Your first (few) non-PC and PC computers

[lordkenmore]

I started out using typewriters too. In my case, moving from the family electric to my own Royal manual made life easier/better. The family electric was too sensitive for me, and the endless typos eliminated any advantage of typing with less effort. I still see this now--one reason I like keyboards like the IBM is that they take more force.

 

[autowasherfreak]

When I went to college in 1985 I used two dedicated word processors Lanier and CPT. I liked the CPT system the best, but it wasn't WYSWYG, but when you typed the characters on the screen started at the bottom of the screen and scrolled upward, it was monochrome and was tall like a sheet of legal or ledger paper. It used 8" floppy disks one daisy wheel printer was share between two consoles. The Lanier system had a monochrome green monitor, used 5 1/4" floppies, can't remember if there were two or three consoles sharing one daisy wheel printer.

 

[autowasherfreak]

Lanier

I think the ones I used had detached keyboards.

 

[autowasherfreak]

THE FIRST CPT WORD PROCESSOR

One of these was donated to my high school in either 1983 or 1984, and I volunteered to figure it out, I don't think I ever did.

 

[solsburian]

BBC Micros

I have fond memories of the BBC Micro. We had them in the nursery I went to. They (and the Acorn Archimedes and RISC PCs) were pretty ubiquitous right until high school.

I got an unused Acorn A4000 a couple of years ago and still sometimes get it out to play RailPro 

 

[58limited]

Well, as I mentioned somewhere above, this thread rekindled my interest in the TI 99/4A which was my first computer. I found a set on craigslist for $50.00, shipping was quite a bit higher 'cause these are heavy. I'll try to set it up this weekend and post a picture. It has the Peripheral Expansion Box and voice synthesizer. My original one did not have the PEB, it had the modules that plugged in sequence on the right side. With several modules, the TI 99/4A would stretch across a desk for 3-4 feet, thus the reason the PEB was introduced - it has 8 expansion slots inside.

 

 

 

[58limited]

Here it is

It works! I set up the TI 99/4A in the dinning room. The TV is on in the photo but the flash washed it out - the old TV's picture isn't that good anyway. I'm watching a TI monitor and a modem on ebay.  Already played a little black jack on it. Star Trek is the module currently plugged in. A NIB data recorder (tape recorder) is on the left under the game manuals.

 

 

 

 

[whirlcool]

Are you going to write any programs for the 99/4a? If I remember correctly it has a nice BASIC system built into it. The feel of the keyboard is awfully nice too!

 

[58limited]

I'll have to relearn basic (at this point I can barely remember it at all, although I wrote quite a few simple programs on the 99/4A when I was 12-14 years old), but first I gotta see what is wrong with the keyboard. It might be a setting (I hope), you could set the number keys for different keystroke set ups. When I type, the number keys go 1234554321 instead of 1234567890. I'll read the manual and set everything to factory specs.

 

[mpatoray]

My first computer was a TI-99/4A that we got for $25 at a block sale where my relatives lived in Breksville. I messed with it for a bit and we got a few carts, but never had anything for external storage. About a year or so later when i was in 4th grade we got an Apple IIgs. I have both of the old computers, since we first got it i have of course updated the 99/4a.

Matt

 

[mpatoray]

Here is the IIgs as it currently sits.

Current configuration:
1.5 MB ram (AE RAM card)
Apple FDHD (High Density) 3.5" drive
Apple 800K 3.5" drive
2 Apple 140k 5.25" floppy drives
Apple MIDI interface
Apple SCSI card
Apple 120 MB SCSI driver
Apple CDROM-SC 1x caddy loading CDROM drive
Apple ImageWriter II
Apple ImageWriter LQ