Notifications
Clear all

Ron from Vancouver Island

6 Posts
3 Users
0 Likes
560 Views
Ron
 Ron
(@zander)
Father of a miniature Wookie
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 6662
Topic starter  

Hi,

I am 78, my first computer was in high school 1959. A gift from Ferranti Packard Canada, it was a teaching tool and just a simple analogue device. Output was a meter and that's all I remember. After that I had a summer job at Westinghouse and tested some pipeline computers. Then worked as an industrial electrician servicing large control panels including the new computerized versions. I then joined IBM Jan 1966 and stayed until Mar 1981. Started out as a field engineer on hardware, moved into OS support, then head office IS/IT rising to the level of Staff Analyst. Kicked around as self employed for a bit, then was head programmer at DJ Canada, then started my own consulting company and hired 2 other guys. While at IBM I beta tested the forerunner to the IBM PC called the IBM 5100. Lot's more, but that's enough.

Now I am interested in Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and miscellaneous microcontrollers like ESP-32 CAM etc.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
Quote
codecage
(@codecage)
Member Admin
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1018
 

Welcome to the DroneBot Workshop Forum!  I think you like this group of folks.

I worked for a little bit with the IBM 5100, a very little bit, but did find it quite intriguing. 

SteveG


   
ReplyQuote
Ron
 Ron
(@zander)
Father of a miniature Wookie
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 6662
Topic starter  

@codecage Cool, what location, what language?

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
ReplyQuote
codecage
(@codecage)
Member Admin
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1018
 

@ronalex4203

I went to a training class on the hardware, back in the mid 80s I think it was, somewhere in CT, but then never did much with it afterwards.  Like I said, very little!

SteveG


   
ReplyQuote
Ron
 Ron
(@zander)
Father of a miniature Wookie
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 6662
Topic starter  

@codecage I think you are thinking of something else, the 5100 was released Sep 1975 and discontinued 1976. By the mid 80-'s the PC was out and it was the IBM 5150. It was preceded by the IBM System/23 Datamaster and that was preceded by the IBM 5120 which looked a lot like the Apple Lisa. The predecessor to that was the IBM 5110 which evolved from the original 5100.

First computer 1959. Retired from my own computer company 2004.
Hardware - Expert in 1401, and 360, fairly knowledge in PC plus numerous MPU's and MCU's
Major Languages - Machine language, 360 Macro Assembler, Intel Assembler, PL/I and PL1, Pascal, Basic, C plus numerous job control and scripting languages.
Sure you can learn to be a programmer, it will take the same amount of time for me to learn to be a Doctor.


   
ReplyQuote
frogandtoad
(@frogandtoad)
Member
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 1458
 

@ronalex4203

Posted by: @ronalex4203

@codecage I think you are thinking of something else, the 5100 was released Sep 1975 and discontinued 1976. By the mid 80-'s the PC was out and it was the IBM 5150. It was preceded by the IBM System/23 Datamaster and that was preceded by the IBM 5120 which looked a lot like the Apple Lisa. The predecessor to that was the IBM 5110 which evolved from the original 5100.

You could both be right!

I know of big financial companies that I've worked for, which were still using internal NT3 and NT4 legacy networks beyond 2010, and probably still there 🙂


   
ReplyQuote