Version: 2008

Comments on: Do you remember where you were when this happened?

IBM's entry into the personal computer business on this date in 1981 was a signal event in the history of business and technology. And since then? Oh, a few items of note.

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by Penguinisto August 12, 2008 5:04 PM PDT
AOL (...otherwise known as: the day that USENET began to die).

Yahoo! was born (back when you had to manually enter your own damned website entries instead of waiting for a spider to find you).

Quake and the advent of online 3d gaming
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by dapakapa August 12, 2008 5:09 PM PDT
You're chronology of events is all whacked out... After 25 years of writing technology Charles, you might be getting alzheimer's...
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by g8crapachino August 12, 2008 5:31 PM PDT
The list wasn't meant to be chronologically accurate. But if you're going to be anal retentive enough to make a big deal about accuracy why don't you provide the corrections rather then leave an otherwise vague and useless post?
by gerrrg August 12, 2008 5:28 PM PDT
I wasn't waiting in line, that's for sure. But I did eventually get to use these, and learned to program in Basic. :D

Can you say, TRS-80?
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by iceman91737 August 12, 2008 5:47 PM PDT
You left out modems. And not the nice internal ones still made today. I'm talking about the external box with the big red button that I had to hit after I heard a carrier on the phone I dial manually. Oh yeah, that reminds me. You forgot BBSs. Most software was freeware back then too. Heck, it wasn't even complied. ;-)

Can you say TRS-80 Color Computer?
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by christieng777 August 12, 2008 6:32 PM PDT
And what about the famous Commodore: Vic-20, C-64 C-128, the Amiga?

We had a C-64 and it still amazes me what could be done with 64K of RAM!
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by dapakapa August 12, 2008 6:38 PM PDT
When Larry and Sergey were dressed in their Buster Browns and scratching out their future plans of world domination on the Etch-a-Scetches, I was buying my first computer: a Mac 512, 8mhz with no hard drive; you had to load the system each time you powered up, with single sided floppies. But 20 minutes later it was well worth it... the graphical UI was revolutionary and Windows was no where in sight. Steve Jobs wore a bow tie back then and smiled a lot more. And as time has proven, even back then, he was still the smartest guy in the room.
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by Lastly August 12, 2008 6:49 PM PDT
I wa sitting @ Bernie's and all of those people were talking to me :)
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by ewelch August 12, 2008 6:57 PM PDT
Where was I during this time?

Iowa, Oregon, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Oregon, Arizona, Oregon, Missouri, Oregon, Missouri, California.

:-D
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by GlennAllen August 12, 2008 7:14 PM PDT
Everything on the first Mac came from Xerox PARC... mouse, GUI, and all.
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by mrobmsu August 12, 2008 7:28 PM PDT
iPhone? ;)
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by slaphost August 12, 2008 8:25 PM PDT
bulletin boards ? Internet 0.0 :D
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by Galaxy5 August 12, 2008 8:40 PM PDT
Working on my Apple //c and Apple ///.
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by Galaxy5 August 12, 2008 8:41 PM PDT
Correction: i was playing Flight Simulator on my Apple //c and writing school papers in AppleWorks.
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by alchemistmuffin August 12, 2008 9:15 PM PDT
The invention of the iPhone......

The day that changed the mobile industry forever....

I was at school when they announced it.....
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by TWNZ August 12, 2008 10:10 PM PDT
http://www.thoughtware.co.nz/pages/1982.htm
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by CindyFW August 13, 2008 6:09 AM PDT
This list sounds like possible lyrics to the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start the Fire". I'm sure someone creative can come up with something...or send it to Billy!
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by Stephen Russell August 13, 2008 7:13 AM PDT
Compuserve before the internet. BBS, The menu as a program, dialup, broadband, wifi
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by benjaminstraight August 13, 2008 8:19 AM PDT
I was two. So I was probably eating cheerios.
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by debjouette August 13, 2008 8:57 AM PDT
I was one month and three days away from conceiving my oldest son. He' 26 now. Married with a beautiful wife and Grandson My husband (R.I.P.) has passed away since then but before his grandson was conceived. My Grandson turned 3 on Aug. 4th 08'. My 26 years old son has his own computer business. ty / dj41308
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by dustinsoftware August 14, 2008 7:54 AM PDT
how the hell did ipods come before cd-roms?
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (23 Comments)
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About Coop's Corner

Charles Cooper has covered technology and business for more than 25 years. A graduate of Queens College and Columbia University, Cooper received the Excellence in Journalism award from the Northern California branch of the Society for Professional Journalists for column writing.

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