Blast from the past

[mickw]

Time to check the attic 

BBC

[Mike]

I never owded a BBC Micro or even an Acorn. I've owned lots of other retro computers though, some of which I still have.

STILL OWN

ZX81 (with 16k Ram Pack)
ZX Spectrum +3
Dragon 64
Amiga 500

USED TO OWN

Oric 1 (probably the worst keyboard design ever)
Spectrum 48k
Texas Instruments TI99/4a
Tandy TRS-80
Apricot Portable

[PhilB]

 Do you remember the Elektor Junior Computer, Mike? I still have have one. Home built, yup, you had to get the soldering iron out, it was based on a 6502 processor and is from an age when it's final spec (4 kb RAM 16 Kb EPROM) was enough to seriously impress people.

In addition I have a ZX81 (without it's case) complete with a Maplin replacement keyboard and 16 Kb of RAM.

The cream of the crop is a 286 DELL PC....Not to mention a original Dell pentium PC.

Ah, the good old days, when if you wanted a good program you had to write it yourself 

[Ian]

that bbc report is exactly the justification I use when housing 4 bbc masters and 3 bbc bs. Its hard enough now to follow how a computer works, in 10 years time when my kids want to know it'll be nigh on impossible.

I also play elite on occasion (2nd processor version, it flies along )

[PhilB]

As I'm sure you're aware, there are now programs out there, based on such things as neural nets, that are more or less writing themselves. The resulting code can take many months to unravel.  So you're probably right, Ian; how in the hell are we going to explain the future stuff to the kids?

[Ian]

hmm, I knew someone who was working on that sort of project. He was putting stuff in DB3 that would generate programs.

That was when we wasn't repairing my BBC micro. I think I was about 12 years old.

Still, after about 25 years of development, self writing programs might start to exist

[Rick]

I remember one Computer Show I went to back before the first IPM PC came out. There was a stand selling a program called "The Last One" which, supposedly, wrote you a business application if you told it what you wanted. The marketing drivel claimed it'd be the last program your business ever needed to buy... 

[MarkS]

Back in 1977 (or was it 1978) a careers teacher told me not to consider any kind of computer programming beacuse it was soon going to going to be an obsoleted craft like the illumination of manuscripts.

[Rocket Pooch]

As I'm sure you're aware, there are now programs out there, based on such things as neural nets, that are more or less writing themselves. The resulting code can take many months to unravel.  So you're probably right, Ian; how in the hell are we going to explain the future stuff to the kids?

Cobblers!

Nascom rules

[Rocket Pooch]

I remember one Computer Show I went to back before the first IPM PC came out. There was a stand selling a program called "The Last One" which, supposedly, wrote you a business application if you told it what you wanted. The marketing drivel claimed it'd be the last program your business ever needed to buy... 

I remember it well.

Oh god, I'm feeling old....

[Rick]

Nascom rules

Got the remains of one of them, complete with wire-wrap homebrew soundcard, somewhere in the attic...

[doug]

     I`m very,very glad that I did not have any kind of computer until recently.  I always have been an illuminated manuscript person with a pen and paper; always said that I would never have a computer ..............
until I joined the Society when I had to get into the 21st Century.  It`s still, to me, a pain in the a**e, but I seem to need it.

    What a bummer!

    And yes, Chris, you are old?

    But not as old as me.  

    Doug.

[PhilB]

As I'm sure you're aware, there are now programs out there, based on such things as neural nets, that are more or less writing themselves. The resulting code can take many months to unravel.  So you're probably right, Ian; how in the hell are we going to explain the future stuff to the kids?

Cobblers!
Nascom rules

Yeah, okay, maybe "writing" is too strong a word. Perhaps "adapting" would be more accurate.

Are you referring to the Nascom 1 and 2 boards from the late 70's? Never had one but I've heard nice things about them. Don't they still have a following today through some sort of 32 bit incarnation?

[Mike]

Dough I think you need to give your keyboard a clean as you seem to have very sticky ! and ? keys.

[doug]

     Mike ..... sorted.