The first computer I used was a Osborne 1(used CP/M) that my dad bought for his land surveying business. He bought it do to calcs for road construction surveying in addition to word processing and accounting. I believe he bought that back in 1982. He even got his picture in the local paper about his business going "high tech".
Anyway, I was about 9 at the time and used to watch him work on it over his shoulder. After he got off of it I would play on it. We used to have all kind of games. Ones I remember the most were Adventure and Space-Invaders. I also learned my first programming language, BASIC. Later on he got another version of it that had the 128 columns upgrade and a 300 baud modem.
The next computer I used, consequently also my first personal(or own) computer and my first IBM, was the IBM PCjr. Got it for Christmas in 1984. I loved it. Good thing he took back the Commodore 64 he bought at Toys R Us and bought the PCjr instead. Ran DOS 2.10 and BASIC on a cartridge, the first and only PC with cartridge expansion!
It was also the first PC with 16 color graphics(yes, it came out before EGA), bad thing was King Quest was basically the only game I could play with that many colors. Other games I played were Shamus and Zyll, the first 2 player menu driven text adventure game(download here...
http://www.gamingdepot.com/Zyll.htm). It also had 3 voice sound capabilities and the first infrared wireless keyboard. Games were great on it and my BASIC skills got further refined now that I could do color graphics. Like Joe, I too typed in BASIC programs from Compute!. That was one magazine you had to have back then. Before that I remember getting a magazine called "K-Power". I don't think it lasted long. The only article I remember was about the "Whiz Kids" TV show that was on CBS.
First handheld? Hmm, wouldn't the Osborne 1 be considered one? Hehe
J/K I think that would be the HP48 calculator back in 1990 or 1991. Programmable, expandable and had graphic capabilities. Never used my dad's HP41 that he used to program even before he got his Osborne 1.
First console? What else but the Atari 2600, or should I say the Sears Video Arcade console, complete with wood grain and Air Sea Battle.
EDIT: I forgot to mention the first machine I bought myself. In 1990 I read an article in either Compute! or Family Computing that showed you how to build your own computer from a DIY kit. They got their kit from Jameco Electronics and after I saved my money from summer job working for my dad and sold my PCjr I called and ordered one. It was an AT-clone with a 12-MHz 80286 processor with 512K RAM. I ordered an additional 512K RAM that I had to put the chips in manually myself. No modules back then!
I already had a free IBM PS/2 8513/A 13" VGA monitor and IBM 101-keyboard that my grandfather bought at a salvage/surplus auction. I had to buy a graphics card, so I bought one from a mail-order house out of Computer Shopper. It was a no-name I believe, but I think it used a ATI graphics chip. I remember it being hard to find one that specifically mentioning working with my IBM monitor. Also, my dad gave me a Segate 40MB MFM hard drive that I had to have repaired and also buy my own controller card. When I got my kit every piece was in it's very own box, case, power supply, RAM, etc. Man was that box huge! Funny thing is I ordered it COD, but UPS said it was shipped pre-paid! I just knew I got a free computer. Good thing the kit came with 3-hole manuals for every piece of hardware or I would have never figured out how to put everything together. Anyway, after about 4 months and all my money spent, I got a call from UPS saying that I owed them money. OOOPS!
Dad paid the bill, but I had to work after school the rest of the school year to pay him back! HAHA Eventually I took it to college with me and it lasted about 2.5 years. After this it got even more interesting, 486, job at Creative Labs Tech Support,etc... I 'll save that for another time!
Tommy McClain
