ScuzzBlog: Diaries December 2017
Entry 19th December 2017: Post: 7
The Wonder Years
With all these BASIC computers that I show, I guess there are some
that puzzle over what exactly could you do with one of these small
computers running just BASIC with no OS. Trust me there was a great
deal that could be done with a machine of that era. You have to
remember that none of what we know today existed. So no internet
and fancy flash drives and fast processors and tablets etc. Life
then was more about the user than it has ever been. Yet the desire
to get the most out of the computer was never more intoxicating.
It was a virtual paradise of unlimited possibilities where the
ambition of a generation lay unchecked as the computer revolution
kicked into full gear.
I have included a few extracts from books of the time. Do not be
fooled by the simple images. These guys were educating on the very
language that would drive the industry forward. Already, the simple
dialogue was dipping into the field of machine code and robotics.
Truly amazing in truth and certainly for me ' the wonder years '
In today's age of social media I guess
I reflect on my era of computing and am
glad my days were more about flashing
cursors and entering BASIC. I may have
been divorced from the world of men but
I certainly felt I was on a magical journey
and not trapped in someone else's world.
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