"Edgar" wrote in message
...

"jeff" wrote in message
...
My lab had one older "mini computer," a DG Nova with limited core memory
(8K?) and a teletype with paper tape reader, that we we used as a
programmable calculator. It was loaded with Basic and was ready to go on
powerup. A machine like that, but with 64 kB and floppies became my
first "personal computer" in 1979.

That sounds like a Commodore 64.
I started with one of those and still have the complete outfit includung
monitor,floppy drive etc., and loads of operating manuals telling you how
to 'poke' and 'peek' to get the result you wanted.
Classic museum piece now, I think. I'll keep it until it becomes really
valuable.
Did some good work on it though. My wife wrote a book, quite a long one
and illustrated with many photos , and on my C64 I set the whole thing up
as 'camera ready copy' and saved the whole cost of our computer outfit
when we went to a publisher with it. You had to load the word processing
programme every time you booted up but once loaded it was a pretty decent
programme. There was 'superbase' too-quite a useful database programme
which also had to be loaded each time you needed it.
Was that all really almost 30 years ago??



I gave my father one of those for his birthday. Unfortunately, being who he
was he tried to take it apart and broke it. That happened for all the
subsequent computers I gave him until I got him one of the Apples that
needed a dedicated tool.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com