Demography?

From: Pete Joules <pjoules_at_coleg-powys.ac.uk>
Date: Mon Mar 2 06:16:04 1998

>That particular unit (a CASIO) had a problem dividing by 0 - it
>tried to!! The display patiently counted from 0 up to... well I never saw
>it stop before the batteries gave out. I guess thats what started my prime
>interest in computers - the quirky and unusual.
>

My first calculator, a Sinclair Cambridge, did that as well. Perhaps
someone on the list could enlighten us as to whehter this was a common
weakness of early calculators, and possibly why those who wrote the code for
them allowed it to happen ;-)

My condensed bio:

I am 40 years old and live near Shrewsbury (UK), on the border between
England and Wales. I have had an interest in computers since 1985 when I
worked for the local council as a Meat Inspector. The Environmental Health
Department got their first computer and I wrote some applications for it and
then decided that I wanted to be a programmer for the rest of my life. I
have been to University 1 day per week for the last 5 years and gained a BSc
in Computer Studies last September. I am currently working (bored and
underpaid ;-() as a MIS programmer for a college of further education
producing reports in Access. Apart from collecting computers I enjoy
motorcycling and rock climbing.

My collection consists of:

1 MicroVAX II with a TK50, 4 RA81s and an RA82
3 Sun 386i, I working and 2 with dead/dying NVRAMs
1 Tulip PC Compact 2 - NEC V30, 40Mb hard disk
1 Sinclair Spectrum 48k
1 Sinclair Spectrum +2
1 Amstrad CPC464 with colour monitor
(and off topic)
1 486DX2 PC running linux 24/7 except when I have to reluctantly reboot into
Win95
1 Toshiba T3100SX portable with dead LCD display

Wish list:

The one I would really like is an ICL Quattro - The first machine I
programmed and administered. It was an 8086 based machine with 10Mb hard
drive and 1Mb RAM running CCP/M86 and capable of supporting 4 terminals each
of which could support 4 virtual terminals giving a theoretical total of 16
users. Not bad for an 8086 :-). The later 'go faster' version had a 286
processor.

Regards
Pete
Received on Mon Mar 02 1998 - 06:16:04 GMT