Forums Forums General Forums A - Z Leisure & Hobbies 80's,90's Computing Era

I first used the 'internet' in 1992 on BBS boards on an Atari ST with a 1200 baud modem I took from college (they no longer used them). Downloaded games onto floppys, seem to remember my mum going ballistic as it wasn't local rate and cost a fortune. Using this in the late 80's was 52p per minute with most providers (Pipex were going then I think). Can you imagine that now!
Did some gfx for demogroup in the early 90's, did loads of stuff in PD, but never really saw much action beyond that, I still have some stuff on Amiga emulator.
Never really used consoles, only ever had the typey style computers. I don't really miss most of the old days to be honest, but miss the simplicity of it all, I can't handle all the shite gadgetry and geek bandwagon jumping just because they've got an IPhone. Nowadays the kids think they're 'veterans' if they had a Dreamcast.

Best memory is just loading and playing tape games on Amstrad CPC and spending/wasting hours and hours on DPaint on Amiga.

how fast was windows 3.1,ran really fast on my little 386 pc,still got it somewhere.

I think I'd be sick if I had to use that again! Remember when it loaded DOS and you had to type 'WIN' to run it.

Or >nul all the commands in autoexec.bat and just echo Please wait.. or Starting Windows 3.1 and use the option Win /B which didnt load the graphic.. Great memories guys Any more!!!

Do you remember when you could buy a co-processor to help your 286 & 386 along with floating point arithmetic?

Oh yeah, sent thousands on an SX25 and then paid extra a few weeks later for the latest DX upgrade... Worst thing, I still have it, I just refuse point blank to throw it away, then again still have a ZX81 sat on my desk in work. I think I should start to clear stuff out.

Yup i had a 486 which did it.. Compaq model SX25 i even got Windows 95 on this bad boy after copying every disk to the hardisk to install it instead of off the floppy still it took nearly an hour.. Compared know when you can install it on the likes of Virtual PC which takes about 10 minutes lol.. Great.. Anyone remember collecting Computer mags i think i still got this bug for the Disks they have.. Then hunting around for cracks online so you didnt have to pay hahaha

i remember at the time i was using a spectrum buying a magazine and it had a programn printed over about six pages,took me hours and hours to type it up and i got a silly car driving across the screen,i thought it was great at the time

lol they where good... Untill

Syntax Error at 400
or
Mistake at 130

etc you get the picture haha.. Or the worst one of all.. Youve typed it all up (well you think you have) and you get some sort of crazy text all over the screen and it does nothing and you have to start all over again.. OR the worst start of the 1990s when those meters came in to play the electric ones and the electric goes and your half way through typing in a program!!!! ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah! Magazines...
I can remember having to buy the "floppy" version because my IBM 386 (with co-pro) didn't have a CD ROM drive

Also remember using my first PIM, it was called "Time & Chaos" I think... Wonder if it's still going

eek! Also my Epsom colour dot matrix printer (with silent mode), complete with the multi coloured ribbon..

I'd happily use a modem today just for that sound. EEEEEE-EEEEE!
I'd also use a dot matrix, again for the sound, and not having to buy toner cartridges (which is more expensive than the market value of blood).

I can remember trading in my Commodore 64 c/w tape drive & external 5.25 floppy drive for an Amiga 500, then shelling out another £150 for the memory expansion with the little on/off switch on the side of the computer.
Many happy memories showing off my new kit to mates who opted for the Atari ST.. Apparently, so they kept telling me, theirs was good for creating music or something..
Not a patch on my Amiga tho'

Still got a Spectrum in Rm 101 and a load of tapes.
Got a few of my mates started on puters and they have all overtaken me now. The Amiga was great, used it for all sorts of work related stuff and the kids got into it as well, or at least the girls did, my old boy couldn't be arsed and still can't. Remember though that at least with DOS you told the computer what to do and not the other way round as it is now. My puter takes charge and that's me redundant until its finished its stuff.

I remember my old man spending hours & hours building me a DIY puter only for it not to work at all. Ended up going to PC World....THAT is the real reason I can't be arsed!