Reply to: The Beeb blowing their own trumpet

[milanbenes]

to answer my own question,

the only modern day equivalent that I can think of where the beeb is pushing new technology is the DigiBox

oh how times change


Milan.

[DimPrawn]

Did anyone ever use an IBM PC with a cassette as storage?

No because the first IBM PC's had a 360KB double-sided 5 1/4" full-height floppy disk drive.

And if you were really wealthy a 20MB HDD.

[Platypus]

No - I had no problem with the BBC micro in schools. What I had a problem with was following it up with the Archimedes when it was obvious that nobody ourside the education system in the UK was ever going to use it. I'm not saying that it was bad for its day or anything, it just seems that if you are trying to prepare kids for a lifetime of work then perhaps you should give them access to the equipment which they might use rather than going off on this particular tangent.

Then we agree

[BoredBloke]

No - I had no problem with the BBC micro in schools. What I had a problem with was following it up with the Archimedes when it was obvious that nobody ourside the education system in the UK was ever going to use it. I'm not saying that it was bad for its day or anything, it just seems that if you are trying to prepare kids for a lifetime of work then perhaps you should give them access to the equipment which they might use rather than going off on this particular tangent.

[hyperD]

I made money using the BBC micro - I did peoples computing projects at uni for a fiver or something.

I loved Elite. I believe I got to Elite (disk version with missions) and it inspired me to learn 6502 assembler and 3D graphics calcs. Defender was great and Donkey Kong.

Then I went and became a process engineer...

Interesting to see how many here were influenced by the BBC micro

[Platypus]

Why are you taliking about 1982 and the Archimedes? The Archimedes was released in 87 and lasted until the mid 90's. By the late 80's things were moving towards the PC while games were pretty much on the Amiga and Atari.

Because you said,
I think the fact that schools went down the BBC route and that Archimedes thing caused more harm than good

Which I took to mean you saying that the whole BBC thing (i.e. including the model B) was a mistake.

And I was disagreeing with that sentiment. Simple really.

[EternalOptimist]

Thats nothing, I used to have a BBC too. I played games that were a bit arty-farty, airy-fairy and no one else ever took much interest

[BoredBloke]

Yes, but when the BBC B came out, the PC (earliest version) was very very expensive in comparison. The model B did more (e.g. had graphics), and was more affordable.

The PC hadn't caught on big-time in 1982. The Commodore PET probably had more market penetration than the PC in those days.

Why are you taliking about 1982 and the Archimedes? The Archimedes was released in 87 and lasted until the mid 90's. By the late 80's things were moving towards the PC while games were pretty much on the Amiga and Atari.

[BoredBloke]

Rubbish there were loads of games for BBC B

Not compared to the Spectrum and the C64. In terms of games the BBC Micro was the betamax version of the home computers.

[DimPrawn]

had one

donkey kong

arcadians

etc

Dim,

'I got paid work programming the BBC Micro back in the 80's',

exactly how old are you ?

Milan.

I was 19 yrs old when I did the work for Thames Water. I was programming me ZX81 at school.

Not as old as you think.

I went to Uni later in life.

HTH

[Churchill]

what is the modern day equivalent of such an exercise and has there been one in recent years ?

Milan.

Expect a big push towards the EEEPC...

[sasguru]

I have to say though, it never occured to me that there was a concerted effort to get the population to be computer literate and how the bbc micro helped that along with tv programs etc

but thinking about it, that's how it was

amazing really and fair play to them it worked



what is the modern day equivalent of such an exercise and has there been one in recent years ?

Milan.

In your case when the tape drive was introduced.

[milanbenes]

I have to say though, it never occured to me that there was a concerted effort to get the population to be computer literate and how the bbc micro helped that along with tv programs etc

but thinking about it, that's how it was

amazing really and fair play to them it worked



what is the modern day equivalent of such an exercise and has there been one in recent years ?

Milan.

[milanbenes]

had one

donkey kong

arcadians

etc

Dim,

'I got paid work programming the BBC Micro back in the 80's',

exactly how old are you ?

Milan.

[Platypus]

like any other normal person...

So when did it all go wrong?