Technology Just Amazes Me!

[TheGreatSatan]

Here's my old Seagate 1.2GB (Yeah, One point two!) hard drive next to my I/O Magic 12GB Flash Drive. Just amazing!

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8632/1000446vg2.jpg

Here's a little info on that antique Drive

http://www.seagate.com/support/disc/specs/scsi/st41200n.html

[Zephik]

:eek:

[Airbozo]

OOhhh the noisy Wren's Is that the drive that screams like a banshee? Some of those Wren's were aptly named due to the sound they make when they are accessing data.

I am also amazed at drive capacity and size. The first hard drive I worked on was as long as a computer rack and 1 foot high, with a whopping 512MB!

Great comparison pic!

[Luke122]

My first new pc had a 220mb hdd... and I said, "I'll never fill this!"

Lol.. I just filled a 300gb hdd at home..

[Bopher]

Hehe, theres your next mod. Rip out the guts and drop in a mini-ITX board and you've got a tiny PC.

But seriously wow. My first PC had a 100MB HDD. 120 if I Double spaced the drive. SCSI has come a long way in 16 years.

[Zephik]

My first new pc had a 220mb hdd... and I said, "I'll never fill this!"

Lol.. I just filled a 300gb hdd at home..

I have around 700GB* all together, I'm somewhere around 500GB full out of that. I'm a total media nut! Btw, my first pc was a 40GB. lol I guess that means I'm pretty young. ><

*although, as sad as it may be, my new Seagate 320GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148140) might be dead thanks to my somewhat makeshift case falling off of my somewhat makeshift stand. lol my money goes into hard drives, not sturdy cases or actual desks. >< (Enhanced Gforce protection my butt)

Thankfully, HDD prices are dropping like flies in a room filled with raid. I spent around 100 bucks on my seagate, I can get a 400GB for the same price now. Funny though, the seagate only dropped like 10 bucks.
:?

[.Maleficus.]

My sis' computer has a whopping 30Gb drive (but that doesn't matter, it's running Xubuntu, and is used for only IM and internet) and has 192Mb of RAM. Nice :up:

My dad has a K6 in our storage room, with a 15Gb drive, and something like 64Mb RAM.

I'm not sure what our first PC had, but it was Win95, so not quite as old as some of your guy's stuff.

[xRyokenx]

My first PC was a DOS system. That thing was a lot of fun though, we had a few good games on there and up until about four or so years ago I had Win95, then I had Moron Edition and now I have XP, which in my opinion is the modern '95. I had pretty much no trouble running '95 but ME was awful. I'm thinking of taking my old PC and installing Linux on it and running it as a server of some sort... I'd just need some RAM and a reasonably sized HDD.

[Luke122]

First new pc for me was a 486-sx 25, with 4mb ram, and the aforementioned 220mb hdd.

Previous to that, I had Commodore Vic20, some Timex computer (64k memory!), and an old 8086.

The 486 had Windows 3.11 on it.. which was a huge jump ahead of the school computers.. 386-16mhz with Dos.

Ya know, those were the glory days of PC gaming. Blake Stone, Wolfenstein, Cosmo's Adventure, Crystal Caves... Doom 1 came out, and we were deathmatching at school with null modem cables. :D

I remember the first soundcard I got (original soundblaster), the first WAVETABLE soundcard (gravis ultrasound), the first time I played a Sierra game (Kings Quest.. then space quest, then leisure suit larry, etc), and the first time I saw an inkjet printer. :D

Yeah, I'm 27 as of yesterday... and yet, all this stuff seems so far back....

[xRyokenx]

Hey Luke, I'm betting that's before the whole stupid "video games cause people to be violent (or whatever the hell the argument is)" crap. Go after something else, sheesh, video games do not make people think "oh lets go shoot someone because I played Pacman" unless they're already in dire need of help, in which case they'd probably do that crap anyway. But I'll quit while I'm "ahead" and "stop" using "these" "apostrophes" as "I" think I'm "wearing" them "out." That and the keep from having a long rant, lol.

/ramble

[Drum Thumper]

First new pc for me was a 486-sx 25, with 4mb ram, and the aforementioned 220mb hdd.


Luke, I had the same spec'd system for my first PC. And the games back then were bad assed! Doom 1 is what really got me hooked, but I can remember spending countless hours playing Scorched Earth (I personally modified the text tables to give the game a definite 'R' rating lol) on the old 286 AutoCAD machine--that old beast had 3 20 meg hard drives in it, and the teacher didn't know about drives d and e, so guess where all the games resided? :D.

FWIW, I cut my teeth in junior high on an ancient (even at that time!) Apple II. It really is amazing to see how far technology has come, and even more amazing to think about what's in store for us.

[moon111]

When I first got into computing, we didn't have harddrives. In fact we didn't have CD-Rom drives, 3.5" floppy drives or 5.25" floppy drives... we loaded our OS from cassette tape. Took forever.

My first computer was a 286 with a MASSIVE 120mb harddrive. At the time, we didn't have a 'free-trade' agreement with the US, so there were places you could rent software from. I'd rent games, install them, then bring back the disks. I use to laugh at my friend's Nintendo, because he had to pay a small fortune for his games.

Here's an old Maxtor I still have. Maybe one day I'll mod it into a 1 terabyte NAS?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/moon111/Massive_Maxtor.jpg

[AJ@PR]

When I first got into computing, we didn't have harddrives. In fact we didn't have CD-Rom drives, 3.5" floppy drives or 5.25" floppy drives... we loaded our OS from cassette tape. Took forever.

Kick ass!
Now that's old school...

My 1st computer

486 DX 50 Mhz
16MB RAM
120MB (???) Hdd
Sound card (!!)

Wow...

[Mitternacht]

I own all of you; my first computer was an Osborne Executive. I got it in 93, but I also got a Sega so guess what got more attention...

I gave it to my uncle and he moved to Texas. Wish I would've kept it!

Link (http://www.vintage-computer.com/osborneexecutive.shtml)

[Airbozo]

pssht!

My _first_ computer was an 8088 "prototype" trainer. Had to flip switches and then push a button to store each instruction. Had 64k on board memory and a breadboard to create circuits to test with. My first program was a "digital clock". I upgraded the I/O to give me a hex keyboard and a 4 digit lcd as well as a cassette interface to store my programs... (got that baby in '84 from Storage Tek (now part of SUN))

[Bopher]

My first computer:

Packard Bell (ahh!! run away!!!)
486SX 33Mhz
64Mb RAM
Windows 3.1
3.5" drive
5.25" drive
the before mentioned 100MB HDD

added a 14.4 modem to upgrade the 2400 baud modem
and added a sound card. Eventually the onboard IDE controller died on us and we had to build a new system. I remember pulling the 5.25" out to install a CDROM drive but then found out that the IDE could only handle 1 IDE drive. My dad really wanted a CDROM in there.

[moon111]

Out of college, I got a job working in the office of a trucking company. Their best system was a 286, the accountant had a 8086, and everything was saved in random directories using names like one of the client's old employees. eg: c:\programfiles\ernie.txt or c:\windows\pete.txt. Also, sometimes they would use their ernie.txt file and rename it for a different client. When asked by the owner, I said he should throw out everything and everybody.

[Nagoshi]

I own all of you; my first computer was an Osborne Executive. I got it in 93, but I also got a Sega so guess what got more attention...

I gave it to my uncle and he moved to Texas. Wish I would've kept it!

Link (http://www.vintage-computer.com/osborneexecutive.shtml)

I pwn you all : My uncle bought an old IBM PS/1 in the times. That rig had a hard time running Wolfenstein 3D, and F15 Strike Eagle II and F18 Stealth Fighter were actually LAGGING! It had a BIG 50Mb hard drive in it. We were using the computer with a DOS menu software, something like Menu III. And the boy don't have any BIOS! All it has is some kind of DOS-software OS with which you can seek the drive and do some things with. I still have it, laying in my basement :D Also, the only working screen with that computer is the one supplied with it, because it features 3 essential cables : one for Power (yes, the power supply is in the screen), one for the screen image, and the other one is for I don't know what, probably the sound.

Here is a picture of the bad boy, altho its missing half of the case (mine has another case under it containing a 5.25" floppy drive).

http://www.boringbeigebox.com/ibmPS1small.jpg

Thats also when computers began with PS2 jacks, both for keyboards and mouses, and then they went to a more crappy technology... serial mouse and ugly spiral corded keyboard!

[Mitternacht]

How fast was the processor? Mine was 4 Mhz in the Executive.

[Nagoshi]

No idea... probably around that too. Note that the IBM is more than 20 years old... it was available BEFORE the old Sierra games (which were made in the pre-90s, if not late 80s). I think it has something like 512Kb to 1Mb RAM. Ill try to boot it up to see if there wouldnt be some lame butt error about crap memory, like there was a year ago. Ill also try to look for a date and CPU speed on the box, and by opening it (I always wanted to open it, but never dared... lol)

[OvRiDe]

Aww you kids are cute with your new fangled PC type equipment.. :D

Actually I was quite fortunate as a kid when it came to computers. My father is a structural engineer and has been in to computers since the 60's. In fact he has been said to be the first engineer to design a concrete structure using a computer in 1964. A challenge went out for anyone to come forward with a building designed before that but so far no one has. (http://www.escsi.org/pdfdoc1/Structural%20Info%20Sheet%20%204750.1.pdf If your interested in the article.) This afforded me the opportunity to be exposed to computers at a very early age.. Pretty much since birth :).

The first computer I messed around with was an IBM 1130.
The CPU
http://ibm1130.org/hw/cpu/pagegraphic
Punch card I/O
http://ibm1130.org/hw/punchcard/pagegraphic
Printer (Primary form of output)
http://ibm1130.org/hw/printers/pagegraphic
And Dad was fortunate enough to have a Disk Storage Device.. although his looks a little different then the picture, but you get the idea.
http://ibm1130.org/hw/disk/pagegraphic
And of course being an engineer he had the plotter.
http://ibm1130.org/hw/io/pagegraphic
Here is the card punch machine. When I was a kid this was just like something out of Star Trek!! (The Original Series :))
http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/vintage/images/4506VV4002.jpg
Now I won't say that I was extremely active on this machine. But as a kid I remember playing with the card punch, and feeding the decks into the machine for my Dad was a treat. Later when I got older I did try my hand at a few VERY simple fortran programs on it. We still have it, although there is really no hope of getting it running again. Storage was not nice to it. :(
Later Dad started a consulting firm on the side and began selling Ohio Scientific Computers. So my first real hands on computer was:
A OSI C1P 600 Superboard II
http://oldcomputers.net/pics/osi-600.jpg
The Stats:
Model: Superboard II ( Model 600 )
Available: 1978
Price: US $279 assembled
CPU: 6502
RAM: 4K static RAM, 8K max
Display: composite video 30 X 30 text
Ports: video, cassette
Storage: cassette
OS: Microsoft BASIC in ROM machine "monitor"
Later I got a C1P that was actually IN a case.
http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/challege/system.jpg
Then for a short time we had the upgraded C2P
http://www.digibarn.com/collections/systems/challenger2p/Image06.jpg
And then I did ALOT on this one The Ohio Scientific C4P!
http://www.computercloset.org/OSI_Challenger_4PMF.jpg
It had COLOR and a 5 1/4" FLOPPY DISK DRIVE. Before that all the drives were 8" Floppies.
The Specs -
Introduced: October 1979
Original Price: $698 for C4P with 8K RAM, 8K ROM, cassette storage
$1695 for C4P-MF (MiniFloppy) with 24K RAM, no ROM
CPU: 6502 (6502C, known as the "GT Option", for an additional $950)
Memory: 24K RAM expandable to 48K
Display Capability: TV video output, 256x512 resolution, up to 16 colors
Operating System: BASIC in ROM for cassette version, BASIC on disk for MF version
OSI OS-65D disk operating system
Input/Output: 53-Key Keyboard
Programmable audio tone generator, 200 to 20kHz, 8-bit DAC
Audio cassette interface (cassette version only)
Joystick interface
X-10 home security system interface
Modem interface
Parallel interface
Bus: OSI bus
One day I kinda complained to my Dad that I really wanted an ATARI (He never liked consoles, He thought that computers should be used for more productive things, rather then games.) But he ended up getting me one of these:
http://oldcomputers.net/pics/atari400open.jpg
:rolleyes:
My first portable pc was a Columbia Data Systems
http://www.ovride.com/pictures/galleries/TBCS/Columbia.jpg

After that came several versions of the 8080, 8086(+8087 Math coprocessor),8088,286,386,486 and on.

[Airbozo]

OvRiDe (and all), this will date me, but I have worked on most of the systems you posted. Worked on, as in "fixed" them, not used them for any useful purpose. At one time I was the plotter king since I could fix any plotter with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back.

When we finally wheeled the punch card machine out the door, we took the collator bracket off of it and fed thousands of cards through it, watching them spew all over the computer room... One of the Computer operators wrote a small program that made a punch pattern in all of the cards, that looked like F*** YOU. That program ended up at IBM. The machine jammed before it went through all the cards we had left and we left it jammed and pushed it off the loading dock (only a 4 foot drop...)

[b4i7]

AB- using the phrase this will date me instantly does it :)

[Airbozo]

AB- using the phrase this will date me instantly does it :)

heheheh!

[AJ@PR]

Overdrive,
Wow.
You were a geek before 'geek' was invented!

I just knew AB would pre-date everyone (not calling you old dude, but you sometimes recount these computer history events/situations that are "kinda" pre-1990s).

Case in Point::::

One of the Computer operators wrote a small program that made a punch pattern in all of the cards, that looked like F*** YOU. That program ended up at IBM. The machine jammed before it went through all the cards we had left and we left it jammed and pushed it off the loading dock (only a 4 foot drop...)
HahAHAHAHahHEHEh ahAaa..
People, we have history right here!

My hats off to OverDrive (and your dad), and AirBozo!

[Airbozo]

Funny funny.

When I want to feel nostalgic, I browse through the computer history museum up the street. I found a Storage Tek (oem'd for IBM) 3420 tape drive that had my tech stamp and my girlfriends (at the time) QA stamp on it.

http://hampage.hu/oldiron/ibms/tape3420.jpg

I showed the guy running the place and he had me sign the inside of the cabinet.

[AJ@PR]

I showed the guy running the place and he had me sign the inside of the cabinet.

See what I mean!?!?! :D :D :D

OMG!
Idea!

1. Get old-school computer hardware
2. Get AirBozo to sign it and comment on it
3. ???
4. Profit!!!

[Mitternacht]

Quick; sign Drei sechzig! lol

[OvRiDe]

When I want to feel nostalgic, I browse through the computer history museum up the street. I found a Storage Tek (oem'd for IBM) 3420 tape drive that had my tech stamp and my girlfriends (at the time) QA stamp on it.

Very cool! I used to work for Memorex-Telex, we had a training room that had a lot of equipment like that for training. Since we still maintained it, they still had to train techs to fix it. Most of trainers were techs at one time when the equipment was much newer. :D It was like "my" computer museum. They used to tease me since I was just a youngster, that I didn't even know what I was looking at, but then surprised them when I told them exactly what it was.. hahahah They really were a bunch of great guys!

[moon111]

OvRiDe, your dad must of done very well for himself. The prices of that stuff was crazy. Heck I remember a simple watch like you can find in a cereal box use to be a $1000.