We had All the Computers we needed in 1999. (monitor, mouse, flash)

[thinkalot]

Pre internet.

My first, IBM, was $2300. The 20MB hard drive was a $200 option. The top of the line IBM called Zero Wait was something like $9995. My first printer was over $400.

I miss Panzer General and Sim City.


Post internet.

I don't miss getting a disk in the mail every other day.

I liked that no one could call the landline when I was online. Only 3 people had my cell number.

[moxiegal]

Oh the good old days eh? I am 56, and saw my first computer I think, in 1975. In an office setting. It was punch card, and I wasn't impressed. FF to 1981, and my ex had started his journey into hardware/software, with either the TRS 80 or Commodore 64. Too many years now to remember.

I started writing programs then-DOS- while he was at work. Pages and pages. I taught him how to hack. He ended up purchasing everything available on the market except Apple. So while I was busy raising the 3 kids, (he was active duty SeaBees), he dove into hardware and software. My kids teethed on it all. I followed along, but some of it was not user friendly.

Remember the cassette driven computer? TI-Texas Instruments I believe. It was horrible. He would also get some of the discarded computers from the military. Bring them home, dismantle them, learn on them. I did some hardware, but software was much better instant feedback.

This being all pre-internet, and I really don't remember what all he and the kids did with them. I know we also went through Playstations etc.

We didn't actually get internet till 1994. And I didn't go online myself till 99'.

[FiveLoaves]

Originally Posted by charlygal

OP, you're conflating two separate things.

Your argument is flawed because ........

Now where did I save that Tongue in Cheek Emoji ??

I was working at Bell Labs in the 70's. They put a PC on my desk when Billy Idol was still churning out hit songs. My early Interweb excursions were thru the DARPA portal, and the alt.rec.music pages. My love/hate for the machines is as deep as it is wide.

These stories are fascinating -- Keep 'em coming. Creative Writing is Fun !!

[Deelighted]

Since this has turned into the "what was your first computer" thread:



Mine was an Epson Apex with a floppy drive. It's memory was so low that I couldn't use Windows when it came out. Epson had it's own version of DOS, but I muddled through and figured out how to set up the batch (.bat) files and made a numerical menu screen to run whatever program I wanted by typing a number.


When I finally did get connected to the internet, everything online was text based. I used CompuServe to go online.

[slackercruster]

My ancient Windows 7 runs better than my Windows 10. We didn't get ransomware back in the day either. I get ransomware ever few months. Sometimes 2 in a week.

[westegg]

QWERTY makes no sense to change for most of us since it's as ingrained as a native language. You'd have to start from scratch with preschoolers!

Facebook is what you make it. It's a great resource for groups to share common interests, and Google is a fantastic cosmic library.

[slackercruster]

The powerful computer we got now are needed because the old school computers can't cut it when it comes to all the add-on advertising we get.

[ceiligrrl]

i deplore computers, and only use this one to do a wonderful weekly jiggsaw (deliberately mis-spelled as the three letter variation was censored for some ridiculous reason!!! jeeze freakin' louise!) puzzle that adapts to your skill level (can be found at Lena Games), correspond via mail with my doctors and come here to CDF, truly and honestly the big date on my social calendar i have a cell phone i can never find, it's never charged and i only haul it out if I'm heading out for a long drive in my car.

I see little of value with any of technology..... preferring Opera, ELLA/Louis/Holiday/Cole songbooks, broadway soundtracks, practicing my cello, drawing, painting, writing and reading. I don't even know what the "cloud" is, and am sure Joni Mitchell's are much much nicer

p.s. i much preferred my first computer, an Apple II graphics and sound computer that helped my kids become very adept composers!!!!!

[metalmancpa]

As far as hardware is concerned, the comparison between 1999 and today is, well, there isn't any. I remember having to play with freeing up the 640k of memory so things would run better. A 20mb HD was huge. 5.25 floppies, and then the 3.25 ones. The gaming computer of the future was the Commodore 64 - so much fun programming on a cassette tape. Capacity, speed, computing power - 1999 was like a penny to $10,000 in computer comparison.

You cannot put computers in the web in the same argument as they are not even remotely the same. The web is about connecting the world. And those who write apps are the ones who have put social media, news, music, sports, at your beck and call. Somebody dies half way round the world the tweet goes out within a minute or two and everyone knows.

Just because you think that yesterday was fine and you can be happy with that, great for you. With technology I personally am happy that the MP3 player of yesterday which could only hold an albums worth of music is gone, and I now carry 20,000+ songs on my iPhone. I'm glad that spreadsheets power of today blows away the past. I like multiple programs where I can multi-task.

Technology is more complicated, but it was just as frustrating in 1999 as it is today. I will never look back and think it was good enough. It isn't good enough today, and I'm looking forward to what the future will bring. And at 58 I suppose that makes me an anomaly or sorts with that mindset.

[T. Damon]

I do advanced 3D architectural modeling and rendering on the computer so no, a 1999 computer and more importantly software ain’t gonna cut it for me today.