Computers in my Childhood (and beyond)

Last update: May 29, 2006

Beginning

In 1982 I heard about Computer Science and saw a computer for the first time. It was a Sharp MZ-80K and I wrote my first programs on it. Since then I am hooked on computers.

Although I had to load BASIC from a tape (it took around 5 minutes if you were lucky and no checksum errors were found) and then load my programs from another tape, I enjoyed a lot programming games. My first program was a visual effect of a flight through a Star Wars-like trench. Well, I did not even understand a "for" sentence so I did it by drawing each line of each frame... point by point (fortunately, the "high" resolution of MZ-80K was 80x50. However, the wanted speed effect was not achieved: The computer was so slow that you could see how it drew each line. After that, I programmed "Duelo" (Duel) a game in which you had to shot down your opponent, very simple. Then "Zona de Combate" (Combat Zone), a "shoot'em up" about defending a four-cannon base from bomber fighters; it included explosions, semi-concurrent techniques, and FX. By that time, the most sofisticated arcade game was Pac-Man. It is a pity that I don't have any listing of those program (if so, I would even reprogram them in Java now), but without a printer, to put the listings in writting by hand was a too challenging task.

Raise

That was the year in which the so called home computers began to invade our lifes. I spent hours programming games on a Commodore Vic20 in a commercial center ("El Corte Ingles") where people could mess around with some computers. Of course I had to begin each time from scratch (I was not allowed to save my programs). In that place I saw for my very first time a high resolution picture (amazing !!).

One year later, and after spending a lot of time looking at its photo in a magazine, I bought (I mean, my dear father did) the star home computer of those years, the ZX Spectrum 48K , the great hit of who created the first million-selling micro, the 1K computer ZX81 , a succesor of ZX80 . There was a serious rival for the Spectrum, an amazing machine from Commodore called Commodore 64 , the "son" of Vic20; you could get better hardware but more expensive, you could buy up to two Spectrums with the money needed for one Commodore 64 (well, I didn't do that; too early for computer networks). Other computer that I tried in those times is the Dragon 32 . By then, there was the first attempt to built compatible computers from different companies which could run the same software: the MSX computers (as example, the Spectravideo SVI-728 ).

I wasted five years with my dear Spectrum, getting a lot of pirate programs (more than 800) and knowing very cool guys hooked like me on computers. Every weekend I used to go to a computer shop and they let me copy a lot of games. I also interchanged a lot of games with other people. Those were the golden years of home computers. During five years most of the commercial games were developed for the Spectrum; no changes in hardware or SO. So, programmers had time to know that machine to its very internal details and made marvellous things on a Spectrum; they even got to create great songs with its shity buzzer, as the 2-channel emulation performed in the music of the game Fairlight, or the amazing 3-channel emulation of Vectron. Same evolution happened about C64; check out some music from Super Huey, Firelord, Bionic Commando, Ghouls 'n' Ghosts and Ramparts (1, 2) (samples have been created with sid2wav).

At high school, things changed too since 1984. As Computer Science was considered a new subject, we got a a printer (good!) and new set of computers, five NorthStar Advantage (with CP/M as OS, and two 5 1/4 drives, wow! no more tapes!!) and five Lynx , a not very popular home computer (but it included colorful graphics!!) from the company Camputers (yeah, with "a"). Man, who chose those computer models for high schools? whoever they were, next year decided to send us new computers when we just had no time to use the Advantage and Lynx. The new computers were ten (IBM PC compatible!) Televideo TS-803 . The reign of the PC compatible computers had come. In those years a new great home computer entered the battlefield, the Amstrad CPC 464 , which included monitor and integrated cassette; the CPC 664 model replaced the cassette by a floppy drive.

Decadence & Fall

The golden years at high school passed by and my dear Sharp MZ-80K was left behind in a forgotten corner of the computer room. In 1987, one year after beginning my studies on Computer Science at the university, I stopped the time-consuming task of recollecting Spectrum programs. I do not know if it was the real cause for the spectacular crash of Sinclair (the QL was the real beginning of the end). I even sold my dear Spectrum for 60 euros. The reason for this miserable action was the huge space I needed for all these programs, books, magazines, etc, about Spectrum (Ok, it was a bad action anyway).

In 1988 I bought a Commodore 64c very cheap (my second dream came true) though it was a very primitive computer in those days. I also bought a 1571 driver to discard the pain of using tapes. And the same story began again. More programs, more friends. 400 programs in two years but it was very difficult to find people with C64 programs. The new star computer, mouse-enabled, was the Commodore Amiga 500 , with another rival, Atari 520 ST (one more time the same story); Meanwhile PC's were invading the battlefield of home computers.

At university I continued using computers but almost only for "serious" purposes; you know, studies, research, publications, teaching, etc. The computers I used in those years were a VAX-11/750 and a MicroVAX II from and an HP 9000/300 (through facit and vt220 terminals), and some PCs with double 5 1/4 drives (no hard disk yet!!). And after getting the B.S. in 1992, my experience with computers got reduced to the use of powerful workstations, and a Macintosh Quadra to draw figures and diagrams, until we began using PCs some years later.

I stopped again recollecting C64 games when I did not have time to waste in program catching. Fortunately my C64 continues living in the wardrobe, no more betrayal for a fist of euros. Everynow and again I spent some time developing some game or application just to learn some new programming technique/language, mainly in Turbo Pascal, for instance, 3D View (a 3D visor of 3D figures) and Seeker (a game based on heat seekers missiles). From time to time I looked for some concrete program for PC or Sun but you know what I mean. I missed that time in which you could program a lot of funny games, play the old good games (instead of that crappy PC games full of good graphics and sound but boring after the second game), etc. Bad times for true gamers.

A light at the end of the tunnel

Things never remains the same, nor even bad things. The world of computers changes very quickly and, suddenly, Internet was there. Of course, I really got hooked in ftp-ing images of my favourite movies, screenplays, sounds, games, etc, almost everything you always wanted to get was out there. And then the Web arises silently in the mid 90's, and the world changes forever. No more list of ftp server addresses: search and navigate the Web was (is) really easy and funny. Do you have something you are proud of? OK, make it public; come on, man, show the world your little treasure. That is the Web. At the same time, due to new generation of PCīs, some games were a real shock to me: X-wing (and later Tie Fighter); man, I never saw such a simulation and atmosphere in a Spectrum game (sorry, Speccy).

And finally (or as a consequence) Java arises and everybody gets crazy. It seems like everybody only do Java programming in the Web, applets for everything. Platform-independent games and applications. I felt an excitation that I did not feel since a long time ago. Concerning hardware, hi-res graphics with true color, hi-fi music, ...no way, I love computers.

And the best surprise: emulators. Do you miss your old computer? do you feel guilty because you sold your Spectrum? how much will you pay for trying again that old game? do not worry, you can go back into your memories... and for free. Arcades (I almost cry after listening to the well-known music of the original Moon Cresta 20 years later), video consoles, old computers, and almost all the games of the old golden days are now available on your PC. Nothing is lost if we can emulate it. Man, I never imagined myself playing again the SAME games ten years later, even directly on the web. Not only watch the same, but also hear the same. Sound emulations like the marvellous Sidplay, an emulator of the musical chip of the C64. Sorry for not providing more URLīs but they change very fast. Nothing is perfect, not even the Web; at least by now.

In 2005 I saw a Spectrum 48K in good shape in a flea market. I paid 6 euros just to compensate myself for mine in the past. At home, I checked it out ... and it worked perfectly!! now my (new) speccy and C-64c rest together, at last.

And What About Now?

Well, now I am happy. Computers give me all I always wanted a computer should give me. Internet and the Web provides you of everything. Present, past and future, just a click far from you. And the best thing, what the hell is going to happen in the next ten years ? the answer is: letīs wait and see.

THE END ?