Computer blast from the past

[Palimino]

IBM clones? Playing catch-up (although they would have you believe differently). IBM (a proponent of mainframe computers) thought they should look into this micro-computers fad. They got into the game late (after Apple). Floppy drives? New fangled nonsense.

Remember the Sinclair ZX80 (white)? Or the Sinclair ZX81 (black)? The Spectrum? Acorn Atom? (The BBC went for this). Commodore 64? Only computer nerds had anything more advanced. I was on the bleeding edge. I had an Apple II Europlus with genuine floating point arithmetic and a tape recorder for program memory. I built my own RF modulater (Hint: an HB pencil is just the right size for winding the coil) and used a small B&W TV for the monitor. Later I got an external floppy drive and an, unheard of, 64 kilobyte RAM plug-in board. AND I didn’t run perpetual moiré patterns, I had Visicalc. Spring Circle (a Taiwanese outfit) was a reliable supplier of leading edge add-ons.

Remember computer clubs? When micro-computers were not a household appliance? The only computer club within walking distance (and at a hotel – beer) was a Commodore 64 club. As the only Apple owner I was viewed as a dilettante (justifiably). Dysfunctional and one dimensional human beings the members may have been, but within that one dimension they were absolutely brilliant. It has become fashionable to talk about “pushing the envelope” when exploring the limits of something. These people burst through the envelope before the warranties on their machines had expired. They trampled on the envelope, made it into a paper plane and threw it out the window. They were doing things with their machines that the original designers never dreamed of (some nightmares here). I wonder what happened to them? Probably had to make way for AA appointees.

 

[Synaesthesia]

Just read iWoz by Steve Wozniak. Love the engineering he put into the Apple II, such as the floppy disk controller which was amazing at the time. People used to program games and things in hardware. How low-level can you get? He made the Apple II's character engine (you push a key, it shows up on screen), all by himself in hardware, quite a technical feat.

 

[w1z4rd]

I had access to a Spectrum and a Commodore 64... well more accurately I was a child and my parents owned the Commodore 64 and the school I went to put me into a special class with access to tape loaded Spectrums.

Just read iWoz by Steve Wozniak. Love the engineering he put into the Apple II, such as the floppy disk controller which was amazing at the time. People used to program games and things in hardware. How low-level can you get? He made the Apple II's character engine (you push a key, it shows up on screen), all by himself in hardware, quite a technical feat.

You should read iCon and how Steve Jobs screwed Woz.

 

[Palimino]

Just read iWoz by Steve Wozniak. Love the engineering he put into the Apple II, such as the floppy disk controller which was amazing at the time. People used to program games and things in hardware. How low-level can you get? He made the Apple II's character engine (you push a key, it shows up on screen), all by himself in hardware, quite a technical feat.

I can well believe it! Steve Jobs gets all the credit for Apple, but IMO Steve Wozniak was the true genius. Jobs was just a marketing grunt – essential for the growth of Apple, but basically a tool-holder and “hold this” assistant to Wozniak – Jobs’ high profile is due to marketing Apple. The true force behind Apple was Wozniak and he doesn’t get enough credit.

 

[Synaesthesia]

Unfortunately my personal computer history only stretches to a 386 33 mhz.

You should read iCon and how Steve Jobs screwed Woz.

Will do thanks!

 

[Synaesthesia]

I can well believe it! Steve Jobs gets all the credit for Apple, but IMO Steve Wozniak was the true genius. Jobs was just a marketing grunt – essential for the growth of Apple, but basically a tool-holder and “hold this” assistant to Wozniak – Jobs’ high profile is due to marketing Apple. The true force behind Apple was Wozniak and he doesn’t get enough credit.

Absolutely but Apple still wouldn't exist at all if it wasn't for Steve Jobs and his confidence, Wozniak is a pure engineer. It was the perfect combination at the perfect time.

 

[Palimino]

You should read iCon and how Steve Jobs screwed Woz.

I don’t think Steve Jobs was a very nice person. He also screwed his long-time roommate when Apple went public. This raised questions even amongst Apple personnel. It would have cost him **nothing** to let his roommate into buying shares. It was only information. And he hypocritically promoted an ethical, ‘hippie’-type view of Apple and denigrated IBM as button-down, regimented corporate apparatchiks. Karma will get him.

 

[w1z4rd]

I don’t think Steve Jobs was a very nice person. He also screwed his long-time roommate when Apple went public. This raised questions even amongst Apple personnel. It would have cost him **nothing** to let his roommate into buying shares. It was only information. And he hypocritically promoted an ethical, ‘hippie’-type view of Apple and denigrated IBM as button-down, regimented corporate apparatchiks. Karma will get him.

He is a narcissistic genius ********. He has treated a lot of people terribly in his life, but one can not deny his genius. He made Apple... twice. Forget how he treated his staff... what he did to his daughter was down right pathetic.

 

[Sting]

Or the Sinclair ZX81 (black)?

Yes!! That's where I started....

 

[ponder]

As the only Apple owner I was viewed as a dilettante (justifiably). Dysfunctional and one dimensional human beings the members may have been, but within that one dimension they were absolutely brilliant.

I had a Apple IIe clone from taiwan (Apcon II?) but I hated it. Apple pulled out of the country and getting software for the thing was a pain. I so wanted a Commodore 64 as it had an abundance of software and much better specs than the Apple. Fortunately the gods smiled upon me and I got a almost brand new second hand Amiga 500 after that for R2400 which included another external 3.5" drive, colour rgb monitor, joysticks & about 200 disks from a University B.Sc stundent that had to go buy a PC. I also sold the Apple clone for about R1000. How happy was I?

 

[Palimino]

...what he did to his daughter was down right pathetic.

What did he do to his daughter? (Haven’t heard that one). Narcissistic ******** – yes. The genius bit I will take under advisement. Right place, right time and averagely competent.

 

[ponder]

What did he do to his daughter? (Haven’t heard that one). Narcissistic ******** – yes. The genius bit I will take under advisement. Right place, right time and averagely competent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs

Jobs also has a daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs (born 1978), from his relationship with Bay Area painter Chrisann Brennan.[70] She briefly raised their daughter on welfare when Jobs denied paternity, claiming that he was sterile; he later acknowledged paternity.[70]

I dunno how this dude can call himself a Buddhist though but I suppose the same can be said for many Christians etc as well.

 

[RSkeens]

I still have my ZX81, but it does not seem to work anymore the last time I tried using it

 

[Palimino]

I still have my ZX81, but it does not seem to work anymore the last time I tried using it

Hang onto it; it must be a collector’s item by now. They were always a bit plasticky and those membrane keyboards wouldn’t take moisture well. They weren’t meant to last, just fire-up the imaginations of a generation of geeks. They did that. Mission accomplished. Retire to computer Valhalla.