One for those over a certain age
Discussion
We dug out some old tech this weekend, our first table top pc , a Packard Bell running Windows 3.1 dating back at least 30 years
650meg internal hard drive floppy input and CD drive . I seem to remember the total cost was over £1k , not an insignificant amount in todays money
On this we ran Encarta encyclopaedia , and some other reference programs to assist the , then , children , with their studies ,plus a few other basic programs .and linked to the net on a dialup .
Games included Doom and Sim City ( there was a saved unfinished game from at least 25/30 years ago)and somewhere is Lemings
What was best though was the screen savers , “Flying Toasters “ “Flying Bogs “ and “ Bad Dog “ Bad dog appeared to be moving around inside the screen ( CRT at the time ) and ripping out the wiring etc
Also SETI was still installed , not sure if it still would work nowadays though .
Considering my phone has considerably more computing power that that PC ,and cost less than £100, things have certainly moved on.
650meg internal hard drive floppy input and CD drive . I seem to remember the total cost was over £1k , not an insignificant amount in todays money
On this we ran Encarta encyclopaedia , and some other reference programs to assist the , then , children , with their studies ,plus a few other basic programs .and linked to the net on a dialup .
Games included Doom and Sim City ( there was a saved unfinished game from at least 25/30 years ago)and somewhere is Lemings
What was best though was the screen savers , “Flying Toasters “ “Flying Bogs “ and “ Bad Dog “ Bad dog appeared to be moving around inside the screen ( CRT at the time ) and ripping out the wiring etc
Also SETI was still installed , not sure if it still would work nowadays though .
Considering my phone has considerably more computing power that that PC ,and cost less than £100, things have certainly moved on.
AMG Merc said:
Check out the unbielivable prices! My earliest visit to a Wimpy was before this menu was printed and it was even cheaper then. It was in Queesnway, Bayswater in the mid 60s. I recall a plain burger being 1/9 Damn tasty too. 
That brings back memories.... I grew up in a little town in Devon - and we had a Wimpy. It was a bit rubbish even back then! 
MXRod said:
We dug out some old tech this weekend, our first table top pc , a Packard Bell running Windows 3.1 dating back at least 30 years
650meg internal hard drive floppy input and CD drive . I seem to remember the total cost was over £1k , not an insignificant amount in todays money
On this we ran Encarta encyclopaedia , and some other reference programs to assist the , then , children , with their studies ,plus a few other basic programs .and linked to the net on a dialup .
Games included Doom and Sim City ( there was a saved unfinished game from at least 25/30 years ago)and somewhere is Lemings
What was best though was the screen savers , “Flying Toasters “ “Flying Bogs “ and “ Bad Dog “ Bad dog appeared to be moving around inside the screen ( CRT at the time ) and ripping out the wiring etc
Also SETI was still installed , not sure if it still would work nowadays though .
Considering my phone has considerably more computing power that that PC ,and cost less than £100, things have certainly moved on.
It was hilarious when Bad Dog was shouted at... it made him blush. 650meg internal hard drive floppy input and CD drive . I seem to remember the total cost was over £1k , not an insignificant amount in todays money
On this we ran Encarta encyclopaedia , and some other reference programs to assist the , then , children , with their studies ,plus a few other basic programs .and linked to the net on a dialup .
Games included Doom and Sim City ( there was a saved unfinished game from at least 25/30 years ago)and somewhere is Lemings
What was best though was the screen savers , “Flying Toasters “ “Flying Bogs “ and “ Bad Dog “ Bad dog appeared to be moving around inside the screen ( CRT at the time ) and ripping out the wiring etc
Also SETI was still installed , not sure if it still would work nowadays though .
Considering my phone has considerably more computing power that that PC ,and cost less than £100, things have certainly moved on.
MXRod said:
We dug out some old tech this weekend, our first table top pc , a Packard Bell running Windows 3.1 dating back at least 30 years
650meg internal hard drive floppy input and CD drive . I seem to remember the total cost was over £1k , not an insignificant amount in todays money
On this we ran Encarta encyclopaedia , and some other reference programs to assist the , then , children , with their studies ,plus a few other basic programs .and linked to the net on a dialup .
Games included Doom and Sim City ( there was a saved unfinished game from at least 25/30 years ago)and somewhere is Lemings
What was best though was the screen savers , “Flying Toasters “ “Flying Bogs “ and “ Bad Dog “ Bad dog appeared to be moving around inside the screen ( CRT at the time ) and ripping out the wiring etc
Also SETI was still installed , not sure if it still would work nowadays though .
Considering my phone has considerably more computing power that that PC ,and cost less than £100, things have certainly moved on.
Brilliant 650meg internal hard drive floppy input and CD drive . I seem to remember the total cost was over £1k , not an insignificant amount in todays money
On this we ran Encarta encyclopaedia , and some other reference programs to assist the , then , children , with their studies ,plus a few other basic programs .and linked to the net on a dialup .
Games included Doom and Sim City ( there was a saved unfinished game from at least 25/30 years ago)and somewhere is Lemings
What was best though was the screen savers , “Flying Toasters “ “Flying Bogs “ and “ Bad Dog “ Bad dog appeared to be moving around inside the screen ( CRT at the time ) and ripping out the wiring etc
Also SETI was still installed , not sure if it still would work nowadays though .
Considering my phone has considerably more computing power that that PC ,and cost less than £100, things have certainly moved on.
Loved Doom, a real classic of the time for me. And I remember the 'Flying Toasters' screensaver well.
Not quite sure I agree with you about it being 'at least 30 years' ago though, Win 3.1 came out in 1992 and Doom in 1993 (thanks to Wiki!)
NDA said:
That brings back memories.... I grew up in a little town in Devon - and we had a Wimpy. It was a bit rubbish even back then!
The restaurants were/are a bit pants but you can't beat a Wimpy Quarterpounder with the brown bun and that sauce. Follow it with a brown Derby - I'm drooling thinking of it now. Was really gutted when they sold off their Motorway service station franchises.Talking of old burger outlets the pinnacle was Wendy's - they had some in that there London. A weekly treat when I lived in Auckland,really tasty.
And then the evil - Casey Jones. The alternative to a doner before catching the last train back from Victoria. Completely minging stinky horror shows.
In 1985 I was working as a session muso, and the recording studio I regularly worked in had just got a 1 GB disk for his Macintosh. Christ on a bike... 1GB!
It cost him about £3,600 IIRC
Today I received (through the post) a 4 TB disk for £151. (inc postage)
I'll let you do the math!
For those too young... this was the beast: http://uk.pcmag.com/desktop-reviews/8161/news/1984...
Out of morbid interest, if you youtube the first two series of London's Burning, or most of French & Saunders or Lenny Henry from 1985... it was recorded on that same 1 gb drive!
It cost him about £3,600 IIRC
Today I received (through the post) a 4 TB disk for £151. (inc postage)
I'll let you do the math!
For those too young... this was the beast: http://uk.pcmag.com/desktop-reviews/8161/news/1984...
Out of morbid interest, if you youtube the first two series of London's Burning, or most of French & Saunders or Lenny Henry from 1985... it was recorded on that same 1 gb drive!
Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 10th February 16:46
This was my first real "business" puter.
https://classictech.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/sc...
I remember we all sat round it wondering wtf it actually did. Haven't really moved on much from there in 30+ years.
https://classictech.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/sc...
I remember we all sat round it wondering wtf it actually did. Haven't really moved on much from there in 30+ years.
GetCarter said:
In 1985 I was working as a session muso, and the recording studio I regularly worked in had just got a 1 GB disk for his Macintosh. Christ on a bike... 1GB!
It cost him about £3,600 IIRC
A couple of years earlier, a fully configured IBM PC-XT (ie two 10 meg disks and 640K RAM) was about £2000.It cost him about £3,600 IIRC
Bluedot said:
Brilliant
Loved Doom, a real classic of the time for me. And I remember the 'Flying Toasters' screensaver well.
Not quite sure I agree with you about it being 'at least 30 years' ago though, Win 3.1 came out in 1992 and Doom in 1993 (thanks to Wiki!)
Remember playing Doom across the office network if we were working late and everybody else had gone home. Think had never played a first person shooter game against real opponents before. Wasn't all that long ago, mid 90's?Loved Doom, a real classic of the time for me. And I remember the 'Flying Toasters' screensaver well.
Not quite sure I agree with you about it being 'at least 30 years' ago though, Win 3.1 came out in 1992 and Doom in 1993 (thanks to Wiki!)
FiF said:
Bluedot said:
Brilliant
Loved Doom, a real classic of the time for me. And I remember the 'Flying Toasters' screensaver well.
Not quite sure I agree with you about it being 'at least 30 years' ago though, Win 3.1 came out in 1992 and Doom in 1993 (thanks to Wiki!)
Remember playing Doom across the office network if we were working late and everybody else had gone home. Think had never played a first person shooter game against real opponents before. Wasn't all that long ago, mid 90's?Loved Doom, a real classic of the time for me. And I remember the 'Flying Toasters' screensaver well.
Not quite sure I agree with you about it being 'at least 30 years' ago though, Win 3.1 came out in 1992 and Doom in 1993 (thanks to Wiki!)
My Mum wouldn't get me a Sinclair Spectrum when I was growing up so I ended up with its runt of a brother, the ZX81.
Jeepers, a less useful PC it would be difficult to find. Had one games tape with it that consisted of several variations on the same theme & I was soon fed up of playing.
Much happier when we got BBC Grandstand (I think), the one with tennis where the cursors went up and down and you hit a ball across to your opponent. Had to play "Track and Field" down at the local arcade.
Jeepers, a less useful PC it would be difficult to find. Had one games tape with it that consisted of several variations on the same theme & I was soon fed up of playing.
Much happier when we got BBC Grandstand (I think), the one with tennis where the cursors went up and down and you hit a ball across to your opponent. Had to play "Track and Field" down at the local arcade.
GloverMart said:
My Mum wouldn't get me a Sinclair Spectrum when I was growing up so I ended up with its runt of a brother, the ZX81.
Jeepers, a less useful PC it would be difficult to find. Had one games tape with it that consisted of several variations on the same theme & I was soon fed up of playing.
Much happier when we got BBC Grandstand (I think), the one with tennis where the cursors went up and down and you hit a ball across to your opponent. Had to play "Track and Field" down at the local arcade.
Cross threading here (times your parents got the wrong thing), I asked for an Atari, I had designs on Frogger or perhaps even Star Wars.Jeepers, a less useful PC it would be difficult to find. Had one games tape with it that consisted of several variations on the same theme & I was soon fed up of playing.
Much happier when we got BBC Grandstand (I think), the one with tennis where the cursors went up and down and you hit a ball across to your opponent. Had to play "Track and Field" down at the local arcade.
I got this, don't recall games being in colour though.
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff