The first computer I can remember seeing was at the County Council offices over fifty years ago. I was training as a librarian and the college arranged a coach trip. We couldn't actually touch the computer: we had to look through a window from an adjacent corridor as it was in a dust-free room.
It's over thirty five years since I bought my first computer. It was a BBC one and, compared to the jobby I'm looking at now, incredibly limited. I could produce documents, play a few games and do little more.
It was 2000 that I first accessed the internet and what a revelation that was. Suddenly information which I could find only if I went to a library ten miles away, was now at my fingertips. "What's your phone number?" was gradually replaced with, "What's your email address?"
During lockdown I increased my computer skills greatly and was able to join in social events by zoom, order my groceries, learn crafts, keep abreast of the news and so much more, and I still do all those things.
I've now got a tablet and a mobile phone, both of which I use to access t'interweb, but I still like my laptop best. How about you?
I learned computer programming at Uni in the early 70s. We had one in the school where I taught in 1980. Our first "home computer " was a Sinclair ZX81 , purchased in 1981. One of my earliest Internet memories was watching the live broadcast from Rainbow warrior 2, when the French army boarded the ship. I realised I was watching history happen on the other side of the world
ReplyDeleteYes, we've all had access to history in the making in ways undreamt of by previous generations.
DeleteThe first computer I ever saw was at Suffolk College Library while I was doing a Library Assistants Certificate about 1978 It filled a whole room!
ReplyDeleteI'd be lost without my laptop now, but there are still things that I don't know how they work - I really need a computer course.
I could do with another course. I did one about twenty years ago when I was on sick leave and it was time very well spent. I have done a few update courses via WI on line.
DeleteI still have alot desk top which I use most mornings, my tablet is mainly used gor reading. My phone is yse far too much in the day.
ReplyDeleteI don't really like using my phone other than for calls but I have to use it for some apps.
DeleteOver the past 10+ years we've switched from laptops to tablets - much better battery life, none of the frustrations of Windows, more flexible to use with Wi-Fi and not being a touch typist don't miss the keyboard.
ReplyDeleteCertainly a huge change from my first experiences with mainframe computers in the early 1970s!
I use my tablet as a back up but I really prefer my laptop for most things.
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