# How old are you? What was your first Computer?



## kwmike (Oct 25, 2006)

I was just wondering what age groups are most common here, and what our first computers were. As for me, I am 36 and my fist computer was in 1981 and it was a CoCo a.k.a. TRS 80.


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## zoziw (Jul 7, 2006)

I am 34 and my first computer was a Vic-20. I still have it in a closet somewhere.

My next computer was a 486, I mean, why rush with the upgrades.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I'm 62, it was late 1984 and it looked like this:


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## martman (May 5, 2005)

zoziw said:


> I am 34 and my first computer was a Vic-20. I still have it in a closet somewhere.
> 
> My next computer was a 486, I mean, why rush with the upgrades.


38 Vic-20


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## audiodan (Sep 26, 2005)

I am 13, the first computer I bought was a Mac Mini, a year ago I believe. Now I bought my second, a beautiful BlackBook. I first used PCs though, 4 of em at home before I got my first Mac.


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## gastonbuffet (Sep 23, 2004)

behold "coleco adam"

good times, good times

http://oldcomputers.net/adam.html


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## kps (May 4, 2003)

Hmmm, note all the options between *under 18* and *40* and then it all stops at *over 40.* Like those demographics don't matter.:lmao: 

18 and Under == :baby: 
19 to 25===== 
25 to 30===== 
30 to 40=====:greedy: 
40 and over===XX)


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

The HiFi Store I was a partner in founded a sister company in 1979. We hired two comp Sci profs from the UofS to run the place and our first sale was 120 Apple ]['s to the Saskatoon Public School Board. They also wrote software. The company was also Apple's first authorized distributor in Canada. So, the first computer I used was an Apple ][.

Apple Canada was founded in the early 1980's and handled distribution from that point on.

The first Mac I used was a Mac Plus in 1987.

The first PC I used was our Compaq Portable II at work; I first used it probably around 1990, although my boss began using it around 1986. It was the Model 3 with 640K and a 10GB HD, and sold for a cool $US 4799.00. She bought it in Minneapolis, MN.

The first computer I actually owned was a Mac Plus I bought surplus from the Dean's Office of the Uof Saskatchewan in 1993 for $375. They had replaced it with an SE/30.


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## kwmike (Oct 25, 2006)

kps said:


> Hmmm, note all the options between *under 18* and *40* and then it all stops at *over 40.* Like those demographics don't matter.:lmao:
> 
> 18 and Under == :baby:
> 19 to 25=====
> ...


Hey don't get me wrong. Everyone I know that is over 40 seems to know which way is up, and they are all pretty comfortable with who they are. I look forward to my 40's and beyond.


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## kps (May 4, 2003)

Don't take it as criticism, just an observation and a little good natured fun on my part. 

Over 40 and my 1st Mac was an LC 'pizzabox' c. 1990


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

TI-99A with Extended Basic to write your own programs.
That was a pretty amazing machine for its time.

For those who don't know what a TI-99A is

http://www.tietokonemuseo.net/koneita/texasti99a4.htm


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## overkill (May 15, 2005)

Commodore 64 was my first ever computer. I still remember playing Mission Impossible for hours at a time, and never knowing how to beat the game.

"Stay a while. Stay forever!"


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## ROFF (Feb 21, 2001)

60, AppleII+ probably bought from gordguide's company.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Four score + a few.

Macintosh Color Classic.


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## ErnstNL (Apr 12, 2003)

I'm 48.
We started with the Magnavox Odyssey 2 in 1978, not really a computer but a game console with integrated keyboard and an 8-bit 8048 Intel CPU in its core. There was a computer programmer cartridge available. Thanks Mom and Dad! Stored away in its original box someplace.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey%C2%B2

In 1986 my brother and I bought a used Atari 800xl. More computer than game console.
We still have it with the optional floppy drive and a few programs. (I really don't know if ours still works)...http://oldcomputers.net/index.html


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

overkill said:


> Commodore 64 was my first ever computer. I still remember playing Mission Impossible for hours at a time, and never knowing how to beat the game.
> 
> "Stay a while. Stay forever!"


C=64 was my first as well--but the game was called Impossible Mission. 

Commando and Gunship were my other favs. :love2:


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## sheamusj (Sep 21, 2006)

Age 59 (60 in January). the first computer I worked on (as a student) was an IBM 1410 in 1967, my second computer I worked on (1968) was an IBM System 360/65 (the largest in Canada at the time).

My first personal computer was a Mac in 1984.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

The first computer I actually used for any period of time was the Radio Shack "Trash-80." The first computer I used professionally was a "Kaypro" a huge metal beast with a keyboard that snapped onto the main box. It was "portable," hence the rugged metal hull.


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## joltguy (Apr 15, 2005)

gastonbuffet said:


> behold "coleco adam"
> 
> good times, good times


ADAM!! Yes... rock on! :clap: 

I had (and loved) one of those... although it wasn't my first computer. Gotta love those "high speed data packs". I really got into that one, it was just such a unique system. I added a 300baud modem to it and had my first online adventures. Ahhh... memories!

My very first computer was a Commodore VIC-20 decked out with a tape drive (Press Play+Record on tape to save programs) and a whopping 3.5K of RAM!


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## adagio (Aug 23, 2002)

40+++++

My first was a TI 99 then a long time passed. Next was a G4/400 in 2000. Currently have a dual 1.8 GHz G5


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## jetcurieux (Jan 31, 2005)

30+, my first Mac was a G5 2.5DP


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## mrjimmy (Nov 8, 2003)

Vic-20. Sold my mini bike to get it. It was a Yamaha 80.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

My recollection of the Adam was that Canadian Tire was the main distributor. I remember an unfortunate Adam owner constantly haunting the local Canadian Tire because the "daisy wheel" for the printer was supposed to come in that day.

I also fooled around with a Timex Sinclair.


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## Max (Sep 26, 2002)

46. A used Mac Plus, back in 1990 or so.


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## Brainstrained (Jan 15, 2002)

As we say in Scouting I'm as old as dirt (over 40) and my first computer in 1986 or 87 was a Tandy 102 PC. 

It was a nice little notebook with an LED screen of about five or six lines. It had about 32k of memory and I bought a floppy drive to help store my files. I still have diskettes with files from back then. I can't remember what's on them though. Must be getting old.


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## Jeepdude (Mar 3, 2005)

zoziw said:


> I am 34 and my first computer was a Vic-20. I still have it in a closet somewhere.
> 
> My next computer was a 486, I mean, why rush with the upgrades.


Ditto!

I think I had a Commordore 128 in between the Vic-20 and the 486.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

I still remember trying to program a game on my brother's TI-90. The computer was so slow that the character's face moved first, then the body followed, in the order it was drawn. We gave up.


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

I'm 49, My first computer was a Mac, An Lc475 in 1994,
I upgraded it with a Daystar 68040 w/FPU chip in 1995.
(I still have it)

Dave


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## matti (Oct 12, 2006)

Our first computer was an Apple IIe. I have so many fond memories of that machine.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

http://apple.slashdot.org/apple/06/11/30/1827251.shtml

Hmm. So Apple's really are for "Grannies"??



> "So much for Justin Long — the young, hip 'n' trendy face of the Apple Mac (as seen in the 'Mac vs. PC' ads) is even further removed from the average Mac owner than everyone suspected... By three or four decades. According to research discussed at Silicon.com, 'nearly half of Mac owners are 55 and older — that's almost double the share for average home-PC users.' It seems the young guns don't have the extra cash to stump up for smooth shiny aesthetics."


http://hardware.silicon.com/desktops/0,39024645,39164472,00.htm


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## Sonal (Oct 2, 2003)

Jeepdude said:


> Ditto!
> 
> I think I had a Commordore 128 in between the Vic-20 and the 486.


Me too.

29, went from Vic-20 to C-128 and though I think we actually had a 286 in there.

They were my brothers. I used them, I programmed on them, but I didn't pay much attention to them.


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## Brian Scully (Jan 23, 2001)

*I guess I have the "oldest" title*

At 74+ I appear to be the oldest 
First computer was an Ohio Scientific CP1 A single board 6502 with a cassette based input. Unlike the Apple][+ you could actually see the basic OS being loaded (in hex) on the screen and thus you knew if you had the volume and tone settings right . On the Apple you had to wait till the end to be told you had a bad load <bummer> This was in 1981 and followed in 1982 with a home built Apple][+ clone .


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Oh Brian I think Sinc has you beat by a good margin.

My first was a Fat Mac 512 with an Apple Laser printer for a whopping $16k 
1985 I bought it and got into the Mac biz a few months later.


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## MacAndy (May 17, 2004)

I was just relating a story about my first computer to my brother and buddies at the bar last night... a Texas Instruments TI99A our father bought for xmas in 1983, maybe 1984? Anyways, having learned enough BASIC to work up a rudimentary program, I plugged in the tape recorder [to save the program on a 4-track audio tape] and pressed the three-key command to save it. The only problem was, the three-key command for saving was also just one key different from rebooting. So as I looked to the right to check the tape recorder's actions, the monitor went blank. Last damn line of code I ever wrote.

First Mac...

1989 - MacIIcx 2/40 w/13in RGB and LaserWriterIINT - all $13,000 worth, this little baby started my company and led to dozens of Macs afterwards. I continued to use this Mac and printer for accounting with a portrait monitor, well into the year 2001 before retiring her. Within a year or so had paid a further $800 for 8Mb of RAM, $1300 for an external 80Mb hard drive and $2700 for a grayscale HP scanner.

Went from MacIIcx to Quadra 840AV to PowerMac 7100-8100-8500-9500 to PowerMac G3 blue and white to PowerMac G4 400 to G5 1.0GHz to G5 iMac 17" and PowerBook Al 1GHz I have now. A brand new Mac roughly every other year.

And every time I touch a PC I shudder to think what my life would have been without Macs.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

MacDoc said:


> Oh Brian I think Sinc has you beat by a good margin.
> 
> My first was a Fat Mac 512 with an Apple Laser printer for a whopping $16k
> 1985 I bought it and got into the Mac biz a few months later.


Sorry MacDoc but no way.

If you check my post you will see I am 62 and Brian is 74 and has a dozen years on me. 

His first machine was in 1981 and mine was in 1984.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Mea Culpa - you've only got 3 years on me.......cut you less slack now on those math problems


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## mazirion (May 22, 2005)

Recent statistics state that 50% of Apple users are >55. At 51-1/2, I am not far from there!

First computer I used was at work in 1981... hp series 1000 mini computer. It was big and needed its own air-conditioned room. Included a 9-track tape archiving system. 2 50-meg hard drives that were huge - the platters were changeable. Numerous dot matrix printers, one daisy wheel and a rather large Versatec printer.

My first was a Radio Shack PC-1 (Pocket Computer). Still used today (if the batteries haven't died) as a handy calculator. 1.9k RAM, 1x24 character LCD screen. I also bought the Cassette/Printer interface. Still have it & the books.

Then bought C-64. Loved that computer. Jumpman was my favourite game. I was looking for a computer at the time and Adam was one that looked promising. There was a full page ad for it in the Toronto Star, including an address - so I mailed off a series of questions to satisfy my needs. The only one I remember - screen resolution - the guy said better than intellivision... huh I said! Dropped it & was glad as from what I saw of it - turned out to be a dud.

Was posted to Germany in 1984 - joined computer club. Went from using my C-64 to copying 500 double sided disks of cracked programs every two weeks. A couple of German guys came to a meeting one night showing off their heavily hacked C-64. They could load any program and spit out a crack in minutes!

CANEX stocked the Apple Macintosh in 1985, so I hopped on the Apple bandwagon and haven't look back since.


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## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

45 years old (OUCH!), and my first computer was a Yamaha CX5M in 1987 or so:










The CX5M was a built-for-music computer... really a Commmodore 64 with midi ports and a four-voice FM tone generator added into it. There was a dongle port (top-right of the keyboard) to plug in particular music software program dongles for sequencing, sound editing, etc.


Then, an Atari Mega II:










Then, in 1995 I went into the Apple world with a sexy PowerBook 520 and haven't looked back since.


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

First computer was an App II... an Apple II clone.


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## Chealion (Jan 16, 2001)

21. First Mac was LC II in the early 90s. It feels every so lonely in the 19-25 bracket. The first Mac I personally owned however was a Rev. B 12" Powerbook.


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## Beej (Sep 10, 2005)

30, Odyssey 2, if that counts (a game system, but had a keyboard built in). If it doesn't count, then I think it was a C-64.


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## AppleAuthority (May 21, 2005)

I'm 15. First computer was either a Tandy 1400:










Or an NEC 486. I can't really remember.

My first Mac was an LC II, in around 1996/97 I think.

I currently have a MacBook Pro.


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## UnleashedLive (Aug 9, 2004)

19, first computer was a 486 and 386 laptop.


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## rodneyjb (Apr 9, 2006)

I am 36...my first computer was a Commodore Amiga 500


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## Jeremy Banks (Nov 13, 2006)

I'm 17. The first computer I used was my dad's Macintosh Plus that he used in university.


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## bryanc (Jan 16, 2004)

This is fun... I think I've used almost every computer discussed here.

The first computer I used was a DEC PDP-11, in 1968, but the first computer I bought with my own money was an PC-clone (with an 4.77 MHz 8088 CPU, 640KB of RAM, amber TTL monitor, and *dual* 5 1/4" floppy drives... that was a really high end machine in it's day).

I'm currently awaiting my 17" 2.33 GHz MBP, which will by my first intel-based Mac. It shipped on Nov 29th, so it should arrive Monday or Tuesday. 

I'm 41.

Cheers


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

bryanc said:


> I'm currently awaiting my 17" 2.33 GHz MBP, which will by my first intel-based Mac. It shipped on Nov 29th, so it should arrive Monday or Tuesday.
> 
> I'm 41.
> 
> Cheers


Enjoy the new machine. My MBP rocks!


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## bryanc (Jan 16, 2004)

SINC said:


> Enjoy the new machine. My MBP rocks!


Thanks 

I think I'll start a new thread, reminiscing about our old computers.
:yawn:


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## GratuitousApplesauce (Jan 29, 2004)

Left 40 in the dust some time ago 

LC 575 1994


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## medic03 (Aug 2, 2005)

Odessey to start then upgraded to the Commodore Vic 20..Thought I was so tech savy being able to move the heart around the television screen using the "poke" programs and then being able to save your work on the separate cassette deck.


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## lotus (Jun 29, 2002)

My birthdate is 1927, you figure it out. My first computer was a Commodore 64. Have slowly moved up and now have a beige G3 and an iMac G3.

If I ever win the lottery MacDoc will be the first to know.


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## rondini (Dec 6, 2001)

First one I used was in high school in 1973. This monster http://febcm.club.fr/english/ge_115.htm used punch cards and had two hard drives the had removeable stacked platters, not sure of the capacity, but each drive unit was about 3'x3'x4' high. It read punch cards! Then used dumb terminals running off what they used to call a mini-computer (HP product) even though it still took up a small room. Played around with a Commodore Pet once. Then my Dad got a 512k Mac and I was hooked. Didn't get my own Mac until 94, after using an Atari ST (aka Jackintosh) for 8 years. Can't seem to throw out the old Macs, so I have 4, daughter has 2, and mother has 2. All still functioning, but 3 are really just good looking boat anchors.


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## AppleAuthority (May 21, 2005)

SINC said:


> Enjoy the new machine. My MBP rocks!


I'll second that. Out of all the machines, Mac and PC that I've used (and trust me, that is a very long list), the MBP is near the top of my list for overall satisfaction. I love this machine. And you will also. I promise


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## Myradon (May 13, 2005)

25 years young and my first computer that was not a game system was a pentium 133


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## Cliffy (Apr 18, 2005)

My first computer was an Atari 400, learned BASIC on that one. Next was the Commodore 64C. That 64C had the GEOS OS packaged with it. I used that system through the 90's as a word processor mainly, Pocket Writer was great. I didn't get a PC till May 2000 when I got a PIII 600, a year and a half later I was playing with linux. After that was a few home built PC's and then the Mac Mini.


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

Rondini: You can make a killer Christmas wreath with those Hollerith cards.


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## rondini (Dec 6, 2001)

Yes, I remember seeing them done up. usually spray-painted gold


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## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

Was born in 1983 which makes me 23. My first PC was in 1993, a hand me down from dad, a 386 DX-33 with a whopping 4MB of RAM and 80MB HD. He originally bought it at Future Shop in 86 or 87 or something for $5000. I've been using Apple ][s in elementary school until grade 4, Mac Color Classics grade 5 to 7, and various Performas, iMac G3s, and PowerMac G3 B&W up to high school graduation. After that never even seen Mac OS X until 2004 when I was frustrated with my home PC and decided to give Macs a try. I switched my girlfriend over to her first Mac -- the iBook G4 in Feb 2005 and in July 2005 I got my own first Mac -- the IBook G4 as well.


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## SkyHook (Jan 23, 2001)

>


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## K_OS (Dec 13, 2002)

I'm 34 and my 1st computer was a Commodore 64 purchased with a years worth of saving up delivering newspapers and other odd jobs.

Laterz


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## Bolor (Sep 14, 2003)

I'm 68. The first computer I worked on (at work) was a Wang (don't know the model number. We then graduated to a Dec PDP11 with a 3D line drawing system of which I was the primary user. This was used for underground design and ore grade calculations (in 3D) this system was in use from 1978 to 84 or so. We also had a Programa 101 for survey calculations We then entered into a contract with Computing Devices of Canada to replace our home grown software to an "off the shelf" solution. We used one of their "mini" computers and graphics to run until the late 80s. We then switched to Silicon Graphics unix machines for our graphics work. In the mean time, our office machines were all macs. We had the first macs in Canada and our company was the biggest distributor that distributed only to ourselves. I happened to get the fist machine in our department and used multi-plan .. the forerunner to excel. Then the company went to hell in a hand basket and went with PCs. The support staff went from none at the minesite to 6.
The first machine I had at home was a SE30, then a 6100, beige G3 (2), G4-125 and G5 1.6. I still have a G3 tower, and the G4 and G5.


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## Wako (Oct 11, 2006)

20

First computer I touched was probably either one of the first Macintosh Classic (in elementary school) or the 386 my mom got. I started programming QBasic at like 7, my step father had the full bible for QBasic. That's how I learned english, too!
MY first computer was a PowerMac G3 I believe.


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## NBiBooker (Apr 3, 2004)

Technically: 286sx laptop, MSDOS 6.0. Really as in this was the first useful computer, besides for BBS, Pentium 100 with Windows 95. (I'd never seen a Mac so I thought Windows was the cat's meow. Turns out it was the other thing cats make, and I'm not talking about hairballs.).

Also, I'm 27.


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

The first computer that was _mine_ was a 1999 Tangerine iMac. The first one that I can remember being in the house was a Texas Instruments somethingorother way back in the early 1980s.

I'm 25.


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## imactheknife (Aug 7, 2003)

overkill said:


> Commodore 64 was my first ever computer. I still remember playing Mission Impossible for hours at a time, and never knowing how to beat the game.
> 
> "Stay a while. Stay forever!"



I remember that game! haha...that was hard but fun...also liked the loderunner and the castles of Dr creep..


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## imactheknife (Aug 7, 2003)

I am 34 and my first computer was a Commodore 64 that my dad bought us for xmas and it came with Impossible mission and Jump Man. As I got older my first computer on my own was a 386 with windows 3.1 and dos, then a pentium 166 with windows 95. After hating windows I found a Mac plus at value village and I never went back to windows again! the little plus made me a switcher!


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## modsuperstar (Nov 23, 2004)

The first family computer we had was a Mac SE when I was 9. I'm 26 now. The first computer I actually bought would have been a Commodore 64 in 1994 that I bought from a friend for $25 just to dick around with.


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## Strimkind (Mar 31, 2005)

I'm 24, and the first computer my family owned was back in 1990 with a Mac LC. However the first computer I bought was a Powermac 8500 in 2000 for 200$.


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## Zoiks (Sep 5, 2005)

I'm 34 (1972) and my folks were kind enough to pick up my first computer for Chrsitmas od 1979.









Oh yeah baby!

Since then I've had the Atari 800XL, the Atari ST and then I broke into the Windows environment in 1991 for University with a 486 66Mhz. This was the last complete computer system I bought until last year. This was the last complete windows PC I bought. Since then, I've been a self taught computer guru, constantly upgrading my machine. I've had many AMD and Intel cores since then, and am now running an AMD 3500+ machine for my desktop. As for the complete computer system I bought last year... it was my beloved iBook. 

Now I have two computers, one PC, then other my Mac. Though I'm sure when I start teaching, my desktop will be replaced by an iMac. 

As for all the components I've ripped out of my machine over the years to upgrade, they became hand me downs to my friends. When I think about it, I've probably handed out over $8,000 worth of computer equipment to my friends since the early nineties. Crazy!


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## kwmike (Oct 25, 2006)

Zoiks said:


> handed out over $8,000 worth of computer equipment to my friends



Can I buy you a coffee?


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## daBoss (Jun 20, 2003)

Just about 50 and my first computer was my brain occasionally aided, in my youth, with my fingers. Next came a pocket calculator that required a LARGE pocket. That was followed up with a Mac SE with 1 MB of RAM and a HUGE 20 MB internal HD.


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## Dukenukem (Nov 2, 2006)

I am 33 now, my first computer when I was 9 was...










it was called Pravetz 82 and many of you have probably never heard of it. That was an exact clone of Apple II. Here is more info:

http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=956&st=1


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## smellybook (Aug 31, 2006)

*I'm 28, my 1st computer when I was around 15 was a compaq presario,*

It had a 1 mb video card that I was really excited about and 2 usb ports, it cost my parents $3999.99.


I still have it,,,,


My 1st mac was a performa 6400.


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## smellybook (Aug 31, 2006)

*My best friend had a commodore 64,*

we used to play where in the world is Carmen Santiago, I still remember the really long commands,
l o a d " * ", 8 , 1, enter, was all that really necessary???


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## AndyRS (Dec 5, 2006)

I'm 22 and my first computer was in 1991. It was a Commodore 64 and was a blast - played alot of Ghostbusters. Although, I recall getting zapped a few times by the 9 pin joystick connectors when I'd accidentally bump the pins with my finger while flippling the power switch. My right arm went numb for a while... I dearly wanted to learn what made it work and bought a programming book titled "Space Adventures for the C64" which I still have. We had Apple II's in the school I attended prior owning a computer and we'd get what felt like 30 mins every other week to program in LOGO on them. It was so fun, but never enough time! A friend of mine had learned more about LOGO on his home computer and I remember feeling so envious, because I wanted to do more with the turtle.

We had an Amiga 2000 at the time as well, although I wasn't allowed to touch it until after I was really comfortable with the C64. It had a mouse, which was really cool, compared to the C64's joysticks. It also had way nicer graphics and a GUI operating system - was so much easier to use than the C64's blue command screen. I was hooked on its painting application.


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## dondoucette (Feb 25, 2008)

I am 42. My first computer was a Timex Sinclair followed by Vic 20, Comm. 64, 386, 486 yada yada yada...


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## Max (Sep 26, 2002)

Closer to 50 than 40. First computer was a MacPlus. Then:
Centris 660 AV
G3 3OO pizza box desktop
G4 Dual 450
G4 Dual 1.0 Ghz
G5 Single 1.8
G5 Dual 2.3

Although I also have an old LC-something in pristine condition that a neighbour gave me, and last month I tossed out an SE 30 that I painted before growing bored with the whole deal. It's landfill now. Should have properly disposed of it, actually.

Soon upgrading again... the cycle continueth.


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## ajharris1970 (Jan 20, 2008)

Chronologically - 37
Mentally - 12
Biologically - feels like 92

First PC was a Vic-20


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

59. My first computer was an Apple IIe, bought in July, 1983. I then went to an original Mac in the canvas bag, which I bought used. Then it was on to an Apple IIgs and then to a Mac LC II. I currently own an iBook, which is fine with me. My son calls it "the white tank".


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## Black (Dec 13, 2007)

Age 10. Windows 2000 in 2000. 8 GB harddrive.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

Black said:


> Age 10. Windows 2000 in 2000. 8 GB harddrive.


I think "age now, first computer then" was intended, not "age then."


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## duosonic (Jan 7, 2004)

Age 61 - first computer I actually owned was an SE30, though I had previously worked (in schools) with Commodore, Atari & old Apples.


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## MaxPower (Jan 30, 2003)

36.

My first computer:

Atari 600


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## Black (Dec 13, 2007)

HowEver said:


> I think "age now, first computer then" was intended, not "age then."


Wow. Sarcasm is the new cool.


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## Kazak (Jan 19, 2004)

The Doug said:


> Four score + a few.


Man, some people will say anything to get a senior's discount.

I'm two score and five.

First computer used--PC Jr. ('85)
First Mac used--Mac 512+ ('86)
First Mac owned--Mac Classic ('91)


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## GS1 (Aug 31, 2007)

29 years old.

1st computer was a Tandy (cannot remember model) from radio shack. Always played Slay the Nereis and Demon Attack. They also had a pretty fun baseball game. I was a kid and the year was 84-85ish. 

Then it was an Apple IIE.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Kazak said:


> Man, some people will say anything to get a senior's discount.


Dang, I can't slip anything past you, can I. Anyway, I just turned nineteen.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

Like Macaholic, my first computer was a Yamaha CX5M music computer. I actually had two of them, a CX5M I & II... that must have been back in 1986 or so. (it's seems amazing to me now, but I actually recorded original material in a 24 track studio using those computers as midi sequencers) We're talking 32k of memory!

I just turned XLIX, my first Mac was in 1989, the IIci...


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

Black said:


> Wow. Sarcasm is the new cool.


That wasn't sarcastic, and otherwise you'd appear to be 10.


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## Chris (Feb 8, 2001)

I'm 49, and the first computer I _used_ was in high school. A Digital PDP8e, with tape drives, a mark sense batch card reader, two teletypes (later replaced by a spiffy b&w monitor) an ENORMOUS printer, and a massive hard drive that took forever to spin up, and spin down, when we shut down.

Oh, and it had (wait for it) 16k of RAM! 

We were hot stuff, back then in '75! :lmao: 

The first 'puter I _owned_ is a Mac Classic, which is still in my basement, and is the same age as my daughter (born/built January 1991). I took ownership of it around 1997.

Haven't had anything but a Mac in my house since!


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## Kazak (Jan 19, 2004)

I see that this morning we fogies have rolled our wheelchairs into the lead in the poll.

Woot!

Pacemakers are on me.

gw, I like the Roman thing. I'm XLV, so I sound like a sports car. Lord knows, I'm in the shop often enough.


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## EvanPitts (Mar 9, 2007)

I am on the greater than side of 40 now... The first computer that I used was an IMSAI 8008, which was a 8080 based clone of the famous Altair machine. That was way back in 1976 or 77.

The first computer that I owned was a TI 99/4A, bought when they were liquidating it all, so I picked it up for $99, with a bunch of freebies. I used it for a number of years, then sold it to my uncle who still has it in running condition.

My first PC was an XT clone, and that system is still operational (I sold it to another uncle for word processing, and with the V20 chip, it also ran CP/M so he could use his old CM/P software to import documents that were stranded on disk when his Wang finally died.) Subsequently, I had a Harris 286-20, then a 386, then two 486 systems. All of these motherboards still function, and the 486's still run all of my legacy software.

Since I consider the 486 to be the end of the line, and not having any interest in buying the ever so flammable Pentium garbage with the big math errors, and even less interest in the WinLo$e fake OS...

I ended up buying my iMac G3-600, which is still my primary machine. I have since added to the collection with two iBooks. I also have two older iMacs, one is a parts machine, one is being used as a mail server, as well as two PowerMacs (G3 / G4), which are out on loan.

I am not sure what my next machine will be, though I do like the look of the G5 iMacs, but am leary of the ones that had all of the capacitor problems and also leary of the ones that are not equiped with a modem. Perhaps Apple will do something with the G6 chip because I am also leary of returning to the bad old days of Intel...


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## knightwrangler (Jan 20, 2008)

I'm 43 and somewhat new to this "Mac" community!

The first "personal computer" I played around with was the Radio Shack TRS-80.
I guess I would have been 12 years old.This was around the time of the first Star Wars movie,disco music and the Atari 2600 game console! Ahhh the memories!!!

I also had a Timex Sinclair and later a Commodore Amiga 500.
My first Windoze PC was an IBM Aptiva...!

Now I am finally at a place I can see being for some time to come!


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## Black (Dec 13, 2007)

HowEver said:


> That wasn't sarcastic, *and otherwise you'd appear to be 10.*


Internet tough guy.



Anyways yeah. My first computer was a PC, 8 GB Hd... nothing close as old as to what you guys had i bet.


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

Age 34; my first computer was a Commodore C=64 (at age 14-15).

I ended up selling it three years later to buy a drum kit.

Although I recall the days when I would browse the pages of Consumers Distributing and wished that I'd get, if I recall, a Coleco Adam computer for Christmas. LOL. All I remember was that it looked pretty snazzy. I would have been around 10 at the time. :lmao:


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

Black said:


> Internet tough guy.
> 
> 
> 
> Anyways yeah. My first computer was a PC, 8 GB Hd... nothing close as old as to what you guys had i bet.


I don't think However was attempting to be an "internet tough guy". He was saying that people might mistaken your age for 10... not that you'd have the mentality of a ten year old.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

Black said:


> Internet tough guy.
> 
> 
> 
> Anyways yeah. My first computer was a PC, 8 GB Hd... nothing close as old as to what you guys had i bet.


The thread is entitled "How old are you? What was your first Computer?"

Your first answer was 10. You really can't read anything negative into what I wrote, hard as you try. Once you're a bit older.


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

I'm 33 and my first computer was a CoCo3 from Radio Shack. I've had pretty much every major CPU from Intel and a couple from AMD and Cyrix as well over the years


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## cap10subtext (Oct 13, 2005)

Does this count? :lmao: 









Best I can recall, the first one I used was a Commodore PET. First one I could use and write programs for was the Vic 20 (plus it had Donkey Kong, Cosmic Cruncher, and Omega Race). First mac was a Mac Plus. My first personal machine was a G3 233 my brother handed down to me. First one I bought with my own cash was the G3 iBook in my signature.

Okay, lots of pointless info. Dangerous to get me nostalgic.


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## kaibu (Dec 30, 2006)

I'm old enough to have owned one of these


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## Britnell (Jan 4, 2002)

A buddy of mine had a C-64 which I totally ignored. Then another friend bought an atari, which we played Sun Dog on for hours and hours. Apparently he used it for real things, but I never saw him do it.

My first owned computer was a Mac Plus. Oh, the days of having 1 meg of ram and lusting to upgrade to 2 megs. No internal drive...


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## irontree (Oct 28, 2006)

I'm 36... First computer was a Commodore Vic 20


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## Gerbill (Jul 1, 2003)

I'm 62. First computer was a Mac Classic with System 6.0.7, 4 MB of RAM, 40 MB HDD.


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## ahMEmon (Sep 27, 2005)

30+ and my first computer was an Apple ][+


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## Sualocin (Nov 7, 2007)

Only 22, the first family computer was a Apple IIe
But my family wasen't much into computing so I had to wait until around the 2000 mark before I bought a 133mhz tray loading iMac. Whee! I was like 10 years behind the times...man that thing was slow.


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## MACinist (Nov 17, 2003)

Barely 30 and my 1st computer was a 486dx clone with a "killer" 15-inch SVGA AAmazing CRT monitor  Windows 3.1 was my first OS, Wordperfect was the only software I used and had a Roland Raven dot matrix printer that required a daily fix of the paper feed. This package cost my mom about $4000 at the time if I recall correctly. How times have changed; I would never consider spending that much on a basic home computer these days.


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## iMouse (Mar 1, 2008)

68, and an IBM 360-20.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

I'm 45 (though I'm petitioning to have my age legally changed ... my position is that if I can't _remember_ the 70s, they shouldn't _count_!) 

My first computer was a TRS-80 model III ... loved that thing. Moved up to a Model IV (with 64KB of RAM!) and a 4p. Got pretty darn good at em, even wrote programs and my own homebrew DOS for them. Discovered the joys of a 300 baud modem.

Worked a lot with IBMs using DOS in school but always felt they could be doing better ... saved myself a LOT of money back then by recognising that we were in a _very_ primitive stage and so held off on buying my own stuff after the TRS-80s went away, just used the stuff at school.

In late 84 or 85 (when I was about to leave school, having completed my journalism training), my journo instructor and I went to a demo of Aldus Pagemaker ... on a Mac. I remember being both disgusted that the screen wasn't colour (IBM had like SIXTEEN colours duuuude!) but impressed at the dithering abilities (courtesy Bill Atkinson, whom I later met). But my professor and I were BLOWN AWAY by the revelation of electronic page layout. If any of you have ever done manual typesetting (on a Varityper, just a wee step above hot lead type!) or manual paste-up, you may understand what I mean here. The demo of course had a Laserwriter and when we saw that finished, perfectly laid out, beautifully designed page come out ... it was all over. I looked at my mentor and said "I have to go back to school don't I?" 

A year or so later the department took the plunge and got us some Macs (probably SE/30s by this time) and away I went, completely un-learning everything about newspaper/magazine production I had learned and working in this brave new world making it up/figuring it out as we went along.

I was always happy to play around with other computers ... I owned a VIC-20 and spent MANY frustrating hours typing in programs from magazines ... I wrote my first screenplay on an Amiga ... and of course I kept up with Windows development (Win 3.1 was probably the best Win there was), but my heart was forever given over to Apple. I could never figure out why people couldn't see the obvious superiority (he said, clutching his Betamax to his chest!).

I gave up programming when I realised that heavy drinking and sex were incompatible with it, and never intended to use the Mac for anything much more than writing and graphic design. But quite by accident, I got very technically proficient with them and became the "go to" guy for computer questions, which is where I discovered a love of my own voice ... I mean, teaching. 

I remember being a regular on the "Bulletin Boards" of the late 80s/early 90s and participating in fledging internet sites via The Well and other early communities, mostly thanks to my other great obsession, Doctor Who. The nascent Mac and DW communities on the internet pushed my exploration, finding like-minded others and making virtual (who often became "real") friends. I think most of us who were around the net in the early 90s knew this was going to change everything, just as Pagemaker and the Mac had completely changed my world a half-a-dozen years earlier ...

Over the last 20 years I have used Macs in a variety of ways, many of which have surprised me. They rarely let me down and I really, at this point, don't know how I'd make a living without them. I find it hard to believe I lived in the world Before Computers (BC). 

If it's possible to actually love a computer (or more accurately, a corporation), I certainly do love Apple and all it's done for me (and what it's allowed me to do/learn/experience for myself). "Life-changing" doesn't even begin to cover it.


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## i<3myiBookg4 (Mar 17, 2006)

I'm 21

Had a massive Apple II


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## Thom (May 10, 2005)

60 yrs old... TRS-80 and Commodore PET


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## titans88 (Oct 3, 2007)

My first PC was a Compaq ProLinea from around 1990ish - I can't be exact.

I played some awesome games on it back in the day, like Wolfenenstein, which I played endlessly.


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## K_OS (Dec 13, 2002)

Thom said:


> 60 yrs old... TRS-80 and Commodore PET


PET's were the 1st computers I used in school way back in grade 5.

did you know that all PET's came with both 16k chips built in except that they wouldn't solder up the 2nd chip so they could charge you an extra grand for that 2nd 16k of memory, one of my teachers would take any new PET that came into the classroom and solder up the 2nd 16k of memory up and thus saving his budget a thousand dollars so we could have more comps in the classroom.

Laterz


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

I was 34 when I bought my first Apple IIe in 1983. That was a great experience. I still have it in my office.


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## Mississauga (Oct 27, 2001)

55 in July - Powermac 8500 in '97


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