Just In Case Youd Forgotten . . .

[Buenchico]

. . . here's how to send an email. (Easy peasy!)

[Buenchico]

. . . and I seem to have forgotten about how to use apostrophes!

[Denton]

Is it Mr Chumonley-Warner from "The Fast Show" lol

[andy-hughes]

Wow, it looks archaic!

I remember starting work at Post Office Telephones in 1974, and someone telling me that we would be able to walk into Woolworths, buy a phone, take it home and plug it in, and we laughed at the sheer novelty of the idea.

I also remember being fascinated at the first fax machine we had, and I saw the first video phones which were horrendously expansive, and really dodgy in terms of picture and sounds.

I also saw my very first mobile phone - it pre-dated the 'bricks', it was like a field telephone, attached to a huge battery in a big black heavy carry case.

Now look where we are … and going ...

[woofgang]

Around 15 years ago, many of our staff had no computer at home and smartphones were not around. I used to be a manager in the NHS and our Trust put on a WHOLE DAY's mandatory training on how to log in to a computer and send an email. I refused to send any of our staff and took one person a day in my coffee break instead...but it wasn't a dial up collection. Does anyone else remember the European Computer Driving Licence? Another load of old toot that the NHS tried to make mandatory.

[woofgang]

Andy I had one of those field telephone mobiles in America. it plugged into the car's power socket.

[Denton]

Anyone remember Telex Machines,my Boss said it was quicker than the phone.!!

[Cloverjo]

I’ve still got a fax machine.

[Buenchico]

The ECDL still exists Woofgang!
https://www.distance-learning-centre.co.uk/products/168/european-computer-driving-licence--ecdl--online-course.htm

Back in 1986 (when the video in my post dates from) we'd have been using BBC Model B computers in the school computer room (because individual school departments, such as our Maths department, didn't have their own) and initially storing all data onto cassette tapes. (It was around that time though that we got our hands on a Research Machines 380Z, with a massive 64KB of memory, to use a server to connect all of the BBC machines together).

Going further back still, when I was at college (in the early 70s) we started learning computer programming with Fortran IV but quickly switched to BASIC. Everything had to be put onto punched cards and then posted (by snail mail!) to the polytechnic, to be run on their computer (because we hadn't got our own). We then had to wait for the printouts to be posted back to us, usually only showing that we'd typed something incorrectly onto a punched card, so that we had to start back at the beginning again!

[Prudie]

I remember the ECDL - I was in MOD and it was considered the big deal qualification to have to 'get on'. I started in 92, no computers, everything was hand written and had to be copied via carbon paper. anything formal had to be given to the typist to do.

[Cloverjo]

I was excited to get my ZX Spectrum with 32k

[Prudie]

OMG, I was teaching maths and computing in 86 - on a RM 380Z!

[Toorak]

Crikey - I remember that. Punched cards to use in spss. Even before that inputting codes to a cassette for analysis.

[albaqwerty]

I loved Telex machines, receiving one always reminded me of the football results coming in on Saturday afternoon telly :-D

[Tuvok]

Not only is ECDL stil on the go, so is Advanced ECDL (one for each of the Microsoft Office programmes.

I don't have any of them - got a proper computer qualification.

I too did Fortran and BASIC. Also did Pascal and Cobol.

[Toorak]

My first PC was a bbc - green text on a black background :-(

[Buenchico]

Wow! All of 32K, Clover!

The first computer I bought, back in the 1980s, was an Atari ST1024. It cost me around £200 but the DTP program I bought to go with it (PageStream) cost me a further £250. That DTP program came on around a dozen floppy disks (most of which just had the fonts on them, as the program itself only needed a handful of floppies). However it could do almost everything that the latest version of Quark Xpress can, which needs 2GB of disk space (plus 2GB of RAM)!

[andy-hughes]

woofgang - // Does anyone else remember the European Computer Driving Licence? Another load of old toot that the NHS tried to make mandatory. //

I did the first part at college on day release from work a few years ago, passed it, but never bothered with the second part. I retired three years ago, so I don't think I'll bother now!

[albaqwerty]

I get the feeling that anyone under the age of 30 will be wondering what on earth we're talking about lol

[andy-hughes]

Denton - // Anyone remember Telex Machines,my Boss said it was quicker than the phone.!! //

I remember it best for our local telex boffin at BT who advised me the memorable request Teddy Boys used when they wanted to ask a lady for a dance - "Scuse me darlin, can I borrow your frame for the next struggle?"

Wonderful!

[woofgang]

Our first computer was a Dragon 32, then a Beeb Master, then an Epson, then an IBM, after that various PC's. About 12 years ago I got a Mac and that was that.