Really?

[Brissles]

I'm not a great fan of Lee Holbein (he speaks but says nothing), HOWEVER, he has just said on the morning show that he's been in the computer industry for 25 years. Ok, that takes us back to 1990. Well, thinking back to my working years, I'm really struggling to remember computers in the office back then, when I was still banging away on an Olympus typewriter - although I do remember something called a 'C' system whereby it was white text on a blue background, - but thought that was more mid 90's.

I don't want to misjudge Holbein but is he being economical with the truth ?

 

[Sazza]

I'm not a great fan of Lee Holbein (he speaks but says nothing), HOWEVER, he has just said on the morning show that he's been in the computer industry for 25 years. Ok, that takes us back to 1990. Well, thinking back to my working years, I'm really struggling to remember computers in the office back then, when I was still banging away on an Olympus typewriter - although I do remember something called a 'C' system whereby it was white text on a blue background, - but thought that was more mid 90's.

I don't want to misjudge Holbein but is he being economical with the truth ?

Yes it is possible.

My dad worked in computers from the 60s and the first PC's appeared in late 70s, early 80s.

 

[Tiddlywinks]

I remember we had computers in the mid 80s - in fact, our typist resigned because she couldn't face the transition from her electronic typewriter to using a word processor.

 

[stratobuddy]

I worked with computers since 1968, and they were well established by then.

But they were huge, cost millions in today's money, and needed air conditioned rooms.

 

[Miss Grumpy]

Yes, I remember using desk top computers before 1984. They had horribly unfriendly screens with green writing, used language only programmers understood, and to do fairly basic typing you had sometimes to hold down three keys at once...The words Control Shift Alt were burned in my head, and fingers.

As a trained Pitman shorthand typist, I despised the things, as they were mainly used by men who poked them with two fingers instead of ten, earned ten times what women did, wore white socks with jeans, were all called Dave, and were strangers to both girlfriends and fresh air.

I hated computers so much that I refused to have one until three years ago, when I got a Mac laptop and fell deeply in love with it.

 

[Sazza]

I worked with computers since 1968, and they were well established by then.

But they were huge, cost millions in today's money, and needed air conditioned rooms.

Indeed they were huge!

 

[shopperholic]

Ah yes, the old computers I remember them well, you had to remove a window to get them inside they're were that big but yes agree with Brissels too, if your employer could get away without making your life easier they will.........but I'm sure someone will comeback and say how amazing their employer was :mysmilie_17:

 

[countrymaid]

I worked with computers since 1968, and they were well established by then.

But they were huge, cost millions in today's money, and needed air conditioned rooms.

Oh boy! That takes me back to my job in the late '60's. The computer system had it all - massive amount of space, air conditioning, air filtration and the rest of us were in cramped, hot offices. I think our system was made by Frieden - long gone!

 

[candycane]

I remember temping back in the 80"s and one place I went had a computer and no one knew how to use it. I taught myself by lunchtime but the only thing was they didn't have a printer so I could not print the dozens of letters I had typed. Apparently they thought the PC had an integrated printer:mysmilie_17:

CC

 

[PrussianRed]

Oh goodness, they've been around for yonks, but the wide use of individual desktop machines is more recent. I did my degree in computing in the early 1980's when desktop PCs were coming in, but large mainframes were present in many companies. OH (several years older than me) started in the early 1970's.

 

[boffy]

yes local authorities and civil service have had them for years very early 80's and i suspect late 70's

 

[stratobuddy]

Oh boy! That takes me back to my job in the late '60's. The computer system had it all - massive amount of space, air conditioning, air filtration and the rest of us were in cramped, hot offices. I think our system was made by Frieden - long gone!

I worked in a building specially built for the computer, so the whole building was airconditioned.

The office area was much too cold, and nothing could be done about it because of the computer's requirements.

So I brought in lots of 1-gallon metal petrol cans, filled them with boiling water from the tea-making urn, and arranged them in the footwell under my desk, so at least my feet and legs were warm.

Once I'd "invented" this heating system, other staff then did the same.

It was nice to be cool in the hot summer though.

The height of modernity in the office was a large digital clock. But none of the modern LED displays were available, it had cardboard numbers which just flipped over to show the time lol.

 

[historymystery]

As an ex-Civil Serpent(!) I once went on a visit to a major establishment (no names mentioned) and we were allowed into the room to see "the computer" (a huge deal then). As you say, it filled a whole big room, made clunking noises and I've never forgotten it - I was totally impressed at the time! Ok, this was many years ago and I refuse to divulge how many years ago on the grounds that it might incriminate me, but it was so strange to not only see the tons of hardware in this room but also to feel air-conditioning which was blowing a force 9 gale through the room. Few offices had it then and in summer you just opened the windows and sweltered.

I worked with computers since 1968, and they were well established by then.

But they were huge, cost millions in today's money, and needed air conditioned rooms.

 

[Moth]

Ah, memories! I was in junior school in the mid-80s and I remember when they installed our first computer network in my class house room. MSX computers with colour screens! All served from a "Winchester" disk housed in a black case the size of a tea chest. It was awesome at the time! And I still have my 1984 vintage Amstrad CPC It was bought for my brother as I was only 7 at the time, but he only ever played games. After a period of standing watching, I started coding my own

 

[Hippygirl]

We had a laptop in 1991. It was HUGE compared to laptops today and very heavy but at the time was cutting edge technology.

 

[stratobuddy]

I bought my first PC about 1991, it cost about £3,500 with the big bulky screen.

It has long gone to the recycling dump, as has my 2nd one.

I'm still using 2 desktops, one is a QVC TSV HP 23inch touch screen, but now running extremely slowly and has loads of annoying quirks eg messages constantly popping up from HP. I use the much older one because it runs Win XP, the best IMO.

I also have a laptop (from QVC some years ago), hardly ever used, an ipad (used every day) and a convertible 10inch tablet/netbook, from QVC, hardly ever used as I don't like Win 8.1, or Win 10 that I've recently downloaded.

 

[Lady Madonna]

My hubby worked on Mainframe computers in the 1970's. Floors full of tape drives,and disk drives. Councils, universities and a TV company were his sites.

 

[yorkrose26]

I had a speccy!

Yes it is entirely feasible as from a domestic point of view I had a spectrum 48K (I know shocking amount of ram) way back in 1984 and that is well over 25 years ago, so yes it is entirely feasible, what isn't entirely feasible though is flogging another fruity TSV for way above the asking price just because of the so called 'extras'!

 

[Tinkerbelle]

I can't remember what computer I was using in 1986 but I definitely remember using floppy discs as they were so susceptible to static charges wiping all the days from the disc!! The word processor might have been WordPerfect. I also temped as a Wang Operator in the late 80s which was more of a dedicated word processor.

 

[miss molly]

I was not listening to a word he said I was looking at his hair on the VT, the quiff was huge and I thought bless he is trying really hard to be trendy.