This weblog is no longer being maintained. All information here has been ported to EclecticEchoes.com. This site (heupel.com/eclectic) remains only for archival purposes.
Has it really been 20 years?
In 1984 I was working (after school, that is) at Ft. Belvior Research and Development’s Computer Center as a Unix System Operator. We were doing all sorts of fun stuff on PC clones, administering PDP’s and even borrowing Cray time to generate graphics and payload plans for Shuttle missions among other more “mundane” tasks like print queue management and user administration —actually heady stuff for a 15-16 year old. At home I was helping my father computerize the Air Force circuit court reporting and docketing system for the circuit he was chief judge of. That system was designed and implemented as a test, and after it’s success went on to be the model for the entire Air Force Judicial branch.
We had a Sperry (IBM clone) from before they merged into Unisys and a Radio Shack Model III at home, and soon added an Amiga 1000 (still have that one). The previous year (1983) we had gotten Dad a Tandy TRS-80 Model 100 portable computer, which made him one of (if not the) first “wired” judge. Oh, specs: speedy 80C85 2.4MHz processor, 32KB of memory (upgraded to 64KB before it’s retirement), 71 key keyboard, and a 240×64 pixel LCD. It did have RS-232C, Printer, Cassette and Modem ports, along with a “Bar Code Reader” port. I wonder if Dad still has it somewhere in the attic — might be fun to play with from time to time, or just to freak my son out when he’s a little older — “Back when I was your age, we didn’t have a computer, then we had this when I was xx…”
I never did get a Macintosh, although I have used them at work often enough. The Amiga was my platform for art, and in most ways it kept pace with the Macintosh world until it’s demise. In fact in most ways it surpassed the Macintosh, and far outshone the world of IBM compatibles. Now that Apple has a BSD based core and still has the most polished and friendly user interface I do find myself far more attracted to the option of getting a PowerBook for myself or an iMac for my wife and son to use. Those G5 towers look sweet as well, it would be nice to have the video editing capabilities of my VT3 and have the option of using some of the video and DVD editing tools that can be used only on the Mac. Maybe an iMac or iBook…
Hat tip to Jeff