Adventures in computer shopping

I recently got a new computer, and although it isn't top-o-da-line anymore, it still does everything I wanted it to, and probably a few things I haven't even tried yet (for example, I didn't necessarily need a DVD burner, but hey). It was somewhat difficult to find such a machine, for one simple reason: it had to have USB ports as well as a parallel port. I have a perfectly good flatbed scanner which needs a parallel port, and I screwed up with my last machine and got one that was USB only, so for the past several years I have had an old computer taking up space just so I could occasionally use the scanner.

Where did this special computer come from? I hate to say it, but it was the Walmart website. CompUSA had an IBM Thinkpad that fit the bill, but by the time the funds became available, they were all gone. So I was stuck with Walmart.

Here's a list of computers I have owned, not counting a couple that I purchased really cheap because they were obsolete and were dedicated solely to ham radio purposes (all of which I no longer possess).

Circa 1990: a laptop. First computer was a laptop, and I don't remember the maker anymore. Purchased from a mail-order place called DAK. It had a 640x480 blue "supertwist" LCD screen, no hard drive, dual 3.5" (double density--720K) floppies, and an output for a CGA monitor, which I bought along with it. It did have a mouse. It was an 8088 with an 8 MHz processor. I still remember the blurb in the catalog, which went something like, "burn through applications at a blazing 8 MHz!!!" Primary purposes were running Wordstar and playing Ultima V and another game in which I raced greyhounds (very low-tech graphics--the hounds were just dots on the screen). Cost was around $700 for the computer and around $200 for the monitor.

1993 or so: Leading Edge 486SLC, 25MHz processor, 4 meg RAM, 120 meg hard drive. Had Windows 3.1. Cost of machine plus a VGA monitor was around $1,400. I can't imagine paying that much for a computer anymore. Came without a modem. Bought a cheap obsolete 2400 baud modem at a swapmeet ($5), later upgraded to 14400 and added a sound card system with a CD-ROM drive. Started logging into local BBS's with a terminal program (Comit for DOS). First accessed the Internet in 1994 with the 2400 baud modem via a service called Novalink. First used the WWW with same old 2400 modem, using NCSA Mosaic and Win32s. In 1995 first had real, unlimited access to the Internet via Netcom, using their Netcruiser software (Google Groups--orignally Deja News--has my earliest usenet post archived, the date was April 20, 1995). Played a few neat games, used Wordstar a lot, and started using it for ham radio stuff. Kept using for ham radio after buying next computer.

Several years later: Hewlett Packard 60 MHz Pentium with 480 meg hard drive and 8 megs RAM. Later upgraded to 40 megs RAM and added an extra 1.5 gig hard drive. Came with 14400 baud modem, later upgraded to 28800. Also came with Windows 3.11, later upgraded to Win98 (never used 95). Bogged down really bad with Win98, but I persevered for a few more years. Cost of computer and a new VGA monitor, around $1,200.

Around 2000: AST 500 MHz Pentium III with 64 megs RAM and 40 gig hard drive. This is the machine I am typing on right now and I do not intend for it to become a relic just yet. The Leading Edge went on the shelf, the old monitor went to the HP, and the newer (but not new) monitor went to this computer. Cost of this machine (came without monitor, but having 2 VGA monitors already, I didn't really need one), $500. That's more like it. This is the machine that has nothing but USB ports. It also doesn't have a floppy drive of any sort, which at the time seemed odd but is now the norm. I guess it was ahead of its time. This one was later upgraded with an external CD burner. But upon purchase of this I swore I would never go into the guts of a computer again. Came with Win98SE, remains with Win98SE, and will always be so until it is dead.

Last week: the brand name is Balance, I don't know much about it but I took a chance and so far it's working just fine. Notebook with 1.5 GHz Intel Celeron processor, 256 meg RAM and 40 gig hard drive. I would have liked a bigger HD but then I've never come close to filling up the 40 gigger on my desktop so I'm not really worried about it. It looks like upgrading the RAM is pretty easy, so I might do that sometime, since I wouldn't really be having to open up the machine itself, just a panel on the bottom. Cost of this machine, plus 128 meg DiskGo! flash drive (I shoulda got a bigger flash drive), plus tax and shipping, $779. More on this machine as I play around with it. Oh yeah, this one has WinXP (I never used 2000 or ME).

Update: I thought I would add that the first computer I ever used was an Apple IIe in 1982 or so. For some reason my high school purchased one and put it in an empty classroom, then informed several of the more tech-oriented students they could go play with it during free time. Most of our time was spent playing Little Brick Out, but some of us did play around with BASIC programming.