Age, was Re: IBM mainframe goes for 99 cents

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2005 19:15:28 +0000

> It could be interesting to know the age"spread" of thist list contributors,
> and how long we've had the computer virus under our skin.
> I myself turn 60 next time, and have been in this business sinc 1967 or so,
> where I got a Cobol course as an "education by mail" (dont know the correct
> english term for that one

OK, I'm 37.

I've been interested in electronics for as long as I can remember, I
built my first transsitor radio about 32 years ago. I've never really
been interested in programming/software, I'm very much the hardware type.
The fact that computers are interesting pieces of heardware is why I
collect, restore, etc them. This might explain why I like to keep the
hardware of my machines as original as possible, even for things like
power supplies. The power supply _was_ part of the original design, it
should be preserved (and if you think all SMPSUs are the same, then, boy,
have I got news for you...)

My first computer (not suprisingly) was a Sinclair -- in my case an MK14.
That put me how his designs for life. I've used some of the others, I've
never found one I consider to be even moderately well-designed.

I then got a TRS-80 Model 1, used Beebs and RML380Zs at school and fooled
around with some other micros. Then I went to university and picked up the
Philips P850. Chatting to a friend about it that night (this was some 19
years ago), we realiased that unless something was done -- and fast -- a
lot of computer history was going to be lost for ever. At the time,
museums were not bothering to preserve common micros and minis. So we did
something about it. We (I suspect particularly me) started collecting
everything we could get our grubby little hands on. The rest, as they say,
is history...


-tony
Received on Sat Feb 26 2005 - 18:31:15 GMT