Comments on: Remember when this was state of the art? http://chrisg.org/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/ Chris Garrett's Personal Blog Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:16:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Darren http://chrisg.org/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-483 Darren Sat, 16 Feb 2008 11:23:25 +0000 http://www.chrisg.org/2007/12/14/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-483 Ahh, Christmas of the long, long, ago time. God, I'm old! The snowman reminded me of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man fom Ghostbusters. Almost expected him to stomp all over the dancing guys on the bottom of the screen. At school, my first experience of a computer was a BBC Micro back in 1982. First time I ever played a video game was Space Invaders on it. Watched the other kids play it then it was my turn, where I promptly owned it! The teacher took me off thinking I was getting an extra turn replaying it, rather than blowing away level after level. It was the only time the other kids thought I was cool. The first video game I ever had of my own was an FL Zaxxon, still at Mum's place. A Grandstand Star Force followed it a year later, then my first computer, an Amstrad CPC 464 on my 11th birthday in 1985. Unfortunately, I was hardly ever allowed to use it as Mum was worried about how much electricity it consumed. Video games in the arcade (which was small) I drooled over, but never had the money to play: Road Blasters Salamander Outrun Like I said, it was small. Another game I badly wanted to play was one I saw on WarGames: Galaga. The most perfect shoot-em-up ever! Now I get to play arcade games and use old computers using emulators on my PC as much as I want. Ahh, Christmas of the long, long, ago time. God, I’m old!

The snowman reminded me of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man fom Ghostbusters. Almost expected him to stomp all over the dancing guys on the bottom of the screen.

At school, my first experience of a computer was a BBC Micro back in 1982. First time I ever played a video game was Space Invaders on it. Watched the other kids play it then it was my turn, where I promptly owned it! The teacher took me off thinking I was getting an extra turn replaying it, rather than blowing away level after level.

It was the only time the other kids thought I was cool.

The first video game I ever had of my own was an FL Zaxxon, still at Mum’s place. A Grandstand Star Force followed it a year later, then my first computer, an Amstrad CPC 464 on my 11th birthday in 1985.

Unfortunately, I was hardly ever allowed to use it as Mum was worried about how much electricity it consumed.

Video games in the arcade (which was small) I drooled over, but never had the money to play:

Road Blasters
Salamander
Outrun

Like I said, it was small.

Another game I badly wanted to play was one I saw on WarGames: Galaga. The most perfect shoot-em-up ever!

Now I get to play arcade games and use old computers using emulators on my PC as much as I want.

]]> By: Small Business Marketing http://chrisg.org/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-482 Small Business Marketing Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:10:15 +0000 http://www.chrisg.org/2007/12/14/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-482 Ah well!! Some of us started way before that and are still going strong. I remember when 16K was a lot of memory and you had to write your own paging routines to disk which was a couple of meg. Oh the good old days. Ah well!! Some of us started way before that and are still going strong. I remember when 16K was a lot of memory and you had to write your own paging routines to disk which was a couple of meg. Oh the good old days.

]]> By: Chris Garrett http://chrisg.org/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-488 Chris Garrett Sat, 15 Dec 2007 12:20:21 +0000 http://www.chrisg.org/2007/12/14/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-488 Heh, I didn't touch machine code until 6800, even then it was a challenge to fit what I wanted to do into memory, I don't know how the 8-bit guys did it! Of course I did my BASIC programs (I never did finish writing that text adventure), and would copy bits of code from the magazines - remember those long listings with reams of data that made no sense and you had to trust they had printed it all? :) Heh, I didn’t touch machine code until 6800, even then it was a challenge to fit what I wanted to do into memory, I don’t know how the 8-bit guys did it! Of course I did my BASIC programs (I never did finish writing that text adventure), and would copy bits of code from the magazines – remember those long listings with reams of data that made no sense and you had to trust they had printed it all? :)

]]> By: Benjamin http://chrisg.org/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-486 Benjamin Sat, 15 Dec 2007 11:50:00 +0000 http://www.chrisg.org/2007/12/14/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-486 Ah... the glorious sounds of the SID chip! Mmmm... Memories! 6502 machine code programming, now that was coding! Ah… the glorious sounds of the SID chip! Mmmm… Memories! 6502 machine code programming, now that was coding!

]]> By: Chris Garrett http://chrisg.org/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-485 Chris Garrett Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:35:56 +0000 http://www.chrisg.org/2007/12/14/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-485 The only time we got to see the computers at our school were to move them from one room to another for another class. Even at high school I don't think we got to see one switched on. My parents took a risk getting us the Vic20, and at the time they were always having to tell me to shut it off ("get off that bloody computer and come eat"), but it is a good thing they did buy it :) The only time we got to see the computers at our school were to move them from one room to another for another class. Even at high school I don’t think we got to see one switched on. My parents took a risk getting us the Vic20, and at the time they were always having to tell me to shut it off (“get off that bloody computer and come eat”), but it is a good thing they did buy it :)

]]> By: gillian http://chrisg.org/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-484 gillian Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:28:03 +0000 http://www.chrisg.org/2007/12/14/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-484 My parents wouldn't get one :-( but we had a few of these at my elementary school. Ah, the good old days. I remember playing some great games on those. My parents wouldn’t get one :-( but we had a few of these at my elementary school. Ah, the good old days. I remember playing some great games on those.

]]> By: Chris Garrett http://chrisg.org/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-489 Chris Garrett Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:52:50 +0000 http://www.chrisg.org/2007/12/14/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-489 I am sad to say we never kept hold of any of our old game systems or computers :( Well, I still have the game and watch nintendo somewhere and my "astro wars", but the vic20, spectrum and st all drifted to better homes I am sad to say we never kept hold of any of our old game systems or computers :(

Well, I still have the game and watch nintendo somewhere and my “astro wars”, but the vic20, spectrum and st all drifted to better homes

]]> By: Adam Snider http://chrisg.org/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-487 Adam Snider Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:21:35 +0000 http://www.chrisg.org/2007/12/14/remember-when-this-was-state-of-the-art/#comment-487 Ah, 8-bit computing. What an innocent time...LOL! Seeing this kind of makes me yearn for the good old NES. Not just an emulator, either, but the actual old school system. I may have to raid my parents' basement this weekend. :) Ah, 8-bit computing. What an innocent time…LOL!

Seeing this kind of makes me yearn for the good old NES. Not just an emulator, either, but the actual old school system.

I may have to raid my parents’ basement this weekend. :)

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