Quote from: tekla on December 03, 2009, 11:36:43 AM
A lot has to do with the difference between your computer being a tool or a toy - and it can be both.  I think that for a lot of people the ability to play with it, change all the stuff, the tinker-toy aspect of a PC has a lot of attraction as someone who is really in to X can go out and buy the state of the art Y gadget (sound card, graphics card) and get what they want.  For those who use these things more as tools, well when I want a hammer I don't necessaraly want to go out and forge it myself, I just want to bang a few nails and drop it back on the floor.

LOL -- you obviously know a whole lot of nothing much about tools -- or "toys".

To a musician, especially one who has a home studio (thus doing one's own recording), a high-spec sound card is a Tool.  The ability to replace or upgrade that soundcard is a Tool.  Te ability to save previously recorded music conveniently on an internal storage drive or high-yeild external harddrive is a Tool.

On the other hand, if you want a high-priced monitor attached to a HD the size of your fist that can't store a file recorded in ProTools without an external piece of hardware, but can log you onto the Internet and run a word processing program, you want a Toy.

Tools are designed for a specific purpose -- and even hammers come in different sizes and weights and materials dependent on what they're intended to pound.  Go ahead -- use a tack hammer to put two 2"x4" thick planks together, I dare you.

Quote from: Sandy on December 02, 2009, 11:18:34 PM
I didn't mention the 407 I wired because I thought no one would have even believed it.

The first time I went to the Museum of Science and Industry and saw the display of hardware in the IBM exhibit I about cried when I saw a 360/40 of the vintage I used in collage.  I was very nearly expelled when the dean of the department caught me and my other geek friends hacking DOS.  The only thing that kept us from getting thrown out was that we did it so well that even he had to admire it.  Had we been any less slick in our hacking he would have thrown us out on our collective ears.

My kids say that when I die that they'll have me stuffed and mounted in the IBM exhibit next to that 360/40.

My first job as an operator was on 3rd shift running a 360/30.  And I know what the LP red light means.  That was the only machine that had morning sickness.

-Sandy

Those were fun times ! for little pay. I started out as an operator on the 360/20's with MFCM's and wiring the 407 and 501 accounting machines and sorters !

Later I became an applications programmer, did that until 2000 when I got tired of taking the 3 am calls for people who didn't test their programs.

Now I'm a desktop support person, and also specialize in the telecom area.
But when I was still working (laid off) ,  still got the 3 AM support calls.! (LOL)

Jamie

Quote from: rejennyrated on December 03, 2009, 02:53:04 AM
Hmm we're of similar vintage then

I started using an early PDP-8 and a small Honeywell at school in 1974

I progressed to an ITT Modular-1 and PDP-11 before moveing on to a Norsk-data ND100 and a Vax Venus, on which I did some work for NASA.

I've also written (in 1983) a 32 bit multi-taking embedded operating system which controlled some test equipment that NASA bought from us.

Up until the late 1980's most of my personal computers were either self built, like a NASCOM80 or a tangerine, or they were hobyist ones like a TRS80 which I got in 1978.

I didn't get into PC's or Macs until quite late my first was a PC running an early version of os2, but I quickly got into macs as by then I was working in broadcasting at BBC television and not in computers. From then on I became progressively more non technical and today I'm strictly a user.

All good fun though.

Jenny x.

Ya Honeywell's and Trash 80's ! Played with some of them too !

Yep all 3 of us are showing our Vintage !

Jamie

I hated checking that PC choice but I can't lie. I'm at work on my stupid PC.

Wish I was at home on my Mac.

Quote from: jamie lee on December 03, 2009, 09:43:42 PM
Those were fun times ! for little pay. I started out as an operator on the 360/20's with MFCM's and wiring the 407 and 501 accounting machines and sorters !

Later I became an applications programmer, did that until 2000 when I got tired of taking the 3 am calls for people who didn't test their programs.

Now I'm a desktop support person, and also specialize in the telecom area.
But when I was still working (laid off) ,  still got the 3 AM support calls.! (LOL)

Jamie
Ya Honeywell's and Trash 80's ! Played with some of them too !

Yep all 3 of us are showing our Vintage !

Jamie

OK.  Here is a quiz for all you grey hairs out there.  I would say greybeards, but I don't have mine anymore.

What does B.U.N.C.H stand for?

Hint: Note that while one of the letters are a B none of them stand for I.B.M.

-Sandy

Hi Sandy

I'm guessing it might be

Burroughs
Univac
NCT
Control-Data
Honeywell

Which if you leave out IBM and ICL were the main business computing suppliers of mainframes. DEC of course specialised in scientific computing and so doesn't count.

You see, I really am that old!

But I'm probably on the wrong track...

Quote from: rejennyrated on December 04, 2009, 03:12:32 PM
Hi Sandy

I'm guessing it might be

Burroughs
Univac
NCT
Control-Data
Honeywell

Which if you leave out IBM and ICL were the main business computing suppliers of mainframes. DEC of course specialised in scientific computing and so doesn't count.

You see, I really am that old!

But I'm probably on the wrong track...

Ding, Ding, ding, ding!  Thank you for playing!  You win!

Actually it was NCR not NCT, but close enough.  And Control Data was often referred to as CDC.  When they made the movie "Colossus: The Forbin Project" (Gawd what a terrible movie, though the book wasn't bad), they used CDC's for the props.

CDC was considered to be the supercomputer manufacturer of the industry, though IBM one year sold three 360/195's and damn near bankrupted CDC.

During the 60's through the 80's, IBM so dominated the general purpose computer hardware market that the combined sales of all their competitors did not add up to the sales that IBM had.  And in the trade rags the industry was often referred to as IBM and the BUNCH.

Any more "grey" trivia buffs out there?

-Sandy

Quote from: Sandy on December 04, 2009, 03:22:24 PM
Actually it was NCR not NCT, but close enough.

Ah senior Brainfart! - yes of course NCR as in National Cash Register, and before they made electronic computers they used to make a horrible mechanical beast called, if I recall, a tabulator. It made a noise like an express train - and nearly shook itself to bits when working.  We had one at my first place of work.

Ok let me try and see if I can come up with a question then...

What was the title of the first computer generated music - or the name of the computer which generated it?

(mind you we might want to move this to a thread in the fun section or we'll be accused of hijacking!)

Quote from: rejennyrated on December 04, 2009, 03:30:08 PM
(mind you we might want to move this to a thread in the fun section or we'll be accused of hijacking!)

Check it out:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,69082.new.html#new

We now return this thread to it's OS centric religious mayhem...

-Sandy

I'm on the PC that I built, that WISHES it were a Mac!

(in other words, it'd be a Mac if I could afford it)

On a Mac at my college.

PC with Ubuntu GNU/Linux

It's nice to see so many people mention Linux, by the way!  It seems that Mac and Linux users are very well represented in our community.

I'm reading this, at present, on an old Gateway Essential desktop PC that was kaputt - I replaced the DVD-ROM drive and installed Linux (Puppy Dingo 4.00) on it.  It's alright - it's basically a backup computer for when my XP desktop cruds out (as it recently has). 

I'm a mac man 

PC and Linux rock!  Still waiting for HaikuOS though.  By the way, Netbooks are PCs, just smaller. 

PC all the way

Mac is the only way to go.  I have several plus an iPhone.

I am very flexible so I can use either platform. I own a PC running Windows Vista yet I love a strong love for Macs.

Mac, although I still run Windows on it as well as some Linux based operating systems.

I'm on a PC which I prefer but I'm running vista. I HATE Vista. Too many problems, too many updates. However when it's a choice between Testosterone or new laptop I pick starting T plus lately vista has been issue free

I swapped my xp laptop for a mac book pro and definitely don't regret it. I still have my old XP studio daw, but rarely fire it up anymore (just not interested in music production at the moment it seems). I may eventually set up an xp install on a portable HD with bootcamp on the mac book and buy a firewire soundcard.

as for which i prefer I doubt I'll ever buy a windows machine again, i've been spoilt rotten by the multi touch track pad on my mac.