Icons of the last 25 years of computing?

dangerstat · 9 Aug 2009 at 20:53

What are yours?

These are mine in some sort of photo "montage" of computers that I think have shaped todays PCs, not many so hope you add to them!

[1] The AMSTRAD CPC 464 - Amazing spec of a 4Mhz CPU and a whole 64KB of RAM. The first PC many of us probably used. (Notable mentioned to the BBC Micro, Spectrum ZX)

[2] IBM PC 8088 based - The origin of most modern desktop PC's this 5150 model boasts a 4.77 MHz chip and upto 256KB of RAM!

[3] Well - lets have it - MS Windows - this being version 2 - pretty much everyone's current OS is based on this bad boy. It might be a bloaty piece of **** now, but in it's time was revolutionary along with MAC OS

[4] The Palm Pilot and Apple Newton - The start of the what was never to be "pocket PC" market

[5] Computers get stylish thanks to Apple, the cute IMac

Westie · 9 Aug 2009 at 20:54

omg amstrad still remeber playing mine when i was about 5-6!

Wicksta · 9 Aug 2009 at 20:58

Last 25 years you mean surely?

Vixen · 9 Aug 2009 at 20:59

They're not all from the last 15 years! I had a pc with Windows 3.1 more than 15 years ago

.

dangerstat · 9 Aug 2009 at 21:00

Vixen said:
They're not all from the last 15 years! I had a pc with Windows 3.1 more than 15 years ago .

Should have put last 25 years as suggested

Dunks · 9 Aug 2009 at 21:01

Windows 3.1 was released 17 years ago, so not that much longer.

Vixen · 9 Aug 2009 at 21:01

DunK1 said:
Windows 3.1 was released 17 years ago, so not that much longer.

He mentioned the version before that, and Windows 2 was released in 1987. The Amstrad was released in 1984.

Deleted User 234324 · 9 Aug 2009 at 21:03

Last 15 years only goes back to 94, 94 which was the 486 era, think in 95 my college had several 486 dx-2 100 machines.

You would need to go back nearly 30 years to really get to the age old classics like the ZX Spectrum, Amiga 500, Atari ST etc.

Hades · 9 Aug 2009 at 21:25

Vic 20
CBM 64
Amiga
Spectrum
Atari ST
Dragon
BBC Micro

NathanE · 9 Aug 2009 at 21:48

I for one am glad that the "everything and anything that supports USB must use semi-transparent plastic" fad died off.

Biohazard · 9 Aug 2009 at 22:03

To the OP - Microsoft Windows was clumsy and not as good as the Apple gui at the time. I could certainly tell that from use. The mac looked so much better and was more enjoyable to use.

dangerstat · 9 Aug 2009 at 22:04

Biohazard said:
To the OP - Microsoft Windows was clumsy and not as good as the Apple gui at the time. I could certainly tell that from use. The mac looked so much better and was more enjoyable to use.

I disagree.

Biohazard · 9 Aug 2009 at 22:11

dangerstat said:
I disagree.

Having the 'apple' task bar and desktop with drag-able icons was a massive bonus well before MS had anything like it.

I have always mainly owned PCs/MS, but in the early days Mac OS spanked anything MS could come up with.

MS Dos wasn't even the best command line either, just again became mainstream crap.

My opinion of course. Only thing that kept me on PC was the games, because Apple never got that sorted out in the early days.

ac1d1ty · 9 Aug 2009 at 22:13

Helped get the performance market back on track. Can hold its own, even today.

LordSplodge · 9 Aug 2009 at 22:40

dangerstat said:
I disagree.

Did you ever use System 5 on the Mac? Because it was in a different league to Windows 2. The same applies to System 7 and Windows 3/3.1.

Mac OS 9 on the other hand was well behind the version of Windows at the time (multitasking anybody?). It wasn't until Mac OS X that Apple took the lead again (IMO) although 10.0 was a pig.

Microsoft are back on the offensive with Windows 7 that will go head to head with OS X 10.6. Let the fun begin...

Anyway the OP missed the Amiga one of the best computing experiences ever and running a brilliant operating system.

Sonea Fifer · 9 Aug 2009 at 22:43

Hades said:
Dragon

Ha - I remember those, we had a Dragon 32K

I'm sure I read somewhere they were made in Wales as well

Logsi · 9 Aug 2009 at 22:44

dangerstat said:
[3] Well - lets have it - MS Windows - this being version 2 - pretty much everyone's current OS is based on this bad boy. It might be a bloaty piece of **** now, but in it's time was revolutionary along with MAC OS

Lets not forget who pushed a GUI first out of those two...

Anyone remember the Apple Lisa?

I would say the Apple II is pretty iconic in the home computer timeline. It was the first home computer for many.

Berserker · 10 Aug 2009 at 00:17

dangerstat said:
I disagree.

I don't, and I'm a PC (I do own a Mac but it's not what I use most).

Think yourself lucky you didn't experience Windows 1.0. I did. At least Windows 2.0 allowed overlapping windows.

Anyway, my computing history is frightening. These are the ones I can recall using, and I'm sure I've forgotten some...

Vic 20
Research Machines 380Z
ZX81
BBC Model B/B+
ZX Spectrum/Spectrum+
Nascom 3
Dragon 32
Jupiter Ace
MSX Clone (can't remember which one)
Acorn Electron
Amstrad CPC 464
Amstrad PCW 8512
Atari 520 ST
IBM PC XT
Research Machines Nimbus
BBC Master
Amstrad PPC 512
Macintosh II (running A/UX)
Macintosh Classic
Macintosh LC
Psion Series 3 (early PDA)
Various DEC VAX systems (at Staffordshire Uni)
Various other mini computers (including ICL, Toshiba, Sun, Siemens, Wang, IBM)
Too many PCs to count!

LordSplodge · 10 Aug 2009 at 12:57

Logsi said:
Lets not forget who pushed a GUI first out of those two...

Anyone remember the Apple Lisa?

I would say the Apple II is pretty iconic in the home computer timeline. It was the first home computer for many.

...and let's not forget Xerox!

Azagoth · 10 Aug 2009 at 13:00

Anyone else remember the absolute nightmare that was accidentally knocking over a full stack of punch cards? Or even loading up one of the vacuum fed tape-drives?