Windows 10 – A Warning

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Pegasus computer using a Friden Flexowriter for the 5 hole paper tape input.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

When I got to university in 1981, I was horrified to discover I was expected to use punched cards on the Honeywell 6080*, having been spoiled by exposure to Acorn and Sinclair machines.

I discovered that signing up for an evening Pascal course brought an unlimited account AND let me get access to the remote consoles. All that was left was hacking the job size limits (I suspect I know how I did it (submit everything as 'Jumbo' to run overnight and collect four reams of line printer output in the morning) – I didn't break under interrogation!) Sadly User VB4 (password RATTUS) seems ton have been delete during the 1990s although it lasted a good while

Next treat was when they bought in one of the first batch of Sirius PC clones, Must have taken me several days to get onto those.

Main achievements: completing Colossal Cave, being crap at Star Trek and sussing out the F0RTRAN GHOST graphics extension before the lecturers

Neil

*1MIPS – approximately the same as the BBC Model B one of my flatmates in 82/83 had.

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 30/03/2016 14:46:30

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

It's the change in hardware costs which has been amazing

I sold a 2 bedroom flat in 1993 for 30k and used 2k to get a new DOS computer, so it cost 7% of the cost of a home. 16mb ram, p90, 1gig HDD

The same flat is now 100k+ while a top of the line surface pro is about 500quid

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

All this talk of computers– All we had was a biro & a slide rule

But try telling kids of today that- they would never believe you !!!

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 30/03/2016 15:26:41:

All this talk of computers– All we had was a biro & a slide rule

But try telling kids of today that- they would never believe you !!!

Came across my slide rule in a draw a few weeks back decided to have a play and yes 55 years later some of it came back

H

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

I had a Nascom that used a Z80 processor. Going back to MS some one notice that the OS wasn't re enterent. Fixed in under a month. I think I still have it somewhere along with a termiprinter. Several of us bought termiprinters at the same time. Mine turned out to be the only one with a problem – had to replace one of the hammer drives.

**LINK**

Printer prices are amazing too. A man from Brother just turned up and repaired our colour laser. Looks like the hot roller overheated due to a manufacturing fault. Cost circa £200 with fax, photo copier, wifi, network, usb ……. Relatively a well used may have faults termiprinter costed more.

John

–

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Posted by Ady1 on 30/03/2016 15:05:19:

…..a top of the line surface pro is about 500quid

Try £1800 for a top end SP4

[Mark CParticipant @markc]

Biro, what's that then? Some sort of new fangled quill pen…… i prefer good old fashioned hammer and chisel

Mark

[An OtherParticipant @another21905]

Russel Eberhart,

You are right, Russell – I actually meant that the machine did not use TTL. I have tucked away in a drawer somewhere 3 or 4 of the precursors to TTL Logic – They look like 74TTL, but about 20 times bigger. Each block contains a logic circuit built up from discrete components, then encapsulated. I think the ones I have are NAND gates (a SINGLE gate in each block, but I'm not sure, because the blocks are unmarked, I also have two of the very first transistors manufactured by Bell Labs after Shockley invented the things. They are top hat shaped, about 1cm diameter. (PNP)

Some of the kids nowadays don't know what computing is () – To get our 803 going, I once had to drive from Malvern to RAF Brize Norton to collect a set of batteries which where used to start the thing up – We later found out (from the markings on them), that the batteries had come from one of the first Concordes.

We eventually ended up with two 803s. We had a Welsh guy working with us (I won't identify him to save him and me some embarrassment). He played the bagpipes as a hobby, and wrote a 'playable' bridge program which ran on the 803 in 1Kx18bit memory (all our 803 had). Most of it was transcribed to 5-digit tape using a hand-punch. Hardly surprising that I think ALL modern software should be re-named Bloatware. I can sympathise with Mark C and his Mark 1 Hammer and Chisel. Surface Pro? Whats that? Sounds like something used by a plasterer. (Don't Flame me, I know what it is )

Anyone remember the Atari 260 and 512 computers (Motorola 68000), which used an early version of the original Windows spec.? (not the Gates rubbish).

[john swift 1Participant @johnswift1]

next to my PC's monitor I have a Mullard NORBIT 2 series 2NOR60 – twin 4 input NOR gate

made with discrete components assembled on a potted PCB

24V logic has better noise immunity than TTL logic

John

[Steve WithnellParticipant @stevewithnell34426]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 30/03/2016 14:44:16:

Main achievements: completing Colossal Cave, being crap at Star Trek and sussing out the F0RTRAN GHOST graphics extension before the lecturers

Neil

I'm still lost in a maze of twisty little passages…Plugh! [does not work here]

Steve

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by An Other on 30/03/2016 19:23:53:

Anyone remember the Atari 260 and 512 computers (Motorola 68000), which used an early version of the original Windows spec.? (not the Gates rubbish).

There was a WIMP environment for the BBC Micro (+ AMX Mouse).

Can anyone else remember what WIMP stands for?

Neil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Windows

Icons

Menu [or was it Mouse?]

Pointer

… Brought to life by Xerox, I believe

MichaelG.

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

Initially on the IBM presentation manager. A much disputed fact.

John

–

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 30/03/2016 20:20:03:

Can anyone else remember what WIMP stands for?

 

These days? Weakly Interacting Massive Particle.

You put an acronym down for 5 minutes, turn your back  and someone else grabs it and redefines it.

 

Edited By Bandersnatch on 30/03/2016 22:51:00

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

Posted by An Other on 30/03/2016 19:23:53:

Anyone remember the Atari 260 and 512 computers (Motorola 68000), which used an early version of the original Windows spec.? (not the Gates rubbish).

Why do people insist on rubbishing windows. It is an operating system used by the world. It has been marketed in the most expert way. It does what most people want it to do. In the first instance as a shallow operating system it is not that difficult to use. It will do a lot more, if people actually learned how to use it fully.- One could go on but I think you get the drift

Or is it that people are just jealous of success?

[MalcBParticipant @malcb52554]

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 31/03/2016 07:19:17:

Posted by An Other on 30/03/2016 19:23:53:

Anyone remember the Atari 260 and 512 computers (Motorola 68000), which used an early version of the original Windows spec.? (not the Gates rubbish).

Why do people insist on rubbishing windows. It is an operating system used by the world. It has been marketed in the most expert way. It does what most people want it to do. In the first instance as a shallow operating system it is not that difficult to use. It will do a lot more, if people actually learned how to use it fully.- One could go on but I think you get the drift

Or is it that people are just jealous of success?

I can only agree with this and Michael Walters earlier post. Why are people rubbishing world class software like Windows 10.

I have Windows 10 on my home use works computer, my laptop and my own home PC. After having Vista, windows 7 and Windows 8 previously, the 10 is a much welcome upgrade. I really like 10 with the exception of the much limited mail system, but i put that down to clever Microsoft marketting pushing you towards Wimdows Office. I have W Office 2016 Pro anyway so Outlook deals with bulk email sending i need, so hey ho.

To me Windows lost its way with Vista after the megga success of XP but i think they are now getting back there with 10 and i do in fact favour the automatic updates running that is a main issue here.

Going back to the original OP,s posting, Steve was the laptop the right tool for the job with only 2gb usage? Maybe not as a decent tablet not running windows may have been the way to go. cant really tell this though as you dont mention the extent of his requirements?

Ignoring warning emails from Sky on usage can only be accreditted as a user fault and not a Windows 10 issue.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 30/03/2016 20:29:17:

Windows

Icons

Menu [or was it Mouse?]

Pointer

… Brought to life by Xerox, I believe

MichaelG.

Mouse

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> Ignoring warning emails from Sky on usage can only be accreditted as a user fault and not a Windows 10 issue.

Not sure about W10, but in 8.1 if you click the connectivity icon then select your a connection it gives you usage data.

Over the last sixty days I'm running at 2.7gb. A day.

That's without the rest of the family…

:-0

[Steven VineParticipant @stevenvine79904]

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 31/03/2016 07:19:17:

Why do people insist on rubbishing windows. It is an operating system used by the world. It has been marketed in the most expert way. It does what most people want it to do. In the first instance as a shallow operating system it is not that difficult to use. It will do a lot more, if people actually learned how to use it fully.- One could go on but I think you get the drift

Or is it that people are just jealous of success?

Totally agree. I have been behind the scenes in thousands upon thousands of retail outlets during my working life. Every single one was running Micrososoft software in their back offices (accounts, management etc) and in their Epos till systems. That tells you how rubbish it is!

I think people are just 'conditioned' to slag off Windows. They then come across as knowledgeable. Sadly it is a bad habit people pick up.

Steve

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Probably the vociferous minority effect, people who have a gripe always make more noise

Look at my ranting about councils / government dudes for example, bleh bleh bleh bleh

[michael howarth 1Participant @michaelhowarth1]

After much badgering from Microsoft, yesterday I finally upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10. I thought all was fine but I lost all of my photos, documents and downloads. Microsoft help just sent me round in circles in that too familiar way and I ended up reverting back to Windows 7. Fortunately I had backed up but it was still a waste of many hours. Pity really, because I quite liked the layout and the feel of the thing. I am pretty sure that a new installation on a new machine would have given a more positive impression.

Mick

Does anyone know how I can obliterate the Microsoft pop up which still keeps on asking me to upgrade?

Edited By mick H on 19/04/2016 05:49:16

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

When they end support for Wondows 7 I'll be switching to OpenSuse or Amiga OS

Ed.

[ianjParticipant @ians]

Posted by Phil P on 28/03/2016 11:46:00:

Download a utility called GWX Control Panel.

Using this you can remove all traces of the Windows 10 nagging software and anything it has downloaded without you knowing.

I have done it on my Win 7 PC and it worked a treat.

Phil

 

This was posted by Phil P on the first page. I used it to remove the annoying Windows 10 pop up.

Ian

 

Edited By ian j on 19/04/2016 07:55:32

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Useful notes on GWX here:

**LINK**

MichaelG.

[Author]

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