First Computers

theodp writes "You never forget your first love. Or your first computer. Good Morning Silicon Valley readers share fond memories of their first computers, including SuperELFs with 256 bytes of RAM, $99 Timex Sinclairs, 26-pound 'portable' Osbornes, 'high-speed' 300 baud modems, Apple IIs running COBOL, and even a Mattel Aquarius (complete with Microsoft Aquarius-BASIC 1.0!)."

Comments

Re:Ti-99 4/a

[zakezuke]

Let's not forget terminal emulator II (never saw terminal emulator I), which wasn't only required to get a damn modem to work, but was required for true text to speech. Unlike Extended basic where speech was based on a very limited vocabulary. I remember for my spelling I had to use regular basic as my vocabulary words were not in extended basic.

And one of the fastest tape drives of the time period. I don't remember it's baud rate, but I know it was faster to leave programs on friends answering machines then it was to setup a modem to modem transfer.

But needless to say, the TI was a hot little machine for it's time period. It still makes me sad that TI dumped it. I'm sure I still have that P.E. box around here somewhere, purchaced from BEST after the fall of TI price marked down as no bugger would spend that much money on it.