For me growing up without a TV in the house, meant I spent a lot of time on my C64 programming and being a sysop on my own bbs. I asked for the C64 for Christmas and can cannot believe I got one! I still remember that new plastic smell during the unboxing. My parents could not afford the disk drive and I did not care. Every night after long hours of programming I would get the chance to run the program a few times then had to turn it off and head in the house for bed!(my lab back then was half of the shed, a deal my Dad made with me if I helped him build it ) It was there I developed so many cool things! Just thinking back on a few, a working video phone - A low orbit satellite using light-beam communications(never launched it as the engine I was working on blew up, but the electronics worked ) and I interfaced the six motors of my raido shack Armatron to my vic20 to control movement with programs instead of the joysticks. There were many more cool projects, but they still remain top secrect to this day The good 'ol dayz. It was these years that I feel I gained the most from having a computer. A few years after having the C64 I asked for and got the floppy disk drive and because I could save my work the programming slowed way down. Check it out boyz a re-release of the Commodore 64! I know its just a newer computer in the c64 case but its still cool Commodore USA http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_Home.aspx What was your first computer and what memories do you have from it? Please share'em we would like to hear. Thanks Mark and Trish
My first computer from what I can remember was a Tandy - from Radio Shack. It had a 2" thick book.I had to type in every program code into it ,just to get that thing to show a swirling cyrcle.That was a nightmare .
Here she is an all here splendor 4k mem. rolling a cassete deck hooked up to a 13" black and white sears television . Just when you were about done writing a program the power would blink and you would lose everything :x Attached files
Oh yea, I remember my first program from the Commodore mag. It was a chess program.after programing you could actually play against the computer!My wife and I spent many days programming machine language.One tiny mistake and "ALL" of the worked had to be reviewed with many hours of checking machine language.But one day it worked.It was neat playing chess with a computer.I have that computer to this day though I have not started it up in quiet a few years.it probably works.If I'm not mistaking, the on-board computers used on the Apollo space craft were not as powerful as the "64's"If not about the same.
Mine was also a TRS-80 from Radio Shack in the late 70s. 1.77mhz, 4k mem, cassette storage, basic language. Wow, I had almost forgotten how cool I thought that was. I didn't have the monitor. I used a 13" B/W TV. Attached files
Glad you guy's remember those things,makes me wish I still had mine. Now I remember what it was.TRS-80.
The TRS-80 was my first machine too. I got the cassette recorder after I wasted all my time not being able to save a program I made lol. I remember countless hours just to make a sprite move around the screen. The commodore 64 was my 2nd computer. That thing was awesome in its time for sure.
The C64 was my first one too. In 1984. Started BASICing on it. Never looked back. Still do some VB6 today.
My first computer was a Heathkit H8 Computer, with H17 drive ,and H9 terminal. It cost me about $2,600.00. It was fun to build. I wish I still had it. I traded it for a Radio Shack TRS-80 computer, and a Radio Shack Color Computer. I am getting old. :questions: GHB. :ugeek:
I have about three C64s sitting in my storage, as well as the tape drive an a couple of disk drives, not to mention a whole lot of 5 1/4" floppies, it was my first computer even though my dad insisted it was his, though he had trouble even turning it on :tease: My favorite game for it was Chuck Yeagers flight trainer, I loved how after you crashed Chuck would pop up and insult you
I forgot to mention, I also have the speech modual and the "Magic" mouse for the C64, My parents went all out when they bought the C64.
These are great stories guyz and sure bring back the memories. I forgot to mention or school had TRS-80 in our math class. Our teacher was ahead of his time and he was super cool. He taught us to write our own adventure games. It was a lot of fun. Keep'em coming Mark and Trish
The Commodore PET was the first to come into our schools here in the UK. That calculator style keyboard was probably good practise for SMS texting in later life and the program that keep users up till the early hours was ‘Lunar Lander’. Tweakie. Attached files
Wow man, I never knew the PET had the tape drive built right in! That thing is cool! Thanks for posting Tweakie Mark and Trish
The (MkII) with the full sized keyboard was quick to follow and, of course, there was not any room for the tape drive which then became a separate feature. I don't know how much these machines cost but I think it was well beyond the average man's budget at that time. Tweakie.
This link tells the story about the guy that was inventor of the personal computer.Interestingly, he could have bought Apple at one time for $180,000. Anybody got a time machine. http://www.commodore.ca/history/people/ ... peddle.htm
John Vincent Atanasoff the 'father of computers' came into our programming class in high school and gave a talk to about 20 of us kids. It was awesome honor! http://www.columbia.edu/~td2177/JVAtana ... asoff.html Mark and Trish
My first computer was an Atari 800 back around 1980. I remember paying more for the floppy drive and 32K memory than for the computer. I had dreams of being a game programmer back then (it didn't take 100 people to write software) and had one minor game published. I was amazed to find out a few years back that it still can be found on the internet and run on modern computers with an emulator. It's cool that I could let my daughter play it almost 30 years later. http://gury.atari8.info/details_games/969.htm It's funny that even back then there was always a battle between Apple and everyone else about who had the superior machine....
COOL Stuff I remember playing this game on an emulator about 10 or so years ago. Welcome to the wonderful world of the Phlat....
I'm really looking forward to getting my new machine. I wish I could still code like I used to. I'd love to get into the nuts and bolts of the software but my skills are WAY out of date...
Hey guyz. I don't remember the name of our first computer but I do remember "writing" a small program (over and over) 10 Run 20 Trish 30 Print At least I think that's the way it went. After this was done, my name would be all over the screen. One more command and my name would be diagonal on the screen. That was the start and end to my programming career
