I still get comments about my M100 at the coffee shop, despite us being a regular fixture there for years! On May 8, 2015 10:34 AM, "James Zeun" <james.z...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks Russel, I was on the fence, not sure whether to share or not. I'm > not half as technically minded as some of the users on the list. But I > figured everyone shares the same interesting, using these machines. Be it > making hardware for them, writing programs or simply using them. > > I honestly felt old when the kid was looking at me, like I was Fred > Flintstone or something. I was born 1980, my computer experience comes from > the time of the Sinclair Spectrum, the C64, Atari VCS 2600 and later the > Commodore Amiga. BASIC was the language of the computer, all micro's used a > version of it. If you wanted to talk to your computer, you used BASIC. > Which is why I and many of my friends can still remember 10 PRINT and GOTO. > We might never have made a game, but we certain input plenty from books and > magazines. > > > > On 8 May 2015 at 16:26, Russell Flowers <rflow...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> That is an interesting story. I found that M100s garner a lot of >> attention out in public. I always show off the keyboard. Modern laptops >> can't hold a candle to the feel of those keys. >> >> It's also interesting that there will be one generation, or maybe two, >> tops, that understand what a "personal computer" really is. Before the >> 1970s or early 80s, people knew about computers but had no concept of one >> that resided in the home. Now, everyone grows up with a computer in the >> house, tablets laying about... they will find them no more remarkable than >> a washing machine or TV. >> >> On Fri, May 8, 2015 at 10:19 AM, James Zeun <james.z...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> >>> I don't post on here very often, two posts in one day is something of a >>> record for me. I don't really know how to program, save for a little bit of >>> Python on my Raspberry PI. So as an M100 user, I guess I'm what you could >>> class as an enthusiastic/user. I use my M100 for writing articles for my >>> vintage tech blog, the battery life just makes it a great machine to use. >>> The screen is far superior to the Amstrad NC100 I was using previously, >>> which was more of a word processor then a real computer like the TRS. >>> >>> Anyways, I thought I would share with you an experience I had with my >>> M100 last week, while we had a spell of sunshine. I know it's not exactly >>> dissecting a system rom or anything ambitious as getting an M100 online >>> over wifi. But I thought I would share it, as it's was a fun moment using a >>> 30yr old computer for what it was meant for. >>> >>> Last week the sun blessed us with an appearance, so a group of us >>> 'nerds' decided to venture out in to the sunshine to soak up some Vitamin >>> D! I packed a rucksack and threw my M100 inside, thinking I could finish >>> off a blog post. Sitting on the picnic blanket with a flask of tea, I kept >>> having people come up to me, inquiring about the Tandy. I genuinely didn't >>> think anyone would raise an eye brow, aside from take pity on the sad nerd >>> who couldnt afford a Macbook Air. To my surprise people wanted to know >>> about the little machine, which I was more then happy to tell them about. >>> Even if it did mean I didn't get any work done! Some of them sort of knew >>> what it was, while others were completely baffled. One guy even asked if I >>> hooked it up to the PC using USB. When I explained to him that I used a >>> serial cable, there was a lost expression his face. Clearly not a lover of >>> old RS-232! The oddest part of the outing was having my friends seven year >>> old son approach me, looking genuinely confused. >>> >>> "What is that?" >>> "It's a computer" I replied >>> "No, it doesn't have a lid" Argued the child >>> "That's a laptop, this is a portable computer. See this label on the >>> front, it says 'Portable Computer', it can work out maths problems and I >>> can write on it just like a regular computer" >>> "It's not a computer, it doesn't have a screen! how do you close the >>> lid?" >>> "It doesn't need a lid and the screen is there see!" >>> >>> So if you want to confuse a small child, wave an old computer at them >>> and watch their brain explode lol. Having grown up in the 80's, it's really >>> difficult to get my head around the fact there is a generation now, that >>> see's touchscreens as common place. I really wonder what they would make of >>> sitting in front of a C64 and typing out a program listing from a book, >>> like I did when I was 7-8 years old. Thats what I think of when someone >>> says the word computer. >>> >>> Anyways, that was a random adventure with my M100, still a useful work >>> horse. Hope nobody objected to me sharing :-) >>> >>> James >>> >>> >>> >> > > > -- > My retro tech blog and general ramblings > http://bytemyvdu.wordpress.com/ >
