What Are Your Favorite Computing Memories?

aussersterne asks: "Every now and then while reading Slashdot comments, I realize that most people have no idea that -the network was the computer- for decades before Amazon.com and Google ever appeared, taking for granted the rather boring state of commodity computing that dominates the marketplace today. Unix and dial-up shell users remember bang-paths, 110 baud BBSing, 'luggable' computers, UUCP, DC600 OS media, VT100s connected to dumb terminals, and 1152x900 8-bit color web browsing before most PC users had even shelled out for their first copy of Windows 3.x and the free 'serial mouse' it included. Middle-aged geeks, what are your favorite recollections from from the '80s and '90s computing, network, and hardware world, as full of platforms and innovation as it was? Which computer system is still 'your baby' all these years later? Anybody still have a running Sun2? A running FHL UniQuad? Anybody still use KA9Q?"

Comments

Sun2 ? ..feh

[L. VeGas]

I don't think a computer has been made that replicates the joy I had working with the Difference Engine.

Babbage was kind of a pain, though.

Memories

[CokeBear]

My favorite computer memories

My fondest memory...

[drakaan]

Doing this to all the PET's and CBM's in the computer lab (my syntax is a bit rusty, so forgive obvious bugs):

10 POKE 144,88
20 ? CHR((INT(RND(1))*255)+1)
30 GOTO 20

Good ol' "POKE 144,88" disables the "run stop" key on PET, CBM, VIC-20, C-64, and C-128 computers...not sure if it works on the various emulators out there.

Pr0n!

[linzeal]

My fondest memory of BBS was the upgrade from 2400 to 14.4 for me that made surfing 20-30k porn images of scanned magazines (this is before porn sites) 'real time' which meant I could view one Jpeg while downloading the other and switch between them without losing my er concentration.

Playing Zork with my girlfriend in college

[jbarr]

Sure, they were geeky dates, but she's now my wife of almost 16 years, so it was worth it.

We would spend countless hours working our way through Zork I, II, and III on a Commodore 64. We'd map out the rooms on paper and try all sorts of wacky commands to try to get through. That was when computer gaming really took thought instead of quick reaction time.

Re:C64 BBS'es with CCGMS

[Knara]

I remember a Color 64 board where I was writing a post and suddenly someone broke into the session (as a sysop could do in that one) and started chatting with me. Turned out it was the sysop's daughter (who was about my age at the time), and a short, uneventful (unfortunately) relationship ensued.

/nostalgia

Re:Cyber 6600, 835; 6809, 68000, Alpha Micro

[Knara]

Longest "high school yearbook quote"-type post. Evar.

Re:Good old high school.

[ReverendLoki]

Joystick ports, bang paths and gender changers. Ah, the fading of youth :).

Fear not, for there are still many bars in most major cities where you can relive all of this again.

Er, or are we talking about two different things?