Your First Computer

[rockinwaggy]

I think technically our first computer was an Apple II, but we didn't have it for long and I never used it.

The first PC we had was a Gateway 2000.

Pentium 2 @ 300mhz (cooled by the power supply fan and a massive heatsink)
128MB Ram (maybe 64, it was upgraded a couple of times, eventually to 256mb)
9GB Hard Drive (Died ten years later when I shorted out the circuit board on my computer case)
SLOW Integrated graphics
15" CRT running at 1154x864 instead of 1280x1024 because the graphics didn't support 1280x1024 with 32bit color.
Gateway standard Keyboard with ball mouse
Dialup 56k modem
No ethernet card

I formatted and formatted that thing so many times I lost count. I tried various versions of linux, betas of windows and god knows what else on that thing. The hard drive never made a peep, until it longer made a peep at all. I tore it apart because it was no longer usable. Everything still worked when it was torn down and recycled, even the cd drive.



The Boston 2.1 speaker set shown here still works. It sounds fantastic and is being used as speakers for the Kitchen tv. I used to CRANK these things up as high as they would go when I was a metal head.

 

[zhankla]

The first computer I ever got to play on was an Apple IIe. Drawing an apple on the screen with a bunch of lines of text was the greatest!

This is close to the computer I actually owned. It was an HP Vectra 486DX2 100Mhz

 

[donsjgm]

My first computer was a Tandy color computer. 16K with cassette. All my pics are long gone but it's been a long time ago.. Lol

 

[JohnVella]

I'll try and keep the list chronologically correct, but most of these were a long time ago...

Dragon 32
Acorn Atom
Commodore +4
Amstrad CPC464
Apple IIe
Atari 65XE
Amiga 500
Amiga 1200
Sinclair QL
Zenith Supersport 286
IBM PS2 Model 60

Plus too many IBM clones/Laptops and Homemade PCs to count!
I'm sure there must be others but I can't remember them at the moment.

 

[richmond2000]

a tektronix 4051 storage tube "PC" we had 2 of them as my uncle was a tech for Textronix and got them "surplus" in around 84

 

[Smellybeard]

We had a Mac SE at home around 1988-89 but things got tight and it was sold while it was still worth something. I managed to re-acquire one about ten years ago.

The first machine I bought myself was a second-hand Quadra 840AV in early 1995.

 

[robi42]

Sinclair ZX Spectrum for me, loading games with the cassette player.....ah the good old days.

 

[wabamad]

My first computer was a Tandy 1000 SX. My parents bought it for the family when I was 6 years old. I still have it, and last year I fired it up and was able to play Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

 

[Bradish]

My 1st computer was a S-100 buss Imsai 8080. I bought the case and started to wire wrap the CPU board, not knowing what I was getting into. After spending a gazillion hours trying to wire wrap, I sold to a neighbor who was a Electrical Engineer. I also gave him my box of wire wrapping tools. I vowed never again to get involved in a electronic kit. Building radio controlled model airplanes was more fun and rewarding.

A couple of years later, it was time to quit avoiding getting a Masters degree, so I entered a MBA program, part time at night, at the local university. I discovered the computer lab with Apple IIs which the business students used to create spreadsheets with Visi-Cal. Rather than spend after work time at the university computer lab, I wanted to be at home with my family, so I bought an Apple IIc and AppleWorks. As an engineer, I had fun with the business students and managed to model a business using spreadsheet in AppleWorks. I had 7 spreadsheets linked together to model the business. And the rest is history...well, for me and Apple computers.

The Apple IIc ran ProDos, and I got good enough using it that I was recruited by the president of the Dayton (OH) Apple Users Group to write a column in the group's monthly magazine, entitled, "The IIs with ProDos."

So, thanks, Tony, for starting this thread. Brings back many memories.

My very first computer was an IMSAI...and I got it working and had so much fun with it...alot of fun.

 

[el.Charlot]

Texas Instrument TI 994A
My dad had done an advertising campaign for Speak & Spell at the time E.T. was in theatre (remember he use a Speak & Spell to communicate with his fellows E.T. friends) so Texas Instrument gave him this computer. Spent ages on Space Invaders, and programming silly moving colors on screen (that I had to save on a regular tape player).

[edit] I had to add the specs ! And happy to sse two other members having the same memory

CPU:	TI TMS9900, 3MHz
Memory:	16K RAM, 26K ROM
Display:	Video via an RF modulator
	32 characters by 24 lines text
	192 X 256, 16 color graphics
Ports:	ROM cartridge (on front)
	Data storage cassette
	Audio/Video output
	Joystick input
	CPU bus expansion
OS:	ROM BASIC

After that, it's on my signature