Article View: alt.folklore.computers
Article #624597Re: Computers, anyone?
From: Mike Spencer
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2018 20:16
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2018 20:16
36 lines
3190 bytes
3190 bytes
AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com> writes: > I think a lot of people who get misty eyed over old computers have never > tried to go back and use them. > > I used to use a pr1me system at university and I was in awe of it. > I had the chance to use one a few years ago and it is rubbish. Similarly > I dug out an old CP/M machine and it is not at all as much fun how I > remembered it. I got my first computer, an Osborne I, in '87. With a background in hard science but only the briefest encounter with computers (Fortran, IBM 1620, 1964), I was tickled to be able to write my own programs in BASIC, Z80 assembler. and C. Spent a year in larval mode. > I have been spoiled by GHz of speed, GB of memory, TB of disk space and > Mega-mega pixels of screen resolutions. > Compilation time of a few seconds is not the same as setting the program > to compile and popping off to the pub. Just so. But I'm really happy that I spent 5 years with Osbornes. I learned how computers work deep inside on a simple platform and with more detailed documentation readily available than today. I would never have grovelled through the complexity of the modern CPU, compilers, USB details, memory management etc. etc. if I'd started with what I now use every day -- GNU-Linux, X, P4 or newer CPU etc. -- and would remain irritated overmy own ignorance. > Nostalgia is a lovely country until you go there and visit. Well, I do occasionally use an emulator to play Civ I under MS-DOS 5. I guess that qualifies as "visit". -- Mike Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada
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X-Received: by 2002:a6b:6518:: with SMTP id z24-v6mr2613397iob.20.1530130601777; Wed, 27 Jun 2018 13:16:41 -0700 (PDT) X-BeenThere: alt.folklore.computers@googlegroups.com Received: by 2002:a02:89cf:: with SMTP id e15-v6ls131559jak.5.gmail; Wed, 27 Jun 2018 13:16:40 -0700 (PDT) X-Received: by 2002:a02:285:: with SMTP id 127-v6mr2934925jau.39.1530130600849; Wed, 27 Jun 2018 13:16:40 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 Path: mbox-mo1.pugleaf.net!z3-v6ni1537iti.0!nntp.google.com!border1.nntp.dca1.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!goblin2!goblin.stu.neva.ru!aioe.org!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!reader02.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Computers, anyone? Date: 27 Jun 2018 17:16:17 -0300 Organization: Bridgewater Institute for Advanced Study - Blacksmith Shop Lines: 36 Message-ID: <874lho6l4e.fsf@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> References: <pgt4m9$lcq$1@dont-email.me> <5b329400.851025687@news.xmission.com> <rFFYC.823666$3a1.307159@fx11.am4> <slrnpj6e41.23h.mausg@dmaus.org> <JEHYC.544435$U32.395934@fx04.am4> Injection-Info: reader02.eternal-september.org; posting-host="8f51cc7104055d4b6fb4a4579de4b7d7"; logging-data="31497"; mail-complaints-to="ab...@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18o3fj95IocnN/egb+VyAoTew5weTkjoVc=" Cancel-Lock: sha1:NNU2G+Wz6eK0CGobtKzuLdi1Ces= X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.7/Emacs 20.7 X-Clacks-Overhead: 4GH GNU Terry Pratchett Bytes: 2680 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit