Computers in the mid 90s

[left-of-center2012]

Around 1996 an older brother and I walked into a computer store.
Neither of us had one at that time.

We stood there trying to figure out how to turn it on and finally two boys around 6 years old came over and showed us.

We appreciated it but, once the computer was on, the boys went back to what they’d been doing elsewhere in the store.

Not knowing what to do next,
my brother and I stood there looking at the computer,
looked at each other,
and left the store,
unsure why computers were such a big deal.

[SWBTATTReg]

1. I laughed at your story (not at you or brother of course)...we had the same reaction ...

among my coworkers when we were putting the elements of the basic commercial internet in place back in the mid 1980s onwards...no one knew what in the world people would do with the internet at hand...

I don't think any of us visualized what's out there today...it's amazing!

Take care and thanks for the laugh!

[Quemado]

2. I bought my first computer in 1994.

I was 39 years old. Except for the dumb terminals I used at work, I knew nothing about personal computers. Fortunately, there was a young man who lived next door who showed me how to use a computer. It took a few days and weeks, but I ultimately learned how to use one. This was in the time of Windows 3.1 and DOS.

[murielm99]

3. I took a computer class

at a local community college in the late 1980s. We learned the parts, the terminology, and how to use the computers of those times. It was a great thing to build on.

Later, my husband was a union officer and brought home a computer that belonged to the union. My son and I figured out things on our own. It was worth the time it took.

I worked in a library at the time, and our library regional system offered training, too. I just sort of learned as I went along. I knew nothing. I learned, and it was well worth it.

[elleng]

4. LOLOL!

A few years before that (not sure when, probably more than a mere 'few,') computers made it to my office, a Federal regulatory agency in DC. After that, got one at home, and then got them for our daughters' adventures in college.

The rest, as they say, I guess, is history, but funny, I have 2 now, one for living room, one for t.v. room (my friend is an 'expert,' he refurbishes them and I benefit.) AND my daughters now may or may not actually have computers, they do have those 'smart phone' things, which I've kept away from; my phone is nice and dumb!

[shraby]

6. My first was a little appleII c. I enjoyed it immensly. Now I have 2

that I use at the same time to work on my website one win7 and one a 10, Mr. Shraby has 1 to mess around on, and I have a little laptop that has XP on it because that runs a program I use a lot.

If I had my druthers, all of mine would be XP, or 7. Two good operating systems. 10 sucks. It was not made to work on, but to buy stuff with.

[3Hotdogs]

5. '89. Office I worked in bought a Mac. Probably a 4" screen.

I turned it on and couldn't figure out another thing to do with it. Never went back to it.

[keithbvadu2]

7. My sister tried to do something on her daughter's computer but did not know how to work it.

My sister tried to do something on her daughter's computer but did not know how to work it.

Her three year old g-daughter said: No, grammy. You do this.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. I got my first computer in 1991.

I was writing and wanted the word processing aspect of a computer.

Yes!

I'm now 70, so you can do the math.

[Maeve]

9. We had a Commodore 64, sometime before Nov 1984

I remember that much because I was in early labor and Hubby was blowing up Death Stars in the Star Wars game to pass the time until we went to the birthing center....he never matched that score again (I think it was over 20 in a row...)

[blaze]

10. I think I bought my Commodore 64 in 84

And maybe a Compaq a couple years later...

I was 30 years old and bought it at the urging of my Dad (who had written an article for our local paper (in 1983) about this new way to communicate, called electronic mail.) He was all on board.

I had no idea what sage advice it was. I didn't have any formal computer education, but I learned enough to hold my own when many of my contemporaries were left behind.

Found this fun link when I was poking around: https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/1983/