Old Computers

[oldgregg]

2 hours ago, Bikertov said:

Aaah ... LapLink !

I remember it well, and having (and I think still have) a multi-ended red LapLink crossover cable, with dual 15 and 25 pin Serial connections either end.

Connection speeds would have been at the typical serial speeds of 9k6, 14k4 and 28k8 bps - or maybe slower at 2k4 or 4k8 even !

I had (well I made) a parallel port one, it was much faster than serial but was still really slow.

[TheQ]

At RAF Neatishead in the R12 Building ( the big green block)

Was a piece of kit I looked after.. it was still in use till some time between 1990 and 1994..

It sent information to another station at a massive....

 

110 baud.

[Speleologist]

2 hours ago, TheQ said:

a massive....

 

110 baud.

My first dial up internet connection was only 300 baud. Just about OK for email and usenet, but that was all new at the time. Most people still didn't know what the internet was.

As for Windows, I first encountered it as runtime Windows 286. It shipped with Pagemaker and only loaded when you ran pagemaker. Apart from that I was using Wordperfect and Lotus 123 which were purely text. 

[floydraser]

I've just had something come back into my memory at the mention of baud for some reason:

Back in the mists of time I was unemployed in the recession of the mid 1980s and did some part time work (with the promise of full time) for a guy developing a product for sending information via the normal phone line. He traded as Duplex Communications, one product was an Octet typewriter and I think another brand name for something was Comcen. I know the name Comcen is currently being used but I have no idea if there is any connection. He was based in Dunton Bassett, Leicestershire and I have no idea what happened to the business but I think it folded. 

[BroadAmbition]

 another brand name for something was Comcen.

Comcen - I've worked in loads of those only they were 'Commcens' - Shore based RN communications centres

Griff