my Mac friends that when they're thru playing around they can step up to a real computer. Then they fly their G4 at me!

I know, the Apples and Macs are great computers but heck the real world lives on PC. Just like Beta vs VHS. Beta was far superior over VHS, but look what prevailed? Macs are just too expensive and the software support very lacking. And try get good service here when your Mac hiccups.

Anyway talking about machine language...CENPAC. 25-bit word. Machine Language. That would be binary to binary coded decimal (BCD) to hexadecimal (0-9, A-F). From that you get ASCII

[kimo55]

Re: Your first computer?

Yep I tell my Mac friends that when they're thru playing around they can step up to a real computer. Then they fly their G4 at me!

the real world lives on PC.

"The real world".
this phrase means nothing.
As opposed to the fake world?!

All multimedia, graphics, most publications and books, etc, even theatrical release movies are made on macs.
This is a major part of your 'real world" and with the multimillions made in the entertainment industry, is most emphatically far from "playing around". (you must be a pc gamer)

There was an animated "Intel inside" ad that appeared on television a while ago, and soon it leaked out to the media; the commercial was created using a mac!
hohaaa!

the software support very lacking.

I have never found this to be anywhere near slightly true. In my decades with mac.
besides, each and every software program I have ever run, has a help file built in. More extensive than the book.
PC software programs crash alla time and when you need to resintall?
fuggeddaboudit!
(what d heyall is "uninstall"?
We just trash the program and reinstall. or sometimes at the most, trash the prefs file.)

And try get good service here when your Mac hiccups.

macs don't hiccup.
But if and when I need service, it is taken care of quickly.

The incidence of crashes now are vurtually nonexistent, since the new infrastructure is based on UNIX.


http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/98...tes.30.240.mov

http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9804/20/gates.comdex/

Macs are just too expensive

Yes, everything being relative, that is true.

You get what you pay for.
You want cheap? fine. In your 'real world" most people drive cheap cars. You want the ultimate driving machine or similar, get a BMW.
You want the best computer, not a copy of a computer, buy a Mac.

But why would anyone be mypopic enough to compare the cost of a mac to a PC !? Do you compare a BMW to a ford pinto!?



The mac is truly "plug n play"
no more than 10 minutes after i opened the box, I had my new G4 surfin da net.
You plug in a new printer, mac finds and download the drivers immediately.
Plug in any other peripheral, it starts working. Quickly.



Windows is a copy of the mac GUI.

Why read a cheap imitation of Plato, when you can easily read the real thing?

Windows is an overlay onto DOS.
ugh. I tried Dos.

All the radio and print media columns and programs related to computer troubleshooting contain nothing but problems on PCs. I find myself listening to radio computer shows and wonder why I waste my time; they are all about PCs and their multitudinous problems.

I live on Imovie and Final Cut.
FCP is the software many documentaries, commercials and even major motion pictures are created with.

I have tried PC multimedia software and it is too buggy. Doesn't feel right.
As if you were trying on a lefthand glove on the right hand.
PCs are not the creative person's platform. Most of the business world has PCs because every accounting dept. sez; go out and find us the cheapest computers to stay within budget. I worked as a computer consultant and salesman years back and am not without experience on DOS and windows. It just is a very uncomfortable 'computer system".
the curser is jaggy/pixelated, jumpy, the graphics are lousy, the visual layout is ugly, too busy. I hate the underline beneath each first letter.

The new Mac BIG flat screens kick derriere. That, in itself, right there, is the only reason I need for myself, to never consider anything else.

[kimo55]

Re: Your first computer?

Your next computer should be...

http://kmfms.com/

http://kmfms.com/alternatives.html

[DaFerret]

Re: Your first computer?

If memory serves, my first computer was the 486DX (or whatever they released in '88 or '89). Well, it wasn't MY computer. It was my dad's and he'd do all kinds of stuff to it. I'd just play video games and type up my assignments.

My first OWN computer was in '96. I believe it was 300MHz. Nothing too big. But I could still play games on it, so that was good. :P

Ever since then, I've upgraded my computer part by part. I don't even have any equipment from my old computer (other than the monitor) anymore.

Because of Doom 3, I had to speed up my upgrades recently and ended up with a system with these new (except where noted) specs:

• 2.8GHz P4
• 512MB DDR PC2700
• Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB (This I had for a while)
• Sound Blaster Audigy 5.1 ZS Gamer (I think this is the model)

Bought a bare bones system for the proc, memory and mobo and scored a DVD burner, (multiple media) memory card reader unit, extra CD-ROM drive, 160GB HD and a new case for about a $100 more than the price I would've paid at CompUSA for just the proc, memory and mobo.

Only negatives are the case (minitower, ick!), which will be replaced soon, and the power supply (250W), but I chucked it out for a 300W I already had.

And it all started with DOS and ASCII Donkey Kong!

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Your first computer?

before DOS or Donkey Kong there was vector graphics and Tank Commander.
And before that was block graphics and Pong.
Prior to all that graphics occured on TTY machines plugging away at 150 Baud and printing on typewriter style printers, typing on Canary yellow or Golden rod rolls of continuous paper.

[Linkmeister]

Re: Your first computer?

before DOS or Donkey Kong there was vector graphics and Tank Commander.
And before that was block graphics and Pong.
Prior to all that graphics occured on TTY machines plugging away at 150 Baud and printing on typewriter style printers, typing on Canary yellow or Golden rod rolls of continuous paper.

Teletype like the stuff I talk about here?

[helen]

Re: Your first computer?

Prior to all that graphics occured on TTY machines plugging away at 150 Baud and printing on typewriter style printers, typing on Canary yellow or Golden rod rolls of continuous paper.

We had our Teletype running at 110 baud back in 1975!

[mel]

Re: Your first computer?

macs don't hiccup.
But if and when I need service, it is taken care of quickly.
The incidence of crashes now are vurtually nonexistent, since the new infrastructure is based on UNIX.

For this and many other reasons, the only computers I ever bought brand new have been Macs. And I own several of them. In my collection:

Mac Plus
Mac II (trying to give this away)
Mac IIsi
Powerbook 3400
Power Mac 9500
Powercenter 150 Mac clone
Power Mac G4 Quicksilver (my main computer)

I am still happy with my G4 and can't find a justifiable reason to upgrade to something more powerful (like a G5).... perhaps later. I know for sure the next time I outlay some big bucks for another computer, it will be another Mac.

[kimo55]

Re: Your first computer?

For this and many other reasons, the only computers I ever bought brand new have been Macs. And I own several of them. In my collection:

Mac Plus
Mac II (trying to give this away)

Try unloading it to a private school...
they need em.

[kimo55]

Re: Your first computer?

I am still happy with my G4 and can't find a justifiable reason to upgrade to something more powerful (like a G5).... perhaps later. I know for sure the next time I outlay some big bucks for another computer, it will be another Mac.

Wait for the g5 to come down in price. they do and will, of course. then you can get a one o those bee you tee full terminator/humvee looking G5's at about what a maxed out g4 is now. The new BIIIg flat screen is what people are going for and that needs a new maxed out G5 with a POW erful video card, so I forsee, for that need and market, a separate newer G5 gonna hit any week now, and the G5 you see there at ala moan-uh will be available for a song...

[mel]

Re: Your first computer?

If I follow my regular hardware upgrade schedule, my next major Mac purchase will come around next year... so hopefully the G5 will me much cheaper. I know there will be a G5 iMac coming soon, but then again I have never been a fan of Apple's all-in-one desktop computers. And yes, I agree the new flat panel Apple monitors look great. I never again will buy a CRT monitor. Flat panel is the only way to go.

[kimo55]

Re: Your first computer?

I agree the new flat panel Apple monitors look great. I never again will buy a CRT monitor. Flat panel is the only way to go.

I have a flat panel monitor to my left and to my right, a biiig deeep Viewmate... one of those that emulated the opacity of the G3 when it was new. (semiclear blue ish plastic.) Apple fooled them; each G, now, looks different than the next...

And this CRT looks pale and wan next to the brilliance, clarity, resolution, erryt'ing, of the flat.

Gotta get anodda flatscreen.
looks like i got another boat anchor here... or doorstop.
oh yea; donate to school!
actually a bruddah I know (mac user club member) refurbishes older macs and donates them to Phillipine schools and underpriviledged... I give him all my stuff. Try to, at least.