Comments on: Computer Clubs http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/ Joe Ludwig's blog Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:49:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: shawn http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/comment-page-1/#comment-404412 shawn Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:00:32 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/#comment-404412 My grandfather (87 years old) uses his Apple 2 E every month for an accounting program, and it apperas to have a problem printing as of last week. He can no longer print because the program is to big, after 30 years who would have thought it. Any ideas of how I can help hime get it running agian? My grandfather (87 years old) uses his Apple 2 E every month for an accounting program, and it apperas to have a problem printing as of last week. He can no longer print because the program is to big, after 30 years who would have thought it. Any ideas of how I can help hime get it running agian?

]]> By: Jeff Doak http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/comment-page-1/#comment-402275 Jeff Doak Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:20:07 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/#comment-402275 I miss the computer club days as well. I was in the school computer club in 7th grade in 1982. I didn't have a computer yet. I didn't get into programming until later with C64/128, TRS-80, Atari 400/800, and Apple 2e. The commodores were my favorite. Of course I was biased because that's the one I owned. I was fascinated by the Ultima series and kept digging around to find out how they programmed them. Their games were full of programming tricks. I miss the computer club days as well. I was in the school computer club in 7th grade in 1982. I didn’t have a computer yet. I didn’t get into programming until later with C64/128, TRS-80, Atari 400/800, and Apple 2e. The commodores were my favorite. Of course I was biased because that’s the one I owned.
I was fascinated by the Ultima series and kept digging around to find out how they programmed them. Their games were full of programming tricks.

]]> By: Matthew E Imbery http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/comment-page-1/#comment-345836 Matthew E Imbery Wed, 13 May 2009 12:02:23 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/#comment-345836 Hi guys I would like to know if you guys could help me out with a TRS-80 Model I. This computer has been in our family since the day that I eas born. I pluged it in for the first time in 20 years every thing comes on but there is garbage that appears on the screen. Hi guys
I would like to know if you guys could help me out with a TRS-80 Model I. This computer has been in our family since the day that I eas born. I pluged it in for the first time in 20 years every thing comes on but there is garbage that appears on the screen.

]]> By: Dominik http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/comment-page-1/#comment-316061 Dominik Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:03:24 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/#comment-316061 It's funny that you mention a robotics society. 1982 is actually my year of birth, so I don't have any first-hand experience with computer clubs, but when I read the post, the first thing I thought about was the group of robotics grad students that I met while writing my final thesis as an exchange student at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. There were people working on the Grand Challenge, on Mars Rovers, on biped humanoids and loads of other cool stuff and they could all get pretty excited about new sensory and manipulatory hardware to put on their robots. Robotics is actually pretty much the only field that I can think of where there are programmers who still (have to) care about their hardware a lot. Thinking about this also brought back fond memories of reading every single post on the PotBS forums for six months while working in the lab at CMU. :-) It’s funny that you mention a robotics society. 1982 is actually my year of birth, so I don’t have any first-hand experience with computer clubs, but when I read the post, the first thing I thought about was the group of robotics grad students that I met while writing my final thesis as an exchange student at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. There were people working on the Grand Challenge, on Mars Rovers, on biped humanoids and loads of other cool stuff and they could all get pretty excited about new sensory and manipulatory hardware to put on their robots. Robotics is actually pretty much the only field that I can think of where there are programmers who still (have to) care about their hardware a lot.

Thinking about this also brought back fond memories of reading every single post on the PotBS forums for six months while working in the lab at CMU. :-)

]]> By: TimothyFitz http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/comment-page-1/#comment-315696 TimothyFitz Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:43:47 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/#comment-315696 SuperHappyDevHouse! "The premier monthly hackathon event that combines serious and not-so-serious productivity with a fun and exciting party atmosphere." It's not quite the same thing, but it is a fun modern alternative. http://superhappydevhouse.org/ SuperHappyDevHouse!

“The premier monthly hackathon event that combines serious and not-so-serious productivity with a fun and exciting party atmosphere.”

It’s not quite the same thing, but it is a fun modern alternative.

http://superhappydevhouse.org/

]]> By: Daniel James http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/comment-page-1/#comment-312068 Daniel James Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:45:05 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/#comment-312068 It was at my school's computer club that I was introduced to MUD -- the guy who ran it handed me a clandestine PSS (packet switch switch stream, X25 network) 'test' ID and instructions to remote login to Essex University's DEC10. That was 1982! Within a few months I was writing MUDs on the school BBC Micros' 'Econet' network. I was a solidly BBC kid; BBC basic was awesome, functions, proceedures, network and disc access, and you could inline assembler! There were very odd MUDMeets etc. over the years, but I never had the homebrew computer club experience. I do fondly remember the trade shows, though, where one would buy a modem or something from the guy that built it. It was at my school’s computer club that I was introduced to MUD — the guy who ran it handed me a clandestine PSS (packet switch switch stream, X25 network) ‘test’ ID and instructions to remote login to Essex University’s DEC10. That was 1982! Within a few months I was writing MUDs on the school BBC Micros’ ‘Econet’ network. I was a solidly BBC kid; BBC basic was awesome, functions, proceedures, network and disc access, and you could inline assembler!

There were very odd MUDMeets etc. over the years, but I never had the homebrew computer club experience. I do fondly remember the trade shows, though, where one would buy a modem or something from the guy that built it.

]]> By: Darius K. http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/comment-page-1/#comment-312054 Darius K. Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:29:39 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/#comment-312054 I still have the TRS-80 I learned on. Also, Arduino user groups are similar in lot of ways to the old computer clubs, in terms of getting passionate about hardware. I still have the TRS-80 I learned on.

Also, Arduino user groups are similar in lot of ways to the old computer clubs, in terms of getting passionate about hardware.

]]> By: Matthew Weigel http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/comment-page-1/#comment-312042 Matthew Weigel Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:13:29 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/#comment-312042 I got started on a Tandy CoCo 2, around '84 or '85, in Kindergarten, but I didn't have a modem until '95. I managed to get some play time on MUDs at the library a year or two before that, but I am definitely too young for a computer club. :-) I got started on a Tandy CoCo 2, around ’84 or ’85, in Kindergarten, but I didn’t have a modem until ’95. I managed to get some play time on MUDs at the library a year or two before that, but I am definitely too young for a computer club. :-)

]]> By: Loredena http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/comment-page-1/#comment-312036 Loredena Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:00:42 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/#comment-312036 The first computers I used were the TRS-80 in middle school, and the Apple 2E in HS. My senior year we got one of the very first IBM PCs. While in college I got my own IBM Junior. My first, and only, true PC club was in the late 80s while living in Boca Raton Fl. At that time I was hooked on BBSs and USENET. Pretty much all of my programming was done on midrange computers; I now work with SharePoint, but I'm no longer a developer. Man. I'm old! The first computers I used were the TRS-80 in middle school, and the Apple 2E in HS. My senior year we got one of the very first IBM PCs. While in college I got my own IBM Junior. My first, and only, true PC club was in the late 80s while living in Boca Raton Fl. At that time I was hooked on BBSs and USENET. Pretty much all of my programming was done on midrange computers; I now work with SharePoint, but I’m no longer a developer.

Man. I’m old!

]]> By: Joe http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/comment-page-1/#comment-312007 Joe Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:47:39 +0000 http://programmerjoe.com/2009/02/10/computer-clubs/#comment-312007 Ooh, the Extended BASIC cartridge was always on my wish list but I never managed to get one. Lucky bastard! Instead I customized the fonts to show my own sprite-like elements and moved them on 8 pixel boundaries. I even made a crappy kid-in-middle-school clone of GridRunner with a player ship spread over four characters. It was awesome. Ooh, the Extended BASIC cartridge was always on my wish list but I never managed to get one. Lucky bastard!

Instead I customized the fonts to show my own sprite-like elements and moved them on 8 pixel boundaries. I even made a crappy kid-in-middle-school clone of GridRunner with a player ship spread over four characters. It was awesome.

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