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[Lizzie Zoom]

As for the USB stick, I think after all the very useful comment I will pass on that one!!

Reality is - yes, you can get useful additional life out of 'slower' hardware.. with a learning curve. But you can get everything you need for the grand total of £0.00 from the Interwebs, so there's no point paying for a USB stick if you want to give it a bash 

 

[TheBoy]

BTW, it's happy birthday to the IBM PC today - 37 years since the launch of the IBM 5150, today: https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/12/ibm-for-president/

A 4.77Mhz processor  . Even my first computer  was packing a mighty 75Mhz. 

Younguns.. my first computer had a 3.5Mhz Z80 and a whopping 48Kb of RAM my first PC, though, was a 386SX25 - 25Mhz, 2Mb of RAM IIRC. I'd been through a 128Kb Spectrum +3 (still that 3.5Mhz Z80) and a 1Mb Amiga 500+ (7Mhz Motorola 68000) at that point, though.

I'm guessing a ZX Rectum?  A fine machine in its day, and great for machine code learning (in the early 80s).

[TheBoy]

Whilst clicking on a link in a thread on this Forum about Brexit, I noted this advertising:

https://thiswentviral.net/make-your-computer-like-new/?ad=374281616568&sites=www.westmonster.com&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm4qEtsf94wIVWBAbCh3O0AoREAEYASAAEgI5nPD_BwE

Can it really be that good? Could I update my PC that easily


IT experts on here, like TB, I await your comments

That article is written to look like an article, when its an ad for the gullible.  Plus the comparison is with Vista, a renown slow starter.  But even then, the comparison is incorrect, as no Linux will boot from cold in 2.5s

As has been said, the same stuff is available for free, but non Windows (or Mac, for the gays) OS's are not for the feint hearted, and require a great deal of effort and learning to run well, and compounded by each Linux distribution being subtly different.


Now I rarely touch real Unix, Linux has essentially become my day job. And I wouldn't use it on the desktop for general use.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Whilst clicking on a link in a thread on this Forum about Brexit, I noted this advertising:

https://thiswentviral.net/make-your-computer-like-new/?ad=374281616568&sites=www.westmonster.com&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm4qEtsf94wIVWBAbCh3O0AoREAEYASAAEgI5nPD_BwE

Can it really be that good? Could I update my PC that easily


IT experts on here, like TB, I await your comments

That article is written to look like an article, when its an ad for the gullible.  Plus the comparison is with Vista, a renown slow starter.  But even then, the comparison is incorrect, as no Linux will boot from cold in 2.5s

As has been said, the same stuff is available for free, but non Windows (or Mac, for the gays) OS's are not for the feint hearted, and require a great deal of effort and learning to run well, and compounded by each Linux distribution being subtly different.


Now I rarely touch real Unix, Linux has essentially become my day job. And I wouldn't use it on the desktop for general use.

Thanks TB, that is the final nail in the coffin for the too good to be true stick!

[aaronjb]

I'm guessing a ZX Rectum?  A fine machine in its day, and great for machine code learning (in the early 80s).

Yup, a rubber keyed 48Kb.. I may or may not also have a snipe in on a +3 on eBay right now 

* aaronjb looks at the Amiga 2000 sitting in the corner

Not like I have a collection of other retro computers not getting used already. oops.

[Shackeng]

BTW, it's happy birthday to the IBM PC today - 37 years since the launch of the IBM 5150, today: https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/12/ibm-for-president/

A 4.77Mhz processor  . Even my first computer  was packing a mighty 75Mhz. 

Younguns.. my first computer had a 3.5Mhz Z80 and a whopping 48Kb of RAM my first PC, though, was a 386SX25 - 25Mhz, 2Mb of RAM IIRC. I'd been through a 128Kb Spectrum +3 (still that 3.5Mhz Z80) and a 1Mb Amiga 500+ (7Mhz Motorola 68000) at that point, though.

I'm guessing a ZX Rectum?  A fine machine in its day, and great for machine code learning (in the early 80s).

I had a 3 day lay-over in Jeddah back in the early '80's, so borrowed my son's Spectrum to practise code learning. It was promptly confiscated on arrival (returned on departure) presumably on the basis that I was about to use it to overthrow the kingdom!

[aaronjb]

I had a 3 day lay-over in Jeddah back in the early '80's, so borrowed my son's Spectrum to practise code learning. It was promptly confiscated on arrival (returned on departure) presumably on the basis that I was about to use it to overthrow the kingdom!

"Only foreign spies carry such technology!"

[TheBoy]

I'm guessing a ZX Rectum?  A fine machine in its day, and great for machine code learning (in the early 80s).

Yup, a rubber keyed 48Kb.. I may or may not also have a snipe in on a +3 on eBay right now 

* aaronjb looks at the Amiga 2000 sitting in the corner

Not like I have a collection of other retro computers not getting used already. oops.

I started out with a 16k Rectum, as I had to buy it myself, and didn't get as much pocket money as the rich kids.  But having 9k (from memory) to play with did teach compact coding, and code reuse.  Still got a couple of Rectums, with microdrives, InterfaceI/II and so on. And an 81. And a QL. And an A500 Amiga.  I think I gave my last beeb to Kevin Wood.

[TheBoy]

my first PC, though, was a 386SX25 - 25Mhz, 2Mb of RAM IIRC

My first PC was an 8MHz 8086 with a whopping 640k RAM.  I upgraded it with a hardcard (A disk controller and hard drive on a ISA card), which was a cavernous 30Mb.  Although Microsoft PDS7 was 16Mb, and Borland Turbo Pascal wasn't far behind

[Lizzie Zoom]

I'm guessing a ZX Rectum?  A fine machine in its day, and great for machine code learning (in the early 80s).

Yup, a rubber keyed 48Kb.. I may or may not also have a snipe in on a +3 on eBay right now 

* aaronjb looks at the Amiga 2000 sitting in the corner

Not like I have a collection of other retro computers not getting used already. oops.

I started out with a 16k Rectum, as I had to buy it myself, and didn't get as much pocket money as the rich kids.  But having 9k (from memory) to play with did teach compact coding, and code reuse.  Still got a couple of Rectums, with microdrives, InterfaceI/II and so on. And an 81. And a QL. And an A500 Amiga.  I think I gave my last beeb to Kevin Wood.

  Did you really have one of those TB?

I bet that was painful and a load of shit

Sorry, but I just couldn't let that pass me by

[aaronjb]

Borland Turbo Pascal wasn't far behind

My first (OK, second, I suppose) programming gig was entirely that, because McDonnell Douglas (yep, the same one that makes helicopters) wrote a hotel reservation system in it.. ah, Pascal, Novell Netware 3.12 and Btrieve, those were the days.

[Kevin Wood]

Borland Turbo Pascal wasn't far behind

My first (OK, second, I suppose) programming gig was entirely that, because McDonnell Douglas (yep, the same one that makes helicopters) wrote a hotel reservation system in it.. ah, Pascal, Novell Netware 3.12 and Btrieve, those were the days.

I was going to say that my first paid programming job was in Borland Turbo Pascal, but then I remembered a previous summer job which was completed in 6809 assembler, so me too.

[aaronjb]

Borland Turbo Pascal wasn't far behind

My first (OK, second, I suppose) programming gig was entirely that, because McDonnell Douglas (yep, the same one that makes helicopters) wrote a hotel reservation system in it.. ah, Pascal, Novell Netware 3.12 and Btrieve, those were the days.

I was going to say that my first paid programming job was in Borland Turbo Pascal, but then I remembered a previous summer job which was completed in 6809 assembler, so me too.

Better than mine - the one before Pascal for me was Retrieve 4GL (COBOL-alike), although I did manage to squeeze in a bit of C for embedded devices (hand-held barcode scanners for stock control). I don't miss the £8k p/a salary, but I do miss those days..

[Kevin Wood]

Borland Turbo Pascal wasn't far behind

My first (OK, second, I suppose) programming gig was entirely that, because McDonnell Douglas (yep, the same one that makes helicopters) wrote a hotel reservation system in it.. ah, Pascal, Novell Netware 3.12 and Btrieve, those were the days.

I was going to say that my first paid programming job was in Borland Turbo Pascal, but then I remembered a previous summer job which was completed in 6809 assembler, so me too.

Better than mine - the one before Pascal for me was Retrieve 4GL (COBOL-alike), although I did manage to squeeze in a bit of C for embedded devices (hand-held barcode scanners for stock control). I don't miss the £8k p/a salary, but I do miss those days..

I don't think C was a thing when I was doing summer jobs.

Revisiting those days in my new job, and loving it. Embedded C but with GitLab and CI instead of walking around with floppy disks.

[TheBoy]

I'm guessing a ZX Rectum?  A fine machine in its day, and great for machine code learning (in the early 80s).

Yup, a rubber keyed 48Kb.. I may or may not also have a snipe in on a +3 on eBay right now 

* aaronjb looks at the Amiga 2000 sitting in the corner

Not like I have a collection of other retro computers not getting used already. oops.

I started out with a 16k Rectum, as I had to buy it myself, and didn't get as much pocket money as the rich kids.  But having 9k (from memory) to play with did teach compact coding, and code reuse.  Still got a couple of Rectums, with microdrives, InterfaceI/II and so on. And an 81. And a QL. And an A500 Amiga.  I think I gave my last beeb to Kevin Wood.

  Did you really have one of those TB?

I bet that was painful and a load of shit

Sorry, but I just couldn't let that pass me by

The Speccy was a fine home micro.  It had some limits to make certain price points, but was pretty capable, and all the hardware was accessible from the default BASIC.