Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to You're not the only fogey in these parts

First real computer
Tom Brosz — (archived)

I bought an AutoCAD PC-AT setup for my design business when I was starting out. Two monitors, the works.

AT-286 Enhanced: $3,995 (!)
256K of RAM: $495
80287 Math Chip: $375
Monochrome Hercules adapter: $250
Monochrome display (orange!): $275

Flatbed pen plotter, legal size: $2,295

AutoCAD: $2,000

CMI 20 MB hard drive: $1,595(!!!)

Aydin 8836 High-Res color monitor
(actually capable of 1024 x 1024): $2,560

Control Systems Artist 1 board,
actually capable of driving that monitor through four cables: $2,310

With other crap thrown in, the total was about $13,400.

It was the biggest investment I had ever made in myself, and I had to finance it like a new car. Was paying for it for years.

I later added an AboveBoard AT, which, with a huge full-slot board and daughter board attached, gave me a whopping additional 2 MB of RAM. $370.00.

This was 1985.

I could probably find a computer matching this power now at Toys R Us, and it would have a picture of Barney the Dinosaur on it. Calculators I paid hundreds of dollars for can be found on keychains.

I don't think anyone has a real good idea of exactly how much low-cost, powerful computers have done for this country's economy in the past couple of decades. I appreciate the hell out of it. I wish everybody did.

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