Old PC memories

Well I am not the C64 crowd, but close. I am just not sure what I'd call my first computer.
option #1: an ancient phillips game console. Already had a cartridge that allowed programming in (hex) machine code. Ugh. Still have it, still working.
option #2: a Schneider (Amstrad in the US) CPC 6128. Basically the same as a C64 (but of course incompatible). But it already had: * a color monitor. * a disk drive. * 64k Extended memory *CP/M (a close relative to DOS). Also you could already get stuff like harddisk, mice, lightpens,... for it (!) Still have it and occastionally use it.
option #3, my first x86 PC: A successor to the Commodore PC40 series. 286 cpu, 640 ram+512 extended, 3 1/2+5 1/4 disk drive (that I still use BTW, just as the keyboard as still in use as well - talk about quality...). 52MB HD. SB 2.0 (still have it). No idea about the graphics card - it wasn't a factor back then.
 
ChrisReid said:
Then you'll be happy to know that soon Apple will introduce the revolutionary TWO BUTTON MOUSE!
Click to expand...

To be fair, there has been the option for multi-button mouses for a while now, thanks to using a USB port as the mouse connection.

Given how PC clones, in spite of how they've progressed over the years, still cling to an ancient archetecture that goes back to the IBM PC Jr. (IRQs, anyone?), I don't think there's that much room to complain about Macs retaining that particular feature from Day One.
 
My first lessons in computer tech was in 7th and 8th grade on macs, anyone remeber hypercard? I made a cartoon about SuperMetroid using that and got an A for it. The only computers I think I hated were old IBM tandy word processor laptops.

-Rance-

PS: anyone ever play the old Mechwarior game that was on 5.25 floppy disks?
 
My first computer was a Timex Computer 2048 (equivalent to Spectrum). No floppy drive or cartridge, just a nice cassette player. :)
 
One thing I really loved about our old computers here were the Iomega Bernoulli drives. First we had the 20 meg one, then the 44, 90, and then the 150 meg came out which was just so amazing at the time.
 
my first PC was a

Packard Bell Club 60
6Gb HD
64 Megs
400 Mhz
6x DVD drive

that's about all I can remember
 
First was a Sinclair ZX-81 (it was my father's)
The first I personally owned was the glorious C64.

PC-wise:
After two PCs (286-10Mhz, 486-33Mhz) owned by my father (used by me :D ) I first bought my own PC in 1995.
It was:
Pentium 90
16MB RAM, 1.2GB HDD, Quadspeed CD-Rom, 2MB graphic card
15" Monitor
It was really a expensive High-End PC for that time.
 
286 12MhZ (with "Turbo" on...otherwise it was like 4MhZ)
Lord knows how little RAM
40MB HDD (I remember, when I got a 90meg HDD I was so thrilled with how big it was, and when I got a 1GB HDD I said "I'll *never* fill this!")
5.25 and 3.5 floppy drives
DOS 3.1
A really small monitor
An internal speaker!

First game: Silpheed
Second game: Wing Commander (I wanted it when I got Silpheed but I forget why I didn't buy it right then)

Vindicator...which Mechwarrior game are you referring to? I remember I had MW-2, Earthsiege and one other one that had live action people put into it (I forget what it was called...I have the discs at home. If that game is Earthsiege, then I had another battlemech game as well).
 
This one didn't have any live action people in it.
It was very crude cartoony That's all I remember about the game itself. Also, your characters Name was G. Braver or something similar.

-Rance-
 
Death said:
Given how PC clones, in spite of how they've progressed over the years, still cling to an ancient archetecture that goes back to the IBM PC Jr. (IRQs, anyone?)
Click to expand...

And the bad thing about IRQs is what? IRQs actually are a pretty good thing I'd say. Or are you referring to the low number of them and the cascading structure. Of course that one isn't exactly optimal.
 
1) Commodore 64 - 32K RAM, no HD, I think the processor ran at something like 1Mhz

2) Commodore Amiga - 512K RAM (which I expanded to 1Mb!), no HD. Processor ran at 7Mhz! (I think - or was it 14?)

3) PC - Pentium 166MMX, 32Mb RAM, 4Gb HD. CDrom, floopy, 15in monitor
 
cff said:
And the bad thing about IRQs is what? IRQs actually are a pretty good thing I'd say. Or are you referring to the low number of them and the cascading structure. Of course that one isn't exactly optimal.
Click to expand...

I'm primarily referring to the fact that there are so few of them, and a fair number of functions that require an interrupt.

I'm sure there are some out there that enjoyed flipping switches/jumpers/etc around to try to get everything working without conflict or breaking something on their system, but I wasn't (and currently am not) one of them. :p
 
Death said:
I'm primarily referring to the fact that there are so few of them, and a fair number of functions that require an interrupt.
I'm sure there are some out there that enjoyed flipping switches/jumpers/etc around to try to get everything working without conflict or breaking something on their system, but I wasn't (and currently am not) one of them. :p
Click to expand...

Well in defense... It only refers to HARDWARE interrupts. And even then you need a pretty whacky machine to not have enough with the 15 you got. Like multiple sound or graphic cards and/or hyprid systems (IDE/SATA/SCSI). Granted, it might need some tweaking initially (and yeah - I very much ENJOYED to be able to flip switches/jumpers/etc around. Way better then to plug and pray that the system will do it auto which it didn't 9 out of 10 times for said whacky setups).
 
Percy said:
1) 3) PC - Pentium 166MMX, 32Mb RAM, 4Gb HD. CDrom, floopy, 15in monitor
Click to expand...


LOL - a floopy drive!

Anyway - was playing WC1 on the Amiga today - cripes, it was jerky!
Was busy getting a WinUAE installation going so that I can play the old Amiga games on my PC - first game to be picked was good old Wing Commander.

Here's what happened:
* Load game up, goes into start screen, saw the good old TrainSim where you input your callsign. Out of nostalgia, I enter Sh**head.
* Talk to Shotglass, talk to Paladin, talk to Angel.
* Go into barracks, listen appreciatively to the sleep-inducing music
* Head off to get my first mission, get introduced to Spirit
* On mission, 3 nav point patrol, with nav 2 and 3 being very close to asteroid fields (asteroid field flying? - on the first mission??? - kinda harsh on the newbie players wasn't that?)
* nav 1 - 3 Dralthi - cleaned those up
* nav 2 - asteroid field, got a little impatient watching the rocks chug by so decide to give a quick burst of afterburn......straight into a small rock. Lose a dumbfire and my left laser cannon. (whoa, that was a close one).
* nav 3 - 2 Salthi - blasted those away, and due to the asteroid field nearby, had to manually fly to the nav point.
* leaving nav 3, still manually fly out because of the nearby asteroid field - it looked clear, but the 'auto' light hadn't lit still, so, again, a quick dab of the afterburners.......straight into another asteroid that came out of nowhere! - didn't survive this one.
* Back on the Tiger's Claw, the funeral.....a quiet chuckle as Colonel Halcyon says "Farewell, Sh**head, you will be missed"


Ah, those were the days.....
 
I don't remember when I bought my first PC, but it was in -94, not long before Doom II was released...

Doom II and Epic Pinball was among my first games.

Anyway, some of the spec was:
Pentium 90 MHz
16 Mb Ram
Ati graphics card with 4 Mb memory
Sound blaster 16
Windows 3.11
Hitachi 17 " monitor
SCSI Conner 1 Gb HD

and it cost me loads of money.
 
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