Reply to: Pretty Good New Guide for Dummies

[hattra]

Let's see - in 1971, our school had a PDP 8e, with 4k of memory, 4 teletypes and a paper tape reader. You had to set the first 16 bytes of the bootstrap manually, through the front panel switches, then it loaded the OS from paper tape (about an hour on the teletypes, so a system crash was a real bummer - then we got the optical tape reader )

IIRC it was programmed in a language called FOCAL - I think I've still got tthe manual in the loft ...... )

[WageSlave]

At my school, we had the mighty RM Nimbus 186.



Only the dumb kids were allowed to use them, as they could draw colourful shapes on them. Needless to say, I spent many a happy hour there

[SupremeSpod]

In 1976 my school linked up with a local technical college where they had one computer (Data Nova General). A small group (15) were given the chance to leave the school for one afternoon per week and visit the college to do Computer Studies.

Programming in BASIC via teletypes or one VDU.

Hmmm, ControlG, that rings a bell...

[ControlG]

I thought computer studies didnt make it into the curriculum until the early 80s?

In 1976 my school linked up with a local technical college where they had one computer (Data Nova General). A small group (15) were given the chance to leave the school for one afternoon per week and visit the college to do Computer Studies.

Programming in BASIC via teletypes or one VDU.

[hyperD]

Still got one of those Bagpuss - with the 4 disk external floppy thingy. And it still works. Didn't get the Winchester HD.

[Bagpuss]

Memories came flooding back when I saw this picture.

In 1976 I did an O-Level in Computer Studies and we were actually recommended to get this book as it provided a good overview.

I thought computer studies didnt make it into the curriculum until the early 80s?
ALthough I never studied it, the school used the acorn BBC computers. What did they have in the 70s?

[The Lone Gunman]

Don't be silly, birds were spontaneously created and Zeitghost has been planted here by Satan to deceive the non-believers.

Is that non believers in the devil, alien liyard things or birds?

[Lucifer Box]

Shouldn't you evolve into a bird now?

Don't be silly, birds were spontaneously created and Zeitghost has been planted here by Satan to deceive the non-believers.

[Francko]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

The smell of punched cards and mylar tape in the morning!

And the racket made by the card punch and tape punch.

And those nice 250k 8 inch floppy diskettes.

Glory days...

Shouldn't you evolve into a bird now?

[WageSlave]

Given the state of most public sector IT projects, perhaps you should recommend that they read it?

Given the state of the public sector, it would be more useful to suggest they learn to read.

[Lucifer Box]

Seriously: my current client has a book called 'An Introduction to BASIC', second edition, by M R Eagle (1976)

This is the public sector, so perhaps it's to be expected.

Given the state of most public sector IT projects, perhaps you should recommend that they read it?

[WageSlave]

I was working at one blue chip in the late 1980s where very little seemed to have changed in the interim. They were still using coding pads and punch cards, and had only recently decomissioned their paper tape streamer.

Seriously: my current client has a book called 'An Introduction to BASIC', second edition, by M R Eagle (1976)

This is the public sector, so perhaps it's to be expected.

[Lucifer Box]

Memories came flooding back when I saw this picture.

In 1976 I did an O-Level in Computer Studies and we were actually recommended to get this book as it provided a good overview.

I was working at one blue chip in the late 1980s where very little seemed to have changed in the interim. They were still using coding pads and punch cards, and had only recently decomissioned their paper tape streamer.

[WageSlave]

Probably one of the most useful ones I've seen yet. I think DCJ learned everything he knows about IT from it.

Don't know about DCJ, but it could prove useful to me yet! Where can I get my copy?

[ControlG]

re: Pretty Good New Guide

Memories came flooding back when I saw this picture.

In 1976 I did an O-Level in Computer Studies and we were actually recommended to get this book as it provided a good overview.