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How old were you when you first used a computer?

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by Arie, 2010/07/27.

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How old were you when you first used a computer?

Poll closed 2010/08/31.
  1. 5 years or younger

    0.8%
  2. 6-9 years old

    5.1%
  3. 10-14 years old

    5.9%
  4. 15-19 years old

    9.0%
  5. 20-24 years old

    17.6%
  6. 25-29 years old

    12.5%
  7. 30-39 years old

    16.9%
  8. 40-49 years old

    17.6%
  9. 50 years or older

    14.5%
  1. 2010/07/27
    paul53103

    paul53103 Well-Known Member

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    We had an IBM in highschool that used a large card on the side and lots of wires to set up your program. The output was run through a 10 colum card sorter and feed into a teletype to print the results. That was in 1967.
     
  2. 2010/07/27
    fdamp

    fdamp Well-Known Member

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    While I was working in the UK for a machine tools manufacturer, I got into programming ALGOL on a local Technical College's Elliott 801. This was at age 25.

    After emigrating to the US to work for Boeing and getting laid off after the SST cancellation I was taken on by a contractor at NASA-Langley in the research simulation department. My company was responsible for programming a CDC-6600 mainframe that ran a number of different simulations for astronaut training and civil aviation research. I was 30 at the time (1971).

    My first hands-on was with a group of analog computers which we used to conduct a pre-simulation test on the various end-user devices before hooking up to the CDC system for the actual test or training exercise.

    Subsequently I went back to Boeing and worked for aboout 12 years in the Flight Training simulation department. This was my first exposure to digital programs. I did programming of new system routines on Singer-Link GP4 and Honeywell DDP-124 and -324 systems. It was all in assembly language. i'm probably one of the last pwople on the planet who couold still program a Singer GP-4 machine!
     
    Last edited: 2010/07/27

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  4. 2010/07/27
    jweaver74

    jweaver74 Inactive

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    How old when first encountered computer?

    The first computer I programmed was and IBM 650. In 1957 I was a scientific programmer for a multinational oil company. Programmed refinery simulation in SOAP (Symbolic Optimal Assembly Program). Prior to this simulation program it took a chemical engineer about 2 weeks to evaluate a crude as to whether or not it would be profitable to refine. After the simulation program was completed two weeks was reduced to 2 minutes for crude evaluation. Have been in computing ever since and was awarded a PhD in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins. Now retired and still playing around with desktops, laptops, and networking. By the way, that crude evaluation program enabled many crude samples to be evaluated and provided the basis for an optimization program which reduced the cost for crude purchases by about $1,000,000/quarter. Incidentally, the cost of crude from the Middle East in the late 50s was $1.20/bbl including shipping.
     
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  5. 2010/07/27
    lhoepner

    lhoepner Well-Known Member

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    First computer use

    When I was 23 in 1963 - keypunched my cards and they went to a mainframe. First PC when I was 45 in 1985 and it used the 5-1/4 floppies. First PC at home when I was 58 and it was a 33 mhz with Win 3.1. We have come a long way.
     
  6. 2010/07/28
    retiredlearner

    retiredlearner SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    At the tender age of 46 I drove my first computer in a motor vehicle. This was working for "The General" and you did not get to physically use a Company PC unless your job position required you to.

    Fourteen years later when working as an AVI (Authorised Vehicle Inspector), we were required to purchase computers to enable WOF (Warrant of Fitness) motor vehicle info to be entered in the Transport Authority National Registry.
    This started with Windows95 then 98 and then the jump to XP.

    I retired 6 years later and started playing around with old desktop units and finally built my first comp 2 years later.
    I have since built 5 units and repaired 2 Laptops.

    Bottom line----you're never too old to learn new tricks and it keeps the mind active. Neil.:D
     
  7. 2010/07/28
    bobsch

    bobsch Inactive

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    The Computers I've Used

    The first computer I used was an IBM 704 "mainframe." I created programs using punch cards. That was in 1957.

    My first home computer was an S-100 machine I built in 1979. It had a Z-80 processor, static RAM and two 8-inch floppy drives.

    My second home computer was an IBM PC, purchased at an IBM store here in San Diego in 1984. It came with a diagnostic program on cassette tape.

    Now I run a Tower with a 3 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, Windows 7 64-bit, 8 GB memory and around 2.5 TB on three SATA drives.

    What an amazing 53 years it's been!
     
  8. 2010/07/28
    pjamme

    pjamme Inactive

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    I was transferred to maryland in 1980 and I believe it was 1981 when I started using an IBM AT that had two 5 1/4" floppy drives. One was the system boot and the other was lotus 1.1. that is also where i received my carpal tunnel as the keyboard sat on a old metal military type desk and was way to high. still suffer occassionally, but have learned to live with it.
    Now I am a windows Server technician with 60 W2kx servers on the East coast to look after. Although i started with Novel netware 2.12 in 1991 or 2
     
  9. 2010/07/28
    irdreed

    irdreed Inactive

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    How old were you when you first used a Computer34 years

    34 years old (1968) & as a Electronic Technician working with and learning the F.A.A.'s ARTSlll for the Air Traffic Control System. Had to learn IBM Software language, Univac Software language (UlLTRA) plus the differences in the Logic on all Diagrams/Schematics for all the equipment installed. There was a mish mash of different equipment from Texas Instrument, Univac, IBM, Teletype Corp. all of course being lowest bidder. So learning between Software Languages and Hardware Logic, even though it was difficult, it was rewarding. All this of course was Before the creation of the Microprocessor.
    Retired in 1989 and got involved with the Home P.C about '95 and still at it!!
     
  10. 2010/07/28
    MitchellCooley Lifetime Subscription

    MitchellCooley Inactive

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    I saw my first computer (well, the terminal anyway) when I was in the Air Force in 1981 working at Wilford Hall Medical Center.

    I first used a PC in 1983. It was a Z-100 using PeachText and 5.25" floppys.

    Oh how things have progressed in the last 30 years!
     
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  11. 2010/07/28
    jlizken

    jlizken Inactive

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    Started with a ZX81 (16k) bought for the children when I ws 40. Then Amstrad 512 then IBM PS/2- and so on through the years and now at 70 I am using a Dell XPS210
     
  12. 2010/07/28
    Airdawg

    Airdawg Inactive

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    How old?

    I was 22, but that was 1962 and the computer was a hybrid (analog/digital). It was the Bombing - Navigational computer on a B-52E. Discrete component, each gate built from resistors, diodes and transistors. Chips did not exist yet. Memory was a 250' long, 6" wide, .006" thick piece of stainless steel.
     
  13. 2010/07/28
    cornevdm

    cornevdm Inactive

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    I started on an Texas Instrument TI99 about 1975
     
  14. 2010/07/28
    JSS3rd Lifetime Subscription

    JSS3rd Geek Member

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    I had been using the CRT terminals in TWA's ramp offices for several years to input and retrieve crew information, weather, flight plans, etc. before I bought an Amiga 500 in 1987 (I was 51 at the time) for my younger son to use. He was interested in graphics, and the PCs of that era were still stuck in DOS.

    A year later, when he took the 500 to college, I bought an Amiga 2000 for myself and used it for the next ten years, upgrading it with every bell and whistle I could ... tape drive backup system, 2400 baud (wow, what speed!) modem, 24MB hard drive. TurboText was the text editor of choice, and creating macros was incredibly easy.

    In 1997 I bought my first PC and am now on my 4th desktop and 4th laptop, using XP Pro SP3 on both, as I still prefer the Windows Classic interface. One of these days I'll configure the desktop to dual boot with Win7.
     
    Last edited: 2010/07/28
  15. 2010/07/28
    SteveCH

    SteveCH Inactive

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    First computer

    I was 17 in 1967 and taught myself how to program using a Teletype in the back of the Math class in my high school in Connecticut. It connected via phone lines to a mainframe at Dartmouth in New Hampshire using a new advanced technology called "timesharing ". I programmed in Basic and stored my programs on rolls of punched tape. Yes, that Basic. My experience got me a summer job at the Board of Education programming an IBM 1401 in Autocoder. My next summer job (1968) was programming an IBM 360 in Fortran for the Travelers Research Company in Hartford.

    You might think this is old stuff, but I was always in awe of the engineers I met who programmed card sorters using patch panels.
     
  16. 2010/07/28
    grum

    grum Inactive

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    I was 39, 1982, when I saw a Sinclair ZX81 on special offer for about 40 pounds and I bought one to find what computing was about. It included the 16k RAM pack. From then on I was hooked. Next my wife bought me a Commodore 64 for my birthday. What a fantastic machine in its day, mid 80s. I progressed to an IBM PC with two 5.25 inch floppy drives. Then an IBM XT with a 10meg hard drive and an IBM AT with a colour monitor. The IBMs all ran MS DOS starting with DOS 3 and progressing to DOS 6. My first Windows machine was an second hand Elonex 386 with Windows 3.1. After this I bought an Escom with a Pentium 133 processor and Windows 95. This was followed up with a Compaq Presario with an Athlon 64 and Windows ME which I still have but now has Ubuntu installed.
    My current desktop is a Gateway with a dual core processor and Windows XP. I also have a Toshiba laptop with an Athlon 64 dual core and Windows Vista.
    I first ventured on to the Internet in the mid 90s with a Compuserve dial up account and have progressed through LineOne, Tiscali and now TalkTalk broadband.
    I still find it as fascinating now as I did 28 years ago.

    Graham
     
    Last edited: 2010/07/28
  17. 2010/07/28
    jpChris

    jpChris Inactive

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    The below post didn't go thru - I thought.
     
    Last edited: 2010/07/28
  18. 2010/07/28
    jpChris

    jpChris Inactive

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    Hi Ramona!!! I've missed you!

    Anyway, I was (mumble, mumble, mumble) in 1982 and my first was an Atari 400 "” that's when I learned Basic.
     
  19. 2010/07/28
    Barbara-Ann

    Barbara-Ann Inactive

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    Started at 52 years young with a Dell Inspiron 3000 loaded with Windows 95, then Windows 98 First Edition. I upgraded to a Dell Dimension 8100 with Windows Me, finishing up with a Dell Dimension 9150 and Windows XP Home Edition.
     
    Last edited: 2010/07/29
  20. 2010/07/29
    jacrabbit

    jacrabbit Inactive

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    I was introduced to computers back around 1980, didn't get my first one till 1996 it was a 286 running 3.11, bought it 2nd hand at a garage sale, it had belonged to politician, gee how security has changed, wasn't much worth reading on it anyway, better reading on here!
    Can't remember how many I have pulled apart since then, or the amount I destroyed in the process, LOL

    Jac
     
  21. 2010/07/29
    Tubby

    Tubby Inactive

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    Was confined to house due to injury with leg. Was about to go nuts. Wife suggested get a Computer. She had a friend that would tutor me.

    Was 63 years old and thought this was nonsense. PC had Windows 95.

    Took a while but now crowding late 70s and it's still fun. Loosing more than I learn. Did I say I was 63??????
     

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