Old computers - how did they do it?

**Matt1eD** · 10-04-2005, 10:02 PM

I was doing a search (I must be the only person who does it) and it came up with this

**zaphod** · 11-04-2005, 12:43 AM

Ive got an IBM laptop with 16mb ram, 100Mb HDD `486Dx and wait for it..an orange plasma screen that would burn your retina off you even if you had sun glasses on!

EDIT: must put up some pics

**joshwa** · 11-04-2005, 10:27 AM

cool - the slowest computer i'm using now is a p2-233 laptop with 164mb ram, and windows 2000 - i use it for wireless internet access, and a bit of dreamweaver,

does the job even though it's got a 12" 800x600 screen

**Zak33** · 11-04-2005, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by joshwa

How could people have used computers so slow?!?

better question for you Josh.....how did people WRITE SUCH GOOD SOFTWARE with such small ram and low cpu power?

Dont wanna sound TOO OLD here, but Elite on Spectrum....in 48k.....with coluor and sound....
I mean...

HOW!!!!!??

a driver for a modem is bigger than that....a WORD DOCUMENT is bigger!!!!!

That was an entire 3d gaming engine AND trading engine AND Universe...!!!!!

**DavidM** · 11-04-2005, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by Nox

how can you class an amstrad as serious?

Nox

The CPC was quite a decent machine - specially when using CPM - which had some great utils at the time.

**DavidM** · 11-04-2005, 02:42 PM

ZAK - indeed... and in less space than Windows uses for a poxy calculator?

That is the difference betweenn REAL programming - and using compilers.... Imagine what companies could do these days if they trained people to actually program in assembley code?

**zaphod** · 12-04-2005, 11:46 PM

True but imagine how long development would actually take in assembly..it would be so very efficent but time and money consuming. Thats amazing how 48k could include so much zak..think thats 384000 bits(?)..so small!

**pumpman** · 13-04-2005, 12:03 AM

from first to last
commodore 64 im not including games consoles like the intlellivision jobbie
wife
kids
pentium 120 with 1.2 gig hard drive this machine is still running at my Aunts house
amd t bird 1 gig system still running
amd xp2800 system still running
loads of shuttles
amd64 3200 system with 6800 ultra
back to shuttle sn85
back to amd64 3000 winnie to be watercooled
to be continued

**iranu** · 13-04-2005, 12:21 AM

My dad still uses a P90 as a server and 2x 133Mhz machines plus an old laptop for his mountain bike lap timing business, Timelaps. (yes the website does need an update graphically, but all the info is there) Edit: view in IE

for best results.

The lap timing software was written specifically and runs fine from dos. He even has a spare Olivetti 386sx for an extra PC when needed!!

All he does is transfer the results from the P90 (win 3.11) on floppy to his home PC (built by yours truly) and then updates the website so the results are up within a few hours of the finish of the races. Still the best in the biz.

**DavidM** · 13-04-2005, 12:22 AM

Originally Posted by zaphod

True but imagine how long development would actually take in assembly..it would be so very efficent but time and money consuming. Thats amazing how 48k could include so much zak..think thats 384000 bits(?)..so small!

49152 to be exact - not including any memory taken out for the screen (6912 bytes typically on the 48K Spectrum)

**englishpremier** · 13-04-2005, 01:17 AM

i used to have a 386 with 4mb ram and 2 40mb hdds. those were the days. used to play 4d sports boxing 1.4mb and wing commander. Later upgraded to a 486dx33 some of the older games were too quick so i had to turn the turbo button off.

**Butcher** · 13-04-2005, 01:20 AM

Originally Posted by Zak33

Dont wanna sound TOO OLD here, but Elite on Spectrum....in 48k.....with coluor and sound....
I mean...

HOW!!!!!??

Funny you should mention that... I work with the guy who did the speccy port of Elite.

My first was a speccy (if that counts), first PC was an 8088, it was **** slow, 4.7MHz of pure power and a massive 20MB HDD.

**DavidM** · 13-04-2005, 01:45 AM

The chap from Torus software? Their work on Gyron (I think i've got the name right?) was pretty incredible as well!

**oralpain** · 13-04-2005, 09:18 AM

My commodore 64 was slow, but at the time there was nothing really faster to compaire it to.

I have a 486 DX 33MHz and it is just as fast for word processing as my 2.53Ghz Athlon 64, it just looks less pritty while doing it. It boots faster as well, just to PC-DOS 7 instead of windows 2000.

**DavidM** · 13-04-2005, 10:00 AM

The C64's 6502 was 1Mhz - as compared to the Spectrum's z80 at 3.5~Mhz ... although sometimes one did have the edge over the other in performance....

**ywouldi** · 13-04-2005, 11:54 AM

You lot!

Ben

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