My 25 Year Love Affair with Computers

Next month will mark 25 years since I started using a home computer. Brad Feld and I were talking about this in my office a few weeks ago and I have been meaning to write this post since. Twenty-five years is a long time! So I thought it might be fun this summer, being geeks and all, if we wrote about "all the computers we have loved before." Here's my run at the highlights, to the best of my recollection. Share yours with the tag: myfirstcomputer. Oh and skip to the end for a peek at the future if this doesn't interest you ...

1982: Atari 800

Ahh the summer of 1982. I was 12 years old and a video game junkie. The Go-Gos dominated the radio. Even today if I hear Pac Man music or "Head Over Heels" I start to jiggle my pocket for quarters.

I had used a Radio Shack TRS 80 (often called the Trash 80) at sleep away camp in 1981 and loved it. From then on I was dying to have my own computer. My parents bought me the Atari for my Bar Mitzvah. We upgraded it to 64K of RAM (yes, I said K) and added a cassette tape drive and a dot-matrix printer. I connected it to the Sony Trinitron TV in my room.

The Atari 800 was a good computer. My Dad, an engineer, and I made it do all kinds of cool stuff. For example, we programed in Basic to plot out ones and zeros on a dot matrix paper to to draw pictures of Snoopy. I subscribed to Compute! magazine and Antic. The magazine came with pages of code that you would input by hand. The result: usually a fun snake game or something like that. (I know I know. You probably think I lived in a Log Cabin too.)

1985: Atari 800 XL

This was basically the family upgrade to the Atari 800. I used a word processor called AtariWriter to write school reports. This is what it looked like...

More importantly, this was also the first computer I used to get online with a 300 baud modem.

I first subscribed to an Atari online service called Plato that was really cool, but it went bust. Then I logged on to Compuserve and GEnie, a service that General Electric ran. I hung out in the chat rooms and forums. It was all text based but really cool and fun. It was like digg with its knuckles on the ground.

Later on I signed up for a USA Today online service that was for sports junkies. We ran up huge bills on all of these because it was all charged by the hour back then. The 'rents were not too pleased at the time but clearly it was all worth it.

Last but not least, during the mid-1980s I set up a BBS - what was then called bulletin boards. You dialed into a phone number via your modem that you found on other BBSes. Each one was a private network with content. I ran one about sports but shut it down when we started getting calls in the middle of the night.

1986-1991: The Computerless Dark Ages

From 1986 to basically 1991 or so I didn't actually get a new computer. I largely used the ones I had access to in school. They were all Apple computers.

In high school I used an Apple IIe, Apple III. I took a class in computer graphics and used the Apple III to draw and saw that the computer could be a creative tool too.

In college I used Macs. By then Macs were starting to gain steam. My friend in high school had a Mac Classic and I was jealous but it was too expensive for me to buy at the time. However, in college I used a Mac SE and Microsoft Word extensively for word processing. I really didn't spend as much time online as I did in high school but still used GEnie a fair amount.

More importantly, I got my first taste of desktop publishing in 1990. We used Macs to design and layout the school newspaper, which I was a contributor to. I was fascinated with Pagemaker and what it could do.

1992: Apple Macintosh LC

After I graduated I wanted to get a Mac so I saved up everything I could muster and purchased a Macintosh LC, PageMaker, Photoshop and Illustrator. I taught myself these programs inside and out and later Quark as well.

This computer was perhaps the one that was most important because it's the one I used when I fell in love with the Internet. In 1992 I reconnected online by signing up for America Online. I will never forget the feeling of dialing in and seeing everything I could discover online. Back then AOL was a closed service - a walled garden. However, it had a wealth of content.

1993: Apple PowerBook 145B

My Dad had an IBM luggable computer in the late 1980s and I saw that portable computing was going to be a big deal one day. It was really unaffordable at the time. However, by 1991 or so with the introduction of the ThinkPads and Powerbooks, they were becoming within reach.

In 1993 I bought the most affordable PowerBook - the 145B. It had a black and white screen but it was great for writing, which I was doing a lot of at the time. I began in fact to freelance for MacUser (then a US magazine) and Mac Home Journal. I also attended my first Macworld conference. I used a 44mb Syquest Drive for back up and to shuttle files back and forth.

1995-2002: Dell Dimension (several models)

By 1995 the Microsoft marketing machine was in full motion. You knew Windows 95 was going to be a big deal. I switched from the Mac to the PC as my main computer. I was also not doing as much graphic design and more research/writing and PR so it was time to go corporate.

In 1995 I was still an AOL member but by then they had truly began to embrace the Web. In 1994 I began to explore Archie and Gopher. By 1995 I was using Mosaic then Netscape, but connecting through AOL and later an ISP. Finally, like everyone, I started to use Internet Explorer. My Dell Dimension was the computer I first used to explore the Net. I also joined MSN and liked it a lot too.

Later on, I upgraded to a new Dell every few years. Each time, I purchased more power. Finally in 1999 I added a broadband connection and began to use the computer a lot more.

1996-2003: Various Laptops from Dell, Toshiba and IBM

Separately, I also had a computer at work that I took home. I have worked on a laptop since 1996. These included IBM Thinkpads, a Toshiba Tecra and various Dell Inspirons. I also briefly used an Apple Powerbook (the Wallstreet Model) during the dot-com boom when I worked at a small agency. To some degree, I used these more than I did my desktop, especially as I added wifi in 2001. During this time I ran Windows 95, 98, ME and eventually XP.

2004: Apple PowerBook G4

By 2004 I was ready to ditch the desktop. I really liked working off the smaller screen. Also, my job really became a lot more mobile as I began to travel the country speaking and consulting. I bought an Apple PowerBook G4. This was the computer I started this blog on. It was also the machine I used to podcast and experiment with lots of other sites. I also started to take this computer to work in my last job. It ran double duty.

Switching over to the Mac had pros/cons. I loved the Mac OS X interface, but I missed many windows apps. Also, I found that many sites would not work with Safari or Firefox and longed for a way to experience the best of both worlds.

2006 - Today: Apple MacBook (Black edition, version 1)

Finally, in 2006, everything came together in just the way I wanted it. I bought the first generation Macbook. This is the computer I use today at home and on the road (more on that part in a bit). It's perfect because I am able to run both Mac OS X Tiger and Windows Vista. I was running them both under Bootcamp but have switched to Parallels so that I can operate both at the same time.

More importantly, these days much of what I need is accessible from any computer because it's in the cloud. Work files are all on servers accessible from anywhere. Personal files too are backed up to the web and are available. This is a big trend that will extend out to mobile phones too. For a peek, take a look at Soonr.

The Future

What will my computing experience look like in the next 25 years? The devices I use today will look even more quaint than an Atari 800 does today. I don't have the answers. None of us do. But directionally you can see where it is going.

The gap between cell phones and laptops will narrow dramatically in the next several years. The iPhone and Palm's Foleo are two notable examples. (Palm is a client.) Windows Mobile too will power many of these devices, as will Web services. Take a look at iZoho for example.

This week I took my first overnight business trip in 10 years without a laptop. All I took was my iPhone and a travel router. It worked perfectly, though it was only one night. Still, it's a big deal that I was able to do this. Other execs I know only travel with their Blackberries.

Soon, all of these devices will connect to peripherals - flash-based storage, keyboards, full-sized monitors, mice. And they will do so seamlessly and wirelessly. In five years very few of us will be lugging around laptops. The cell phone will be our computer, both at home and in the office.

In addition, more of our data will live not on hard drives but "in the cloud." They will be accessible from everywhere, particularly as high speed broadband becomes more ubiquitous.

When I was out in the Valley a few weeks ago Intel indicated that they see no end for Moore's Law. That's good news and clearly if this post is around in five years it will be interesting to see just how much more we can do with technology. I intend to be around for the ride.

Comments

[Mike Bellina]

I love the trip down memory lane. I'm surprised you didn't have a Commodore 64. That ran a form of BASIC and it came with an instruction manual on how to code it. I used to try (and fail) at making a simple database program on it. I did get it to draw an American flag though.

Very cool.

[Lonelybloggers]

Love the post Steve. Very nerdy which is cool. BBS days with 300 baud modems, those were the golden years. I did the Vic 20 and C64 route - but the Trash 80 was good too..

[Nitin Badjatia]

Ahh yes, the venerable Atari 800. Connected to an Atari 400 tape recorder, that thing was a blazing, computing machine! That was my first computer, too. Eventually, I moved up to the 1200XL, bought an Ape-Face printer interface, connected my Star Micronics dot-matrix printer to to the Atari (daisy chained to a new 810 disk drive), and connected a Prometheus modem to the joystick connector and 'surfed' all the BBS's I could find. Boy that ran up the phone bill!

If you check back to some of your old A.N.A.L.O.G. Magazines you'll see a review or two that I wrote back in the day!

Great flashback, Steve, I may just write a post of my progression from the 800 through the 520ST and onward!

Nitin

Uncool,

Talking about 25 years of computers and not mentioning the Commodore 64. get a girlfriend!

[Steve Rubel]

Commodore was cool for sure. It's just not what I owned.

[haven]

I'm jealous, I only had the Atari 400. It only had one cartridge bay and some type of waterproof keyboard. I still remember programming all of my lame BASIC programs and even loading Frogger using the cassette drive. It took 30 minutes to load so I'd start it up before dinner, go eat, and come back to play. Ah, the good ol' days. My biggest conquest was playing with the code to make a helicopter sound (which is to say that I just screwed around with the code and ended up with a helicopter sound).

Thanks for the flashback.

[Mark]

Ah yes the trip down memory lane!

I also owned a Commodore 64 (well technically it was my dad's but my brother and I swiped it constantly!). I would sit and write very basic BASIC programs such as getting the computer to say "hello!" over and over. Pathetic I know but I was easily amused as a kid. My uncle also had a commodore 64 and he and I would play a naval warfare game (20 years on, I am still annoyed he got to the rank of admiral before me!).

What amuses me today about these older computers is the length of time it took to load a game (app. 15 minutes). These days, loading of games is instantaneous.

[Careers at Baker]

Wow, personal affection for computers indeed... LOLZ, I started admiring computers way back in high school...

[Rex Dixon]

Trash-80's, BBS, baud modems, ahhhh.. yes.. a trip down memory lane. I'm so glad that the hardware has progressed as well as the technology. Nothing like a trip down memory lane, but I'm so looking forward to seeing what the next 25 years brings.

Rex

[Suki]

Ahhhh memories, you really missed out not having a Commodore 64. I think my mum still has the manual. My dad also got me a Commodore Max Machine (game console) when he was in Japan visting family. I was the most popular child in my primary school that year and then Michael Jackson's Thriller came out and I was soon forgotten...

[Josh Bernoff]

Imagine being a software developer and having to write separately for all these platforms. When you were using them, my colleagues were writing VisiCalc for all these machines (at least the first ten years' worth).

In terms of where it's going, the answer is everywhere. Your GPS is a computer, so is your laptop and so is your HDTV set and your car, if you look close enough. The idea of "my computer" is what's going away -- it will be dozens of devices, all with computing power.

[Hanan Cohen]

Great post. Maybe you and your readers will enjoy my photo set of a Dusty old computers collection.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hanan_cohen/sets/72157600064491248/

My first computer? 1985- DEC PDP11 RSTS-E 7 - Basic+ 2

[Denver Real Estate]

Wow! This brings back memories of that Commodore 64 and it was about 25 years ago also. Not much has changed though, I still think they are too slow.

[Jeremiah Morrill]

My first computer was an Atari XE. It took video game carts and you could program in BASIC.

Then there was the Vic 20, with the cassete you could save your basic games on to.

Oh how the time flys.

[kerch McConlogue]

Ah, I must be really old.

My first love affair was with an original Apple IIe. The first time it spit out a roll of labels for postcards to publicize my small business, I knew I was in love! The old AppleWorks program was so much better than what ever my DH found to run on his PC (which came much later).

The games, for the time at least, kept my pretty young kids reading. And do not forget the benefit of learning young the finer points of shooting down asteroids. My son learned to type using it to access BBS with an old 14400 modem. (actually was an older one only 9600? or am I only dreaming?)

The only problem was that there was essentially no internal memory and so there were all those disks to keep flipping.

One day the DH let the smoke out of the spare drive and that was pretty much the kiss of death.

Thanks for letting me play with you kids
(S)

kerch

[Michael Vu]

Wow, what a journey it has been for you. Here's to 25 more years!

Cheers,

Michael Vu
CTO/Founder
www.fantasysportsmatrix.com

...a social network for sports fans.

[Juan Pablo Tapia]

Great post!! Best regards from a serious reader of your blog from Satiago de Chile.

[Valeria Maltoni]

This is a new Steve Rubel. Pleased to meet you ;-) I too was fascinated by PageMaker, loved the program and used it extensively. Grew up on Macs and had to switch to Windows for years. I am happy to report I am switching back to Mac -- desktop on Parallels, soon (I hope, as I get a moment free from writing).

[Mitchell York]

I can remember being a reporter for Computer Systems News in 1982 and being given a TRS 80 to report stories from Comdex in Las Vegas. When I put those acoustic couplers on the phone and heard the sound of the modem connecting and saw the lines of stories flash over the screen as they were uploading....it was truly amazing. We reporters felt like masters of the universe! From the sublime to the ridiculous: I remember a "portable" (barely luggable) Compaq that ran a word processing program (don't remember what it was called). Weighed about 50 pounds. Keyboard connected on a tightly coiled cord so you could never really type comfortably. Thanks for the memories Steve!

[Mitchell York]

I can remember being a reporter for Computer Systems News in 1982 and being given a TRS 80 to report stories from Comdex in Las Vegas. When I put those acoustic couplers on the phone and heard the sound of the modem connecting and saw the lines of stories flash over the screen as they were uploading....it was truly amazing. We reporters felt like masters of the universe! From the sublime to the ridiculous: I remember a "portable" (barely luggable) Compaq that ran a word processing program (don't remember what it was called). Weighed about 50 pounds. Keyboard connected on a tightly coiled cord so you could never really type comfortably. Thanks for the memories Steve!

[Neil Anderson]

Enjoyed the trip down memory lane ... my journey was somewhat the same beginning with an Apple ][+, then the LC, PowerBook 145, and G4 PowerBook. I'm saving for an Intel iMac. :) Maybe Tuesday? :)

[Matthew Stibbe (Bad Language)]

I love this and it made me very nostalgic. I had an Atari 400 as a kid and then a few years ago I bought an 800 on eBay.

I don't have a similar history of my computers (yet, although it's a good idea). However, a few years ago I did a presentation at the Computer Games Developers Conference about the history of computer games - which, in effect, is a presentation about the games that affected me most. I was in the business for 12 years so this is a subject close to my heart.

Anyhow, there's a simple version of the presentation on my personal site (not my blog) and you can access it here: http://www.stibbe.net/History/Games_Speech/Historian_frame.htm. There are some links to emulators and things if you want to play the games now.

[Karsten Füllhaas]

Quite a nice survey, it reminded my of our first computer at home, which my father bought without consulting with my mother. It was an Apple IIc. Since then, I have used several Windows-based PC and laptops, never had a Mac of my own.

[Chris Spinchange]

Great Post, Steve. I great computing nostalgia about where we've been and excitement about where we're going. Thanks for sharing your personal computing history with us!

[Mean Dean]

You're killin' me here - making me feel like the oldest guy in the room.

Yeah, I've been doing it for 25 years, but wasn't 12 when I started.

Gad, I feel older than dirt now. Guess its time to go back into the basement and fire up the old Alair while downloading a version of Linux that might actually run on my old Zenith SuperSport!

[Mehfuz Hossain]

Great! computers at 80s were like jems, people using Apple computer are like heros those days. i remember those 386DX pcs with one colored display and games like paranoid and prince of persia, with the beautiful blend of sound in pc speaker and 3.5" floppy drives.

[Snakehound]

How about a Visual 1050 running CPM with Wordstar as the ap. Getting old!

[stuart]

I can't remember the first computer game I played, but I remember it was in elementary school and it was a game about pioneers heading out west and they had to stuff along the way, like get supplies and hunt.

My first computer was a 486 DX2, which I played a lot of Panzer General and Aces over Europe and Aces over the Pacific on, as well as Doom and Dune II.

Then I had a celeron which I played a lot of Starcraft on. Now it's a Pentium 4. Still playing a lot of those old games from 8 years ago on it. :) My new obsession is my political forum. Always messing around with these computers. I'm incorrigible. :p Feel free to check out my latest obsession sometime.

- stuart