DOD Poll: Computer Experience

[mayor]

I remember the TRS-80 came out when I was 13 years old.. I think! I went to work at the mall at 14 years old and saved my money. By the time I was 15, I owned my FIRST computer! That 24 years ago :-)

[cujo0123]

My father taught me how to program the VIC-20 at 4 years old lol.

[MariB]

Oh Mayor, how funny! I have a TRS-80 Model 1 gathering dust in the attic. If I remember correctly, the memory was stored in the keyboard and program data was entered via a cassette tape recorder.

My first computer experience was over 30 years ago when I took programming courses from Honeywell. Their computer filled an entire room and used the dreaded punch cards. We used a new innovation just once because it was so expensive...a disc reader that used a disc the size of a dinner plate. It was transported very, very carefully in something that resembled a cake carrier.

[tasker109]

7 years now...at first i wouldnt even touch the mouse...hehe....now im a techie!!

[chippers21]

11+ years but sometimes I do not act like I know what a computer is....

[telos2000]

My first computor was a Commadore64K and I still have it! That was back when "heck' was a pup! I had a Compaq suitcase and then an Apple IIE. My first laptop weighed 27 pounds!


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[NaomiMarie]

Got our 1st 'puter about 4 years ago. Unlike my DH who worked on a computer at his job, I had NO experience. I couldn't even work the mouse in the beginning
I went from knowing NOTHING to being pretty computer savvy. I've actually been able to teach my DH a thing or two (so what else is new)
I can pretty much figure things out on my own, every once in a while I'll ask for help. Toby Lee??????????????? LOL
Bottom line, I learned NOT to be intimidated by this 'machine'.

Naomi

[sydnie]

<raising hand> Another "Trash-80" veteran here. Used a WP program called "Electric Pencil" -- funny how so many of its commands for cut, paste, save, etc. are the same keyboard shortcuts still in use today.

Prior to that, took a COBOL programming course in college where you went to "lab" to use the keypunch machines, turned in your stack of cards, and waited til the next day to see if your little program had run successfully.

Now I'm "sydniehelp.com" for Mother, BIL, and best friend. Just sent my mother e-mail instructions today for getting a document off a floppy, saving others to floppy -- a first for her -- but at 83 years young, she got it right the first time following my written instructions. She has been using Juno free e-mail, doing simple WP since we got her a computer in '97.


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[3tbear]

11+ here too. Had a computer at our last house and have two computers at this house.

[jen6889]

I voted 4-10 years, but realized just after I hit the vote button that it's more like 11+. I grew up with a father who worked with and on computers for a living. We always had some kind of computer in our house. I didn't start using a computer myself until my dad got his Commadore 64 somewhere in the mid 80's and I've been using computers ever since.


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[Twinplets]

Count me in for the TRS-80 model I crowd. I was in 5th grade when we got it, so about 1979. We got a VCR the next year, big clunky thing with a "remote" (pause and play only) on a long cord.

[chippers21]

I was really excited yesterday. Received the router I ordered and thought I could hook up our cable modem to all 3 of our computers. So deflated when I found my computer I am sitting at right now does not have an ethernet connector so now we cannot do it and I am really sad

[Pipanella]

First one was a Commodore 64, purchased when the kids were really small, so it had to be around 1983 or so... I remember buying it all at Target.... monitor, disk drive (BIIIIIIIIIIG floppies...LOL), keyboard (remember how you could put the program cartridges in at the back?), Okidata dot matrix printer (you could actually COUNT the dots that made up each letter!! LOL!!), all for about $500. Was there a mouse with that system? I can't remember!! I don't think so................

Oh, how we played "Winnie-the-Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood" for HOURS....... I remember being so amazed that you could type in a question and get an answer! It TALKED to you!! And remember "Little Computer People?"

And the ColorMe programs...............

Those were the days! 64K of memory...then they came out with Commodore 128!!!!! WHOA!!


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[FreebieHunter]

started learning on TRash 80's (the TRS-80 radio shack thingies) - argh -save your program on cassette tape. let's see - that was in 10 grade maybe.

Now I program in java - down a little vb, a little powerbuilder, and looking at .net stuff. There are many a day though I wish I knew NOTHING!!!!!


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[fractal]

WOW! So neet to see all the other folks who had CoCo's. Sad though that Radio Shack was a leader in the computerization of the U.S. and then dropped to a "me too". It's also depressing that everybody got them when kids. Got mine in '85 when I was 33 - guess that makes me an official "old f*rt". It's astounding what kids have these day though - I get the "you're insane look" when I tell them about saving to a cassette tape player.