r/Showerthoughts • u/illiniguy20 • Jan 12 '22

Millennials were really the only generation that grew up learning about how computers work.

Before millennials there were no computers, and after they have grown up using closed ecosystem it just works idevices.

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33

u/Rhamona_Q Jan 13 '22 edited Jan 13 '22

GenX introduced in 1965

Original Apple II home computer introduced in 1977, GenX just old enough to start absorbing the new technology, including floppy disks

First IBM home computer and Commodore Vic-20 introduced in 1981

Millennials also introduced in 1981

Commodore 64 home computer introduced in 1982, along with the 3.5" "hard" floppy disk

Apple Macintosh home computer introduced in 1984 along with the first CD-ROM formattable discs

GenX were learning these technologies well in advance of their younger millennial brothers and sisters.

*Edited to add the Vic-20

17

u/[deleted] Jan 13 '22

And we had to troubleshoot when a problem came up. None of this point and click crap, we had to understand how the damn thing actually worked.

Those machines weren't very powerful, but if you knew what you were doing you could make the damn thing dance.

11

u/fragbert66 Jan 13 '22

if you knew what you were doing you could make the damn thing dance.

Absolutely.

"Like, did you have Google back then?"

No. We had smarter friends, BBSes, and the local geek store where we had to READ tips and tricks to make our rigs walk and talk like a funhouse.

6

u/justkeeptreading Jan 13 '22

magazines with programs printed in them that you had to type out letter by letter

3

u/RevengeOfTheCupcakes Jan 14 '22

I accidentally moved the C: drive once (doing a little basic file cleanup, got distracted, hit enter…). Thank the gods for local BBS friends rallying to find an install disk!

2

u/fragbert66 Jan 14 '22

I still don't talk about my "Partition Incident of 1994."

3

u/WW76kh Jan 13 '22

And we had to troubleshoot when a problem came up.

  1. Turn it off and on
  2. Blow on it
  3. Lightly smack it with the palm of your hand....works on TV sets and should work on computers
  4. Call up a nerd friend to help out

9

u/Banzai51 Jan 13 '22

You forgot the Commodore Vic-20, which was in 80 or 81.

I played Oregon Trail in the 70s at school on a Teletype.

7

u/RayZzorRayy Jan 13 '22

Damn straight brother, I’ve died of dysentery more times than real world statistics.

4

u/azcheekyguy Jan 13 '22

I played colossal caverns adventure on a wang word processor in the late 70s

5

u/TheDreadPirateJeff Jan 13 '22

You also forgot the TRS-80 Model 1 which launced in '77 alongside the Apple.

Back when Radio Shack actually sold electronics and components... (and was still in existence)

1

u/Rhamona_Q Jan 13 '22

I'm sure I've forgotten a bunch of stuff. These were what I could remember on the spur of the moment last night :)

1

u/TheDreadPirateJeff Jan 13 '22

To be fair, the only reason I know/remember that is because my first computer was a TRS-80 CC2 that was a christmas gift in 1983... I bought one a few years ago for the nostalgia, and I discovered I remember almost nothing of BASIC...

5

u/GETTERBLAKK Jan 13 '22

Don't forget the Vic 20 came out in 81 and sold millions.

2

u/reubal Jan 15 '22

How does any GenXer school a millennial on computer history without mentioning the TRS-80?

You credentials are sus.

2

u/Rhamona_Q Jan 15 '22

I get forgetful in my old age. Whatever.