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Sinclair brings back memories. How much memory was the base unit--something like 4k or maybe 8K. Flat keypanel before flat was in, the fuzzy b&w tv that guaranteed a headache & would have the ergonomics people in a snit. There's one around here somewhere too.

Don't really remember the memory size for sure but I seem to recall 4K on board and the expansion mod may have been an additional 8K. Do you remember what an IBM PC cost at the time? I think an IBM with 640 K of memory and one 360K floppy and monochrome monitor was around $3500.00. That was in 1970 or so. How things have changed.

I still have my Commodore 64 in the original box. Originally I purchased a Sinclair 1000, and when it arrived I hurridly opened up the box, tossed aside the small stuff looking for the computer. I found out later the small stuff was the computer, and returned it after a week.

On my 'beloved' Commodore 64 I modded in some switches and a headphone port, and my 1541 disk drive went south many moons ago. I used a cassette tape as storage. I had a piece of software that let me see the disk code, and I could edit it, making a Larry Bird / Magic Johnson video game use my friends names instead; there was even a stylus to write on the TV screen that somewhat drew what I traced.

I brought the computer to a nursing home and made the computer say the names of the residents. Boy I was something.

I remember subscribing to a Commodore magazine and typing pages and pages of code into a compiler. It never did compile and I lost everything. I even wrote a short program and had it published in the magazine; I still have that magazine also, circa 1983. There are emulators out there: macintosh and windows. Here's a website that runs on java so you don't even need an emulator. Eventually I purchased a C128, which lasted a year or two before I sold it, but kept the C64.

How about the TRS80 or the CoCo? That's where I started.

Oh yes, I'm a PC guy. But I teach on both platforms.

My first intro into computers was programming an IBM 1410 with punch cards in Fortran 4 at college.

I have been reading this thread with some interest, but must admit that some of what you people are talking about leaves me in the dark.

Having just purchased a new Dell desktop last month and very happy with it, I guess I am considered a pc user.Can one of you MAC users please explain to me why a MAC isn't considered to be a personal computer. I have always been under the impression that a MAC is a computer. I do know that they have entirely different operating systems.

I have priced MAC computers in the past but have found them to expensive for my wallet.

John F. Shireman

You're right, a Mac is a PC. The difference is the operating system which some find so much more intuitive and stable than windows. Almost no "blue screens of death" type things on a Mac. Another nicety is there are far fewer security issues.

As to the price, yes they do cost more than the typical windows box, but the Mac comes fully equipped in whatever price range, very few options and if a windows box is bought similarly spec'd or optioned, the difference is minimal to none. There were some comparisons a year or so ago before Dell started having it's problems and cutting to the bone, & a Mac actually cost less than a similarly equipped Dell.

Another nice thing is a newer Mac with Intel processor can run windows also if desired, either natively just like the Dell or in virtualization running both OSX & windows at the same time.

Macintosh computers are personal computers (pc)...the term pc is commonly used to identify computers that use a windows operating system. Linux, Mac, Windows, it doesn't matter the operating system, a computer used for personal use is a pc; it comes from the days when there were distinct difference between work computers and home computers. Now that line is being blurred, with a machine you buy for your personal use as powerful as or even more powerful than those at work. Servers are not PC's in the strictest sense, but you can use pc's as servers...confused yet? Kevin's new laptop has 2 microprocessors on one chip, each running at 2.6gHz, with 8 gigabytes of ram. That is many times more powerful than most business computers.

Macintosh makes a line of lower cost computers, with the macbook laptops under $1000 and Mac Minis starting at $599. The all-in-one iMac starts at $1199.

One of the best things, currently, about apple computers is the local apple stores and their 'genius' bars. I brought in a used mac laptop with a damaged DVD drive; they replaced the drive for free while I waited. (The service tech was more than happy not to have to work on another iPod again, as they are inundated with broken iPods.) You can test drive the machines all you want, and sign up for free classes. Mom and pop stores that sell macintoshs offer similar or even better services; however I doubt if they'll give away repair service.

Quote:

Actually I custom ordered this laptop. So it has the Dual Core Duo 2.93gHz processor, 8 gigs of ram, 320 gig 7200 rpm hard-drive. It was built this way as I use it to run Windows VM's for code development. So I can have a development server running on it, and also a couple of client VM's running. So basically I can emulate a mini-network environment all on the same physical computer. I must admit that this laptop is pretty darn cool. The fact the body is made from a solid aluminum slab that is milled. There is no flex in it as all. The 17" screen is very welcome as my eyes are not what they used to be, and the 12" screen on my Dell XPS laptop was making it a bear to code on when I didn't have it connected an external monitor. The Mac is a killer machine. I am glad work footed the bill for it as I could never one on my own. For what we paid for it, I think Steve Jobs assembled it himself!

Speaking of the Commodore 64. That was my first computer, and what I learned to code on when I was 12 years old. I had that machine for many years, and even ran a BBS on it. I started with a tape drive, then bought a 5.25 drive, and I even imported a 3.5 drive for it from England. Many fond memories. Who remembers this?

Load *,8,1

or

Load *,1,1

Kevin, do you still have your 64?