"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:22:06 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:13:55 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

My first computer had a paper tape reader and I had to cold start boot
strap it.

The first computer I ever programmed was like that:

Summer of 1967, Control Data 160A, 4K 12 bit words, as big as a large
desk, cost approx $80K, paper tape in, paper tape out, environmental
requirements: 72 degrees F +/- 2 degrees, 50% humidity +/- 10%. We
copied the cold boot tape onto metalic mylar to keep it from wearing
out quite as fast.

Bear in mind that $80K then was like $500K now. Surprisingly enough
we actually got some useful work out of the machine and I launched my
entire adult career with it.

Technically, I suppose my first "personal" compuer was an original
Roberts calculator kit. One of the AF Captains in the survival course
at Kessler knew him and we got to talking and he obtained one for me.

Pretty cool deal. Next up was an Altair 8800 when I went to work for
DG - basically the front panel was a duplicate of the original Nova
computer.

I know I've told the story about programming the computer at Sylvania
with phone jacks.

My first computer was an NCR 315 series mainframe. Paper tape, cards in and
out, as well as tape drives and CRAM units. Mag Card Random Access Memory
units. RCA tried to copy it with RACE and IBM tried the Data Cell. CRAM
was the only one that really worked. 256 magnetic cards that you could
select any one and have it read and write. 10,000 addresses. Not 10K
binary, decimal 10K of 12 bit memory. Usable as 3 hex characters or 2 6
bit characters which allowed for printing uppercase and special characters
on a drum printer. NCR sent to to 36 weeks of paid school to repair and
program it. About $110,000 in 1964 dollars.