Discussion on:

422
Comments

Join the conversation!

Follow via:
RSS
Email Alert
0 Votes
+ -
I miss autocoder, maybe even SPS.
5 Votes
+ -
Remember the ...

Green (or amber, or white) Phosphorus screen...

Dumb Terminals

300 baud (that's 300 bits/sec, or about) modem. You could actually what each line of text 'type' across the screen. You had to math Data bits, Parity bits, Stop bits. 8N1 (8 data bits, No Parity and 1 Stop Bit.) or 7E. Loved to 'hack' the old BBS and tease the operator... Good Times.

Ascii Art - Something else I miss. Today it is much harder to do Ascii Art what with variable space fonts...

Dot Matrix Printers - Those were the good old days. Printing Ascii Art, Banners ... They are still around, but not in the home much, mostly in special business settings.

Those were the good old days of computing.
and it was a lot of fun, really! Using the old meter and oscilloscope along with the schematics was like being a doctor or detective to solve the problem. happy

It's too bad we can't do that today, but with smaller parts, surface mounted components, and lack of documentation, it's impossible. In the old days even without the prints, I could still find a cold solder joint or a bent pin, but today even that's impossible with most of the parts the size of an ant's footprint.
The Dot Matrix ribbon, by twisting it and let it run upside down, the printer would "use" the bottom portion of the ribbon. After awhile, you had to open the ribbon case and spray it with wd-40 and it would print for a while longer. After awhile, the ribbon fabric would just perforate and become shreds! By then it was time to buy another one. Come to think of it, they were just as expensive as buying liquid ink today.
For my printer at home EPSON FX-80 I deviced a way to use the drill to turn the ribbon, while I was squeezing a tube of ink pad ink, that came in a "roll on" type dispenser. This worked great!! the ink was the darkest I have ever seen before. Great memories!!
Of course they happen to be the ones containing my source code.

Am I the only one who remembers 300 baud?
2 Votes
+ -
I did 300 baudot
Otto Roth Updated - 24th Oct
and raise you 110 baudot! Possibly even 75??? Long ago!
I miss QDOS for file manipulation and backup of specific programs. It had a hex editor built in. It fit on a floppy easily. It was not useful with long filenames which are now woven into the fabric of everyday computing. I for one would be overjoyed to find QDOS for todays OS's.
2 Votes
+ -
The clicky IBM Model M is still available. I have an original on my machine but have sold a few of the new ones to my clients.
http://www.pckeyboard.com/

This Unicomp who bought the patents on the Model M and buckling spring switch that makes it so nice to type on. It's still very popular with writers and programmers and old-school types like myself.

BTW, my fond memories of tech extend back into the deep dark 70's.....
0 Votes
+ -
what are these things you speak of? i know not what these "70's" are
1 Vote
+ -
Hopefully they'll still be making them in another 15-20 years when this 80's relic finally wears out.
0 Votes
+ -
The one I'm typing on is vintage '87, and that's all I use (5 are in active use between household and work) but I have several from '84 to '94 stored as well, so if there comes a day when I can't repair one of my keyboards in current use, I have 5 full spare keyboards plus *lots* of spare parts... I don't plan on ever being without a Model 'M'.

[[ Edit for linguistic clarity... ]]
I don't get it. If there's a demand for such keyboards why not contact current keyboard manufacturers and have these added to the product line? Forget e-mail, too. I mean send a printed letter, hand-signed, through the postal service to each manufacturer. They rarely ignore requests on paper.
... Just not a *huge* demand. Most general "computer users" don't give a flip about their keyboard, and would rather get a freebie from Dell [1] when they get a new PC or a $10 Walmart cheapie than pay the $80-$120 for a new keyboard that doesn't suck.

[1] and Dell isn't going to bundle a freebie $80 keyboard...

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/ (For refurb/NOS keyboards)
http://www.pckeyboard.com/ (For newly made keyboards)

I bought several for $5 each @ the local university 'garage sale' almost 15 years ago; I have yet to have one fail.
0 Votes
+ -
At 60 I remember all those things! Well maybe not the immersive gaming experience, not being much of a gamer.
And she married you anyway?
2 Votes
+ -
*rimshot*
mckinnej 22nd Oct
LOL
1 Vote
+ -
She got *free* computer support for life!! Can't argue with that!!!
6 Votes
+ -
I miss the computer shows that would be held at a local convention center, fairgrounds or some other large venue where vendors could set up their tables and hawk their wares. I built many computers from parts that I purchased by going from vendor to vendor to get "just the right" case, CPU, mainboard, and hard drive. Back in the day one could save quite a bit of money over a commercially built computer, and ensure that they were getting exactly the components they wanted.
2 Votes
+ -
I got some good deals of video cards, modems and such, but also got ripped off when the memory I thought I was buying was 8 MB, and turned out to be 2 MB. Turns out the vendor was ripping off others as well. Could never reach them - when I called a number they had listed, it was their mother's house and she didn't know where they were. Live and learn.
1 Vote
+ -
for the same reason. I got so much good stuff there as well and some really bad stuff too. happy
A Windows installation had just two directories, C:\Windows and it's sub directory, C:\Windows\System. Programs installed into their own directory and used INI files instead of the registry. You could remove a program by simply deleting it's directory. No freaking "permissions" to clutter things up. A reboot took 15 seconds. Yada, yada, yada...

On the other hand, I don't miss IRQ's, interrupts, and the constant crashes.
I loved my Coco... my freinds laughed at me calling it a toy, but it did everything I wanted at the time and I had a lot of fun with it.
0 Votes
+ -
We proved that the CoCo was 2 x faster than the IBM PC 64 on a general benchmark!!
3 Votes
+ -
Only one other person has mentioned Compuserve. I did have fun with the magazines full of code and trying to coax my CoCo II to work smarter, the one huge thing I miss is CompuServe. It was expensive, but man, was it good. So many brainy people who wanted to share their knowledge. Google is great but nothing was better than logging on and finding an answer in a forum to your specific problem directly from the programmer from Adobe or Microsoft.
In fact, I was a "Sourcer" which I thought it was beter than Compuserve, until it got bought by Compuserve. I remember... Appple ][ with a Cat modem 300 baud watching text "race" on the screen. My main Hobby: Looking for codes to copy software with "LockSmith".
7 Votes
+ -
I was just talking with a co-worker on this topic the other day. Computing today is very canned and utilitarian. In other words, boring. Back in the day it was adventurous and exciting. You didn't need a development environment and hundreds of libraries to write some code. Heck, your were highly advanced if you even needed a compiler. The closest you can get these days is Linux. You can do your own hacking there, but it's a lot harder than it was on a C64 or CoCo.

For the detractors of this article, you just need to get off my lawn because you obviously don't get it. This is about nostalgia, a longing for how things were, not how much better you think they are now. Better technology is not equal to more fun. Think of it this way. Fishing with a big boat and trawler net is a great way to catch a lot of fish, but it isn't nearly as much fun as standing on the bank and throwing your own worm and hook in the water. The latter is a lot more primitive, but also a heck of a lot more fun.
3 Votes
+ -
Not having to connect to The Internet in order to use software, which inherently does NOT need the Internet--except for the anti-piracy checkering feature.

I guess that really makes me miss the days when companies didn't treat their customers as if we were all pirates out to steal everyone's IP. For example: I have a program which got confused when I moved My Documents to a NAS, and I had to re-register it. Apparently My Documents didn't completely transfer all the real folders (Windows lies) and I had to do it again. I didn't even move that program's data the second time, and it once more failed its piracy check. I stopped using that version of the software (went back to previous serial-numbered version) and I'm not going to buy an upgrade unless I see evidence that I can use it with confidence that it will not fail me again. The data it keeps is too important.
7 Votes
+ -
I yearn for the days when companies didn't treat us like criminals.
Thanks for the list. It was a pleasant and nostalgic read.
All your points ring true amongst the hobbyists that enthusiastically embraced technology.
Then and now.
0 Votes
+ -
BBS's
hawk72758@... 22nd Oct
Oh yes, I remember those days. I used to run a BBS with Telegard software. It was easily configurable, had tons of games and "rooms" for folks to go. I ran it with two 14,400 modems and used to think that was lightening fast. The only drawback was if it crashed when I wasn't home, it stayed that way until I returned. Don't miss having to verify the adult apps for that section of the board though.
The Radio Shack Color Computer, affectionately known as CoCo to its fans and the Rainbow magazine, with its hundreds of pages of BASIC code. I found any excuse to go over to my Uncle's house to work on his Color Computer 1 and then worked all the following summer mowing neighborhood lawns and pulling weeds to earn enough to buy my first Color Computer 2. I would spend upwards of 8 hours a day, as a 10 year old, typing in and debugging the code from the magazine. Then I had to save all that hard work to a cassette tape. I would often walk away with a horrible headache from intently staring at the TV all day from 18 inches or less away. Ah... Good memories. happy
-6 Votes
+ -
Hmm...
Darren B - KC 22nd Oct - Below your threshold / Read Anyway
I'm familiar with all these things, having started my computer life shortly after the Atari 800 became available. I went through several Atari ST variations before getting my first PC, which was a used 386SX 25Mhz. Blah blah blah... you've heard it all before. Many years later (decades even) and countless computers later, and I have to say that I don't really miss any of the stuff on this list.

1.) Mags with source code. Not missed. Some computer magazines came with free games in this manner and that's all I ever did. Never any utilities or productivity code. (Boooring!) But as much as I love games, even this was a chore. It helped if I could have my best computer friend come over and read the lines of code while I typed, which made it faster, but it was never exciting enough for me to miss it today.

2.) Computer stores. Not really missed. I remember a couple of large, privately owned, computer stores in a 50 mile radius from the small Indiana town that I grew up in, and it was always a treat to go visit them, but it was mostly to oggle at all the cool new stuff that I couldn't afford. I was still into Atari ST computers then, so there weren't any internal "upgrades" to speak of. I did buy quite a few of my ST games from those stores though. Although I initially fought the idea of digital delivery (and it's still seriously flawed), being able to buy a game through Steam and download it while I'm at the office or asleep is actually more convenient than driving anywhere.

3.) True desktop cases. Not missed. Period.

4.) Durable keyboards and mice. Err...? While it's true that the market today is flooded with Chinese-made crap that can be bought by the truck load for about the cost of a decent meal at Denny's, there ARE still quality keyboards and mice to be found, and quite easily. I have a Logitech G-series gaming keyboard that has served me extremely well for over 5 years now and shows no signs of giving in any time soon. I also have a Logitech MX1000 wireless laser mouse which is going strong after 7 years, and I'm a hardcore gamer, so you know both my keyboard and mouse are getting a daily workout.

5.) In-person help desk visits. Um, nothing to miss? This is what I do for a living now.

6.) Immersive gaming. Nothing to miss. Today's games on a 24 inch monitor are far more immersive than the old days simply due to better graphics engines and sound. Hooking up to a large screen TV is certainly a boost, especially with high-end racing games but it's not like that was the norm at any time in the past and certainly not enough to be missing anything. My computer already has a 5.1 surround system, so I get plenty of "boom" at my desk. (I've had the neighbors in my apartment building knock on my door and complain about the sound of gunfire more than once.)

7.) BBSs. Not missed at all. Slow, clunky, problematic, boring. I remember the frustration of BBSs that had user limits and you couldn't log in until someone else logged out! Gah! Definitely happy to have moved on to bigger and better things.

8.) Shareware subscriptions. Can't say I miss this because I don't remember signing up for any. I did have a subscription to an Atari ST mag that came with a floppy disk full of free stuff, but otherwise... nada.

9.) Software that didn't have to be installed. I do kinda miss this, but hey... times change. Atari ST software didn't require installation, and I do remember that being very convenient. I guess what I miss are SMALL programs that you could easily put onto a floppy or a CD. Nowadays, it's not unusual to download a game that weighs in at about 6 or 7 gigabytes. And that's just the install package... the fully extracted version is larger still. Even productivity software like Adobe Photoshop or 3D Studio Max has a large footprint.

10.) Easily modifiable code. Not really missed because I never cared to try. However, many of today's games are allowing players to "mod" the game with add-ins of their own. Flight Simulator X is a prime example and there's virtually nothing you can't do with it on your own with a little research. It's true though that it's nearly impossible for the average person to make direct modifications to the actual game (or program) code. I'm not a programmer, so I can't say that I have a strong desire to have this ability anyway. (Unless I could learn to create my own cheat codes.) happy

I honestly can't say that there's anything I miss about the "old days" of computing. Everything back then was slower, lower resolution, fewer colors, smaller screens, heavier equipment, PITA drivers, manual IRQ configs, mobos covered with jumpers, and everything was expensive. Ugh.
2 Votes
+ -
When I was at college a lot of my research on 'the web' or whatever it was called back then was done using gopher (think text menu driven internet).

At the time it seemed almost magical that I could search for and get hold of documents from half way around the world in real time. The text interface had a simplicity that was quite beautiful.

I've taken a quick look and it seems gopher is still out there for those who are feeling nostalgic.

You can even give it a go on the floodgap Gopher proxy at http://gopher.floodgap.com/gopher/gw
But Archie... Then they came with Veronica... You're right, great way to get stuff!
0 Votes
+ -
Those keyboards are still out there. On my main computer at work I'm using a 1989 vintage IBM Model M keyboard, works great and looks like new. You can also get active PS/2 to USB converters so you can use these on modern machines.

A lot of us HTPC folks know about "big speakers", I've got mine hooked up to a big Pioneer AV receiver, with Dolby 5.1 and a 46" screen, works GREAT for games!
1. My ATARI 1040 STF with GFA Basic and STOS BASIC
2. My Timex Sinclair 2000 (Sinclair ZX 81)
3. My TI 89c and HP 41 CV calculators
4. Compute! Magazine, Byte Magazine, Science et Vie Micro (french), Mi Computer (Spanish), Computers in Physics (IoP)
5. Dot matrix printer music (some would call it noise)
6. My dreams on things that i couldn??t ever buy: a 10 MB external hard disk, a pen screen, ATARI FALCON or TT Transputer, A MAC
7. Game cartridges for Atari 800 XL
8. My audio recorder to store programs
9. Blas Cabrera??s Physics simulations for classic MAC
10. My physics undergraduate thesis: inside an atom simulations
2 Votes
+ -
For all of you talking about your first computers and loving the 5.4" floppy disks and such, I programmed "computers" that used paper tape to control their actions, and others that had plug-boards and wires to control the steps the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) was supposed to follow....no "storing your program in memory" in these beasties.

It was a heady time, and I am glad I went through it, but I am also glad to be in the 22nd century.

But I do admit to loving a keyboard with engraved keycaps and tactile feedback. And if you really would like to capture some of that fun, you can get an Arduino or a Raspberry Pi, some TTL logic, a breadboard and some wires and help a young person get the joy of really programming a computer.
1 Vote
+ -
Oh yeah, paper tape!
Darren B - KC Updated - 22nd Oct
While I didn't operate a personal computer in this manner, I did work in a steel fabrication facility and I ran a computer-controlled turret press that was programmed using paper punch tape! The different press patterns were stored on separate rolls and catalogued in a set of air-tight containers. Wow, I had almost forgotten about that! LOL
-1 Votes
+ -
Maddoghall, I hope you are happy living somewhere in the 22nd century with Marty McFly...or did you mean the 21st century? happy
1 Vote
+ -
First computer I had a chance to play with was in a Geometry class at our small high school, 1969. Input and output was a teletype machine with a paper tape reader. Didn't program anything really useful but it was an introduction. What a step up years later when I bought my Sinclair ZX 81! Who could ever need more power than that?
1 Vote
+ -
Media
Ed Woychowsky 23rd Oct
Audio cassettes, 8 inch floppies, 5 1/4 inch floppies, 3 1/2 inch floppies, ZIP disks, JAZ disks, removable platters, round tapes and square tapes. Did I miss anything?
1 Vote
+ -
Moderator
I'll never understand where their bad reputation came from. In my experience, it was BS. We used those for several years without a problem that I can remember; that's more than I can say for our forays into ZIP drives.
As a former hardware technician that worked on early computers, video terminals, modems, hard drive controllers, and other cards and peripherals, I honestly can say I have a far better understanding and appreciation of what goes into making the computers work.

As a technician, I learned to write a memory test program so I could make RAM bits stay high or low so I could troubleshoot for bad RAM ICs. We'd also used speical diagnostics software to open and close I/O ports and run screen tests. As the tests would run, we'd follow the signals on the circuit boards with a 'scope. It was not just a matter of fixing the boards, but a real learning experience as well to actually see ASCII characters not just on the screen but in binary code as well.

happy
Lets not forget the dual 5.25 Floppy Disk Drives.
and I then built many more afterwards with two floppy drives (usually one 5-1/4" and one 3-1/2" drive). I actually felt funny when the drive was no longer needed. happy
Oh yeah, those old Commodore games were great! running off of 5-1/4 TRUE floppy disks... load "*.*" or something like that? can't remember now...

Totally Twisted Screensavers, Flying Toasters, a simplified WorldWide Web, GNN, Webcrawler, and my personal favorite, the Magellan Internet Search Engine running off the early version of Netscape Navigator.

Anyone remember the feelings of elation, triumph and success when you could get connected at higher baud rates with your dial up modems? never quite the full 33.6k or 56k, but soooo close sometimes. as if you had any control over it... haha
0 Votes
+ -
Was my favorite... It seem to do better than the rest.
1 Vote
+ -
I absolutely concur with the nostalgia for the rugged keyboards. In fact, with today's shoddy models, I uSUALLY eND uP wITH tHE cAPS lOCK oN wITHOUT nOTICING uNTIL tHE nEXT yEAR oR sO1
1 Vote
+ -
... a gaming keyboard. Even if you're not a gamer, gaming keyboards are usually engineered to take more abuse. I have had excellent experience with Logitech gaming keyboards. You could also try the Rosewill mechanical gaming keyboard, which they say is built like a tank. (Search Newegg, you'll find it.) Yeah, you'll pay more, but it will pay for itself in the long run.
Those of us "of a certain age," certainly remember all of them. I have experienced most of them, and do miss some of them and don't miss others. (Setting DMAs and IRQs was never any fun.)
Keyboard Shortcuts:
Prev
Next
Toggle
Join the conversation
Formatting +
BB Codes - Note: HTML is not supported in forums
  • [b] Bold [/b]
  • [i] Italic [/i]
  • [u] Underline [/u]
  • [s] Strikethrough [/s]
  • [q] "Quote" [/q]
  • [ol][*] 1. Ordered List [/ol]
  • [ul][*] · Unordered List [/ul]
  • [pre] Preformat [/pre]
  • [quote] "Blockquote" [/quote]

Join the TechRepublic Community and join the conversation! Signing-up is free and quick, Do it now, we want to hear your opinion.