Then and now. Computers.

[Taran_Las]

Ibm Assembler/CICS was my forte. Boy, does that make me feel old.

 

[Rapides]

1982 was the year i started with a well known bank learning z/OS structured assembler -on the training courses we had to type our own punched cards - a nightmare for me who hadn't used keyboards before, my university degree had all been hand written. How times have changed!

Wasn’t it MVS in 1982?

I had almost 40 years as an IBM mainframe network Sysprog starting in 1982. Never did learn to program, always got colleagues to write my code for me.

 

[Brains]

Somewhere up in the attic I still have the first electronic 'pocket' calculator, bought by my fathers company in about 1970.

Texas Instruments, it ran on mains or a rechargeable battery, it's the size of a thick paperback and cost £100, which would have been a couple of months wages at the time.
They had to have a board decision on to buy it.
It takes a couple of seconds to product the results, and the numbers are displayed using red wires.

Prior to this point they had been using manual calculators to run the company (a large ship repair company with over 200 employees and thousands of payments in and out every week).

 

[Brains]

Somewhere up in the attic I still have the first electronic 'pocket' calculator, bought by my fathers company in about 1970.

Texas Instruments, it ran on mains or a rechargeable battery, it's the size of a thick paperback and cost £100, which would have been a couple of months wages at the time.
They had to have a board decision on to buy it.
It takes a couple of seconds to product the results, and the numbers are displayed using red wires.

Prior to this point they had been using manual calculators to run the company (a large ship repair company with over 200 employees and thousands of payments in and out every week).

 

[dna]

Wasn’t it MVS in 1982?

I had almost 40 years as an IBM mainframe network Sysprog starting in 1982. Never did learn to program, always got colleagues to write my code for me.

sorry yes - it evolved into the z/os a bit later

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[SpeedyDux]

Slightly off topic - in my first job in the City, I had to learn how to use a telex terminal to communicate with clients overseas. My first experience of a computer was being shown by a secretary how to operate one of the firm's precious IBM Displaywriters, an early dedicated word processor and very expensive. It used 8" floppy disks for storage. This was the beginning of a transition from electric golfball typewriters.

One of the Partners was the proud owner of an Apple II personal computer. Early adopter.

I also remember many hours spent using the huge Xerox bulk photocopier (that was almost as big as a Mini) in the basement, to prepare Court bundles.

Anyone want a fax machine? OK, I guess not. I will stick it in the Loft. One day ... Antiques Roadshow ...

 

[SpeedyDux]

Somewhere up in the attic I still have the first electronic 'pocket' calculator, bought by my fathers company in about 1970.

Texas Instruments, it ran on mains or a rechargeable battery, it's the size of a thick paperback and cost £100, which would have been a couple of months wages at the time.
They had to have a board decision on to buy it.
It takes a couple of seconds to product the results, and the numbers are displayed using red wires.

Prior to this point they had been using manual calculators to run the company (a large ship repair company with over 200 employees and thousands of payments in and out every week).

That calculator could be valuable!

I inherited several different slide rules from my dad, who was an engineer. Imagine how much of the UK's built environment was designed using slide rules for engineering calculations. And it hasn't fallen down.

 

[Brains]

Slightly off topic - in my first job in the City, I had to learn how to use a telex terminal to communicate with clients overseas. My first experience of a computer was being shown by a secretary how to operate one of the firm's precious IBM Displaywriters, an early dedicated word processor and very expensive. It used 8" floppy disks for storage. This was the beginning of a transition from electric golfball typewriters.

One of the Partners was the proud owner of an Apple II personal computer. Early adopter.

I also remember many hours spent using the huge Xerox bulk photocopier (that was almost as big as a Mini) in the basement, to prepare Court bundles.

Anyone want a fax machine? OK, I guess not. I will stick it in the Loft. One day ... Antiques Roadshow ...

CQCQ
22206 SAS G
8811031 KELOX G

LIKE U LEARN TLX 1ST
NO FLOPPY, ALL PUNCH TAPE!

RGDS

NNNN
22206 SAS G
8811031 KELOX G

 

[scotjimland]

That calculator could be valuable!

I inherited several different slide rules from my dad, who was an engineer. Imagine how much of the UK's built environment was designed using slide rules for engineering calculations. And it hasn't fallen down.

there is a slide rule museum..

and if you check on ebay , some models are quite expensive, sadly mine was a common model and only worth about 30 quid

International Slide Rule Museum

Slide Rule Museum/Library/Encyclopedia

www.sliderulemuseum.com

 

[Revolvor]

My first experience of a computer was being shown by a secretary how to operate one of the firm's precious IBM Displaywriters, an early dedicated word processor and very expensive. It used 8" floppy disks for storage.

I joined a company in the early 90s where they had something similar. The secretary didn't understand file names, and for years had just been adding anything she produced to the end of the previous document. As a result, the 8" floppy only had one file on it ..... with hundreds of pages. It used to take her ages to search for anything historical!

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[Abacist]

My first personal computer bought in W H Smith in Exeter in 1983

A smaller Ferranti - The Advance 86b

https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/7141/Ferranti-Advance-86/

 

[scotjimland]

My first calculator bought in S Africa around 1974,

Red LED display , may have been a Texas .. but can't be sure

Left it on the car dashboard and the heat from the sun distorted the keyboard.. I was well peed off