The Gray Monk

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November 09, 2003

New Toys

Being new to the art of "blogging" is something of a challenge, not least in wondering what the heck to muse over. Strange isn't it, that only a matter of 16 years or so ago, my closest encounter with a computer was a small and rather primitive desk top that ran off a cassette tape and used a portable television as a display screen. As you had to write your own programmes for this object of desire, I was a non-starter on it!

Later, my employers bought one - it sat (for most of us lurked!) in an office and again, it needed someone who could write the magic programme or it just sat there. That was an Apple MacIntosh - some would say moving up in the world, but it may as well have been a stone chisel for all the use it was to most of us.

Then I moved to the UK, and Lo! My new employer proudly showed me the new computer he expected me to use in my work! An Amstrad 1640 with all of 16 MB of disk space. It took me several days, a demo and much swearing as I read the impenetrable gibbersih of the manuals to eventually be able to produce some documents in the word processing programme. It took about another six months to master the basic spread sheet in it! Technophobe? Me? I hate to say this, but by the time I left there after two short years, I was hooked. Utterly dependent, can't work without it now!

The next step was to master the technical programmes for analysis of sprinkler systems, gas extinguishing systems and the like! Oh joy, Oh Rupture! More hours of sweating, swearing and crashing programmes. This was a gigantic mainframe based system - and it didn't have the sort of memory that the average laptop now carries!

Moving swiftly on! The next hurdle was the internet. Well ........

Ever wondered what we would do if it all came crashing down and stopped working? Even for a couple of days?

Doesn't bear thinking about! I have enough trouble just trying to find the files I know I have created, without worrying about what I'd do if I couldn't retrieve them ever again.

And so, to sleep, perchance to dream.

Posted by The Gray Monk at November 9, 2003 05:02 PM

Comments

Posted by: Ozguru at June 9, 2005 11:38 PM

Posted by: Tig at June 10, 2005 11:26 PM