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Question To the older members of AD
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ddp
Moderator
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31. October 2006 @ 17:34 |
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old battleaxe!!!
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AfterDawn Addict
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31. October 2006 @ 17:36 |
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gwendolin
women as a old fart.........
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AfterDawn Addict
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31. October 2006 @ 18:06 |
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@The_Fiend,
Quote:
Old hag ? Old Crone ?
Nope, dont like either of those.
@Ireland, so they are "Old Toots"??
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 31. October 2006 @ 18:07
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Auslander
AfterDawn Addict
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31. October 2006 @ 18:22 |
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aww, no retort for me? i feel neglected. >.>
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Moderator
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31. October 2006 @ 21:35 |
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joined thread to contribute, good to see some interesting posts, then yet another bout of pointlessness from LexZ (Gwen i couldn't take your money on that bet, you can guess who's leaving the site in 2days).
anyways, i've been using computers since Secondary school (typical school computers of the time such as BBC Micro etc) but am old enough to have been around since the very first IBM PC's and clones; i started fulltime employment at 19 while most people i knew weren't doing a great deal. Most of my working years (19years so far) have been spent on shift using room-sized Mainframe computers but have also kept in touch with PC technology for most of that time. The last 6years i've been office-based using 'Big-Iron' ie Sun Servers, the most expensive of which have been around a million pounds. Trouble is with depreciation we usually sell them for like a thousand pounds or whatever but hey, it's not my money, i'm responsible for building/maintaining them, not paying for them.
as i'm always surrounded by PC's/on them all the time,my 2 girls have been PC aware from the youngest ages, both Windows (sorry i know that counts as child cruelty) and Linux, and i've always been in awe of when they first learnt to use computer mice (even with the wheels/wheel buttons); a lot of people my age don't know how to use computers (nothing wrong with that, they're entitled to be normal & well-adjusted LOL) but i'll always have fond memories of my kids first becoming computer aware, and it'll stand them in good stead;
<begin rant> unlike a lot of kids today my kids appreciate more than just games consoles (AD is crawling with kids of that type). ps my eldest, 9, has been fully au fait with Google (just like her pa) for a year or two, no flies on her. <end rant>
Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS-WPA2/AES ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 3node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G2 v1. *** Forum Rules ***This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 31. October 2006 @ 21:49
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Member
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1. November 2006 @ 02:31 |
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Well.
@LexZ I meant, For old timers, such as Ireland :P
@Auslander Your not that old! :P
@Everyone else, Awesome... I mean my father is like, Pieter, Can you print this document for me... It doesn't work. *Dad, the disk is empty...*
@Older Members...
Thanks for telling me, I thought it would have been something more significant then most of your stories... but hey!
Does every post have to turn like this? I asked a simple question to seemingly mature members of AD, and here we go having a rave and a nut case... But fair enough... Its in the safety valve...
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AfterDawn Addict
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1. November 2006 @ 03:11 |
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I got drawn to computers for the opportunity to get all the old music that I grew up with, Glen Miller,Doris Day, Lawrence Welk etc. LMAO This old fart was self taught from the start and have come a long ways since my first crank 33 1/3 player circa 1950s you could use a sewing needle for a stylus. I'm basically a gadget man!
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gerry1
Suspended permanently
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1. November 2006 @ 03:22 |
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@NicHT:.....nah, you just started something. You know how us old farts love to sit around and talk; exchange war stories, as they say.
@Ireland: pity we can't iron out the wrinkles! Have you seen Barbara Walters lately? She's just a talking mouth and the rest of her face simply doesn't move any more...had to lighten up on the botox injections methinks.
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Member
1 product review
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1. November 2006 @ 03:38 |
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My Mum and Dad brought me a old P100 in late 1998 and i've been hooked on computers ever since.
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AfterDawn Addict
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1. November 2006 @ 04:10 |
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My first computer was an old IBM I got over twenty years ago, it had a 250meg HDD and ran on DOS, what a treat. Needless to say when Win 3.1 came on the scene I jumped for joy, I finally got a screen that had something other than text on it. Now they got cell phones that do more than that old one did.
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Moderator
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1. November 2006 @ 10:32 |
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Originally posted by LexZ:
after a while looking for better forums i came back to AD
lol..
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AfterDawn Addict
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1. November 2006 @ 11:51 |
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@Arniebear, One of the first computers I found in the trash and fixed was a Packard Bell that had a 40 meg HD. Back then that was a BIG hd and it ran DOS/Doshell. These youngsters today don't know what they missed. How about the Commmador PC's (spelling may be off) where everything had to be entered line by line. It was a learning experience.
Jerry
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Senior Member
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1. November 2006 @ 12:28 |
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wow there are so many users here that are older than I would have thought otherwise and I did not even know :))) I want to become old now, and I want wisdom.
Originally posted by Lexz:
after a while looking for better forums i came back to AD
There is no better forum than AD. AD has that great feel about it, it is like a little cosey place you can come to and snuggle into.
The orangy colour makes it even better, it glows and makes you feel warmer than you would normally feel.
COMMODOR I heard of it.
As for this thread, now I know how the How Old Are You Thread turned out to be how it is now, someone posts something irrelivent someone else gets angry has a rant, the poster in the wrong tries to justify himself, another user comes along posts something like "LOL" or "LMAO" etc. then it continues till a mod bans one of the posters then it calms down then we look back at the event.
"He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever." - Chinese Proverb BluRay.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 1. November 2006 @ 12:42
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AfterDawn Addict
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1. November 2006 @ 12:51 |
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who wants one?
The commodore 64 is, along with the Apple II and the Atari XL computers, the most famous home computer. According to the 2001 edition of Guinness book of records, the C64 was the most "prolific computing device ever manufactured". During its production run from 1982 to... 1993, about 30 million (!) units were sold. To put this number in perspective, that's more than all the Macintoshes in the world.
The C64 was an up-market version of the VIC-20. A wide range of software packages, games and programming languages was available for this machine which was itself available practically anywhere from a toyshop to a business supplier.
Superficially, the C64 closely resembled the VIC-20. It had the same casing, an identical keyboard configuration and virtually the same interfaces and sockets. But the apparent similarity belies some fundamental differences: a MOS 6510 processor and 64 KB of RAM which was quite unusually large at the time for a model of this price range. The C64 also had the ability to recognise user-established priorities by which 'sprites' (or movable blocks) could move independently of displayed text/graphics, enabling the creation of graphics with up to 8 layers.
Music synthesis was performed by a special sound interface chip. Sound envelope could be controlled on all three voices on a full nine octave of each. It was one of the first computers to offer both a high quality sound chip and graphic resolution with many colors and sprites.
A great range of peripherals was developed for this computer and it can also use several of the Vic 20 peripherals.
Several versions of the Commodore 64 were launched :
The first one, C64-1, used the VIC 20 case and was to be quickly replaced with the C64-2 (pictured) which used the famous brown case, and later by the C64-3 with small cosmetic changes in the keyboard.
A special version called Educator 64 or PET64 or CBM 4064 was proposed for schools and uses the PET case.
Commodore produced the first generation of C64s until May 1986, then it was discontinued and they introduced the C64C. According to the 64'er magazine, this version has been planned since the Hannover Fair in 1985, but as the old version sold so well during Christmas '85, its release date was delayed.
Then appeared the C64 "Aldi" (1987, only in Germany) and the C64G (1989). They were virtually same machines, this time with the new, short motherboard. So, although the case might look the same and the label says "Commodore 64", the boards may be completely different.
Finally, the C64GS game console was released in 1990. Basically it was a re-boxed C64, without a keyboard or any other interfaces, except for the cartridge slot on top.
NAME C 64
MANUFACTURER Commodore
TYPE Home Computer
ORIGIN U.S.A.
YEAR 1982
END OF PRODUCTION 1993
BUILT IN LANGUAGE Basic
KEYBOARD Full-stroke 66 keys with 4 function keys
CPU 6510
SPEED 0.985 MHz (PAL) / 1.023 MHz (NTSC)
CO-PROCESSOR VIC II (Video), SID (Sound)
RAM 64 KB
ROM 20 KB
TEXT MODES 40 columns x 25 lines
GRAPHIC MODES several, most used : 320 x 200
COLORS 16 + 16 border colours
SOUND 3 voices / 9 octaves, 4 waveforms (sound output through TV)
SIZE / WEIGHT 40.4 (W) x 21.6 (D) x 7.5 (H) cm / 1820 g
I/O PORTS RGB (composite, chroma/luma and sound in/out), 2 x Joystick plugs, Cardridge slot, Tape interfarce (300 bps), Serial, User Port, TV RF output
BUILT IN MEDIA Cassette unit. Provision for 170 KB 5.25'' floppy disc unit (1541)
POWER SUPPLY External power supply unit
PRICE $595 (USA, 1982) - £229 (U.K. 1984)
http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=98
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Senior Member
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1. November 2006 @ 13:00 |
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Old is Gold
"He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever." - Chinese Proverb BluRay.
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ddp
Moderator
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1. November 2006 @ 13:42 |
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creaky, you might have worked on some of the sun systems in which i helped test & debugged the motherboards & daughtercards.
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gerry1
Suspended permanently
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1. November 2006 @ 13:51 |
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@creaky/ddp: we have many mainframe operators and programmers who've been at it for a great many years...generally banks, large publications like TV guide, insurance companies etc. who have come in seeking retraining claiming that, at least in this area, mainframe programming is no longer a marketable skill. State employment publications tell us the same thing with the exception of an IBM AS/400 midranges which are still rather widely used. Is this incorrect information in your opinion? State publications seem to stress a compatiblilty with data base admin/management.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 1. November 2006 @ 13:52
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ddp
Moderator
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1. November 2006 @ 13:59 |
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depends as some companies as still using some progam languages that are not main stream any more. look what happened during the supposed big crisis of y2k. supposedly going to happen again within next 10yrs. something about time problem.
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Moderator
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1. November 2006 @ 21:34 |
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mainframes are sort of making a comeback, but the only ones i can think of are IBM where they have Linux running on huge machines; i was a Mainframe Operator for a lot of my life, fond memories of working on such huge/important equipment. stuff like AS/400 just never did it for me, and the Sun/Fujitsu Enterprise servers i use now, while expensive/complex/built to run for years at a time just aren't the same as the kit i used in my early years
Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS-WPA2/AES ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 3node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G2 v1. *** Forum Rules ***
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 1. November 2006 @ 21:35
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Member
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2. November 2006 @ 03:10 |
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I remeber my first system... It was armed with a Geforce 2! ran perfectly with windows 95' and had a floppy drive that was massive... like masssive big... And massive floppys (500mb HDD). Then four years later I got me a pc with 6gigs of storage!(HDD) this was great! And i jumped for joy when i saw the massivo Geforce 4 Voodoo Banshee! Wahoo! I could perfectly run Sim-Safari! I bought a boxed set with 6 sim games... Like sim tower, sim ant, sim city (the feature) and some others. oh yeah:
-Sim ant
-Sim tower
-Sim Park
-Sim safari
-sim city
Well thats my story....
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AfterDawn Addict
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2. November 2006 @ 16:32 |
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When I was a kid, I had a Sinclair ZX-81, with 1KB of memory. At the time ? back in 1984 or 85 ? if you wanted to play a game you couldn't buy a CD, so you had to buy one of the listing magazines, like Sinclair Programs. You had to look at the listing of computer code and type it into your machine. The keyboard was terrible ? it was simply a flat piece of plastic. At the end you would try to run the program, and if it didn't run you would have to correct any syntax errors.
Thats how it started for me.
Possunt Quia Posse Videntur. |
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3. November 2006 @ 00:28 |
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yeah me too, i had one and tried typing them in. that hobby didn't last long, sold it after a while; got a Sinclair Spectrum next with the game Horace Goes Skiing, that didn't last too long; next, and my fave machine for a while was a Commodore 64 and an Atari ST (512k version i think); a few other things in between but then many years later i got the awesome Super Nintendo, then replaced it with a Super Famicom which i still use from time to time
Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS-WPA2/AES ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 3node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G2 v1. *** Forum Rules ***
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Junior Member
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3. November 2006 @ 02:03 |
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Although not a real old timer at 42,I thought I would add to this thread. I got hooked on computers at school when I studied for O-level and A-level computer science. I saved all my hard earned pin money to buy my first "home computer", my pride and joy a BBC micro and cassette deck, wow what data storage that was, a 30 minute load time to use the simplest of programs only for it to crash on the first key stroke. I spent many hours writing and typing "basic" code into that old machine. Next up was my commodore 64 with the inovative 5" floppy drive, oh my prayers were answered. Quick load times and the programs even worked. What heady days of long hours in front of a black and white 14" portable tv. I then started working in the automotive industry and lost touch with my computer, until 1996 when I bought my first real pc. Pentium 166 mmx and then I was rehooked. Now I spend most of my time tinkering at home building for family and friends and offering self taught advice/help gleaned from here on AD and other literary sources.
If at first you don't succeed....give up and go to the pub!
Quote:-"I drink therefore I am". W. C. Fields
I'm an amnesic bulimic...I eat and eat and then forget to be sick. |
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gerry1
Suspended permanently
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3. November 2006 @ 03:08 |
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@pyffy...just a boy, you are! I remember the abacus LOL!
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Junior Member
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3. November 2006 @ 03:18 |
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abacus gerry? Wow I bet you have to pop outside just to tell the time on your sundial ;-) HEE HEE
If at first you don't succeed....give up and go to the pub!
Quote:-"I drink therefore I am". W. C. Fields
I'm an amnesic bulimic...I eat and eat and then forget to be sick.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 3. November 2006 @ 03:22
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