If a kid from the '80s, a guy who was enthusiastic about personal computers, I mean, were thrown into the present day and saw me writing this post using a phablet he would probably think he was in the 3000s.
I myself, lost among vintage computers (I would have said "old school"), trying to go back in memory, would not have imagined that after 30 years or so, information technology would have reached certain standards. Oh God, I would have focused more on some things (everyone believed in the flying car in a short time, come on. And instead we are just at the dawn of drone taxis). But regarding interpersonal communications, the mere idea of having a “Videotel” would have made us strip.
We had 10 mega hard drives. Who could afford them, I mean. Then came the modems connected to the telephone handset (their first appearance was in “Wargames”. Then there was everything else. Every current technology would have seemed “indistinguishable from magic,” to quote Arthur C. Clarke.
Here are 5 vintage computers, old school computer that seems more than a century away but has taught us to look to the future.
IBM Visual Commuter, the fitness laptop
Here is an inexpensive means of doing biceps: the Visual Commuter was marketed as “portable, IBM compatible, powerful, economical”. He weighed a trifle: only 16 kilos. On the other hand, the price was quite affordable. $1995 at the time, which corresponds to approximately 5000 euros today.
Released in 1983, what we're looking at here is the old-school equivalent of a modern laptop. Although its screen only showed 16 lines of text (80 characters per line) it paved the way for all subsequent solutions. If today we can manage thousands of lines of text at the same time it is thanks to that small and intelligent zoom function.
Timex Sinclair 1000, much more than a vintage computer: practically a calculator.
Timex Sinclair 1000 was released in 1982 when personal computers were still relatively new.
While it was just a tad small by today's standards (3,25 MHz CPU and 2 KB of memory, but expandable to 64 KB), it was incredibly popular for its time. 600.000 units of this marvel were sold. To do what? Today in 2KB they also manage to place Machine Learning. At the time it was all a “10 – print “goofy”. 20 – goto 10″.
C64: I can't do it, too many memories
The Commodore 64, or C64 computer, is the vintage computer of my heart. An iconic model of its time. It was popular at a time when the internet was little more than a dream (even though it was already born, and by the way: if we don't save him, he dies too). What you see in the picture is a modem, I tell my younger readers.
As reported by CNN, the Commodore 64 computer popularized home personal computing for millions of users in the early and mid-80s. People used their C64s for office functions, for graphics (ha ha), for gaming. For everyone. The computer had 64 kilobytes of memory, which is a little less than the size of this post.
IBM Jr, the serious computer in light version
These days we see many “lightweight” versions of smartphones, computers and devices. After the successful launch of the IBM PC, consider that the company opted for this lighter version. IBM PC Jr today would be called “IBM Lite”.
It must be said that it was a DISASTROUSLY FAILED attempt to replace the now established and popular home personal computers of the competition, such as the C64 (above), the Apple II or the Atari 800. The fact that no one remembers it says it all, you think? =
Atari 800XL: age of reason, you are reaching it badly
Once upon a time, Atari had the prestige of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo combined when it came to video games. The iconic company, founded in California in 1972, created Pong and the 2600, two iconic pillars of the world of early video games.
The Atari 800XL (pictured above) was the third version of the 8-bit Atari computer line that began production in 1983. The system included 64 KB of memory, VLSI chips and had a more compact design than previous models. It didn't spark.
Having seen all these mythical things? Now imagine how many kids will have spent hours, days, months on these machines that did the best for their time. That was the horizon. Vintage computers. Think about it when you look at your 300 euro smartphone and think about changing it after 6 months.
