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First computers in Ireland- Commodore 64 .....

jonniebgood1 · 2011-04-07 20:23:33

This article brought back childhood memories of my first computer- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12997245 a Commodore 64 that my brothers and I saved for 12 months to buy in the late 1980's. I think it cost about 200 punts at the time. The computer played games that were loaded through an analogue tape playing…

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07-04-2011 9:23pm

#1
jonniebgood1

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This article brought back childhood memories of my first computer- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12997245
a Commodore 64 that my brothers and I saved for 12 months to buy in the late 1980's. I think it cost about 200 punts at the time.

The computer played games that were loaded through an analogue tape playing machine. I can well remember the control joystick. It could also be programmed to play a number guessing game (higher, lower till correct number was got) although this took hours of inputting codes. It was the business in its day. I eventually progressed through a SNES and other consoles but the Commodore now has a certain nostalgia.

Since to read this everyone must be using a computer, I thought it might be interesting if people wished to post what their first computer was, when it was and any memory of it. Hopefully this will give a sort of historical timeline to demonstrate how computers penetrated day to day life in Ireland (or beyond) and when this began to happen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64

Tagged:

history

computer

commodore 64

general

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#2 07-04-2011 9:29pm
omerin

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The Vic came before the 64, never had one but i had the 64. Oh the times I spent cleaning the heads and adjusting the screw

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#3 07-04-2011 9:39pm
brianwalshcork

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Sinclair ZX spectrum 128 +2 ..... Twice the memory of your puny commodore 64! ....and an integrated tape drive... It was a Christmas present in 1987 or 88

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#4 07-04-2011 9:46pm
Owen

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The Vic-20 was my first computer - but I've other hardware which predates it and still works which would have been originally purchased here too.

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#5 07-04-2011 9:52pm
sellerbarry

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Have a look here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38301877@N05/3592657253/in/set-72157619206330728/

It's the argos catalogue from 1985. Enjoy

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#6 07-04-2011 10:00pm
Willbbz

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey

First games console. Translucent overlays for games

Probably first in Ireland as it was available in the UK before the 80's

Great review by AVGN

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#7 07-04-2011 10:06pm
jonniebgood1

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Willbbz wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey

First games console. Translucent overlays for games

Probably first in Ireland as it was available in the UK before the 80's

Great review by AVGN

Excellent- What year did you have it. Were games on tape?

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#8 07-04-2011 10:15pm
meep

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It's great to see the C64 coming back - I'll really have to get one.

My early history was;

Apple IIe on loan from an aunt who worked for Apple in Cork
Commodore 64
Commodore 128
Amstrad PCW512
Apple LCII
Apple 8600AV

and then it became a varied list of Macs & PCs

Learned to program Basic on the C64 and have turned out to be a programmer. That C64 was the most influential machine in my life. Loved Peeking & Pokeing it.

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#9 07-04-2011 10:50pm
silverharp

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Acorn Atom , 11K Ram

A belief in gender identity involves a level of faith as there is nothing tangible to prove its existence which, as something divorced from the physical body, is similar to the idea of a soul. - Colette Colfer

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#10 08-04-2011 12:11am
uch

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Used to use a BBC Micro back in the early eighties, class piece of equiptment

21/25

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#11 08-04-2011 10:51am
mikemac

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Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge.

Broke so many joysticks playing that game

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#12 08-04-2011 11:02am
Tabnabs

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Pffft, C64, that's new technology when you were used to the ZX80

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#13 08-04-2011 1:36pm
loldog

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What could you do with the ZX80? I remember our teacher brought one into school and showed us
10 PRINT X 20 GOTO 10

I didn't see the point of it really.

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#14 08-04-2011 9:55pm
InTheTrees

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the zx80...

ahhh. i remember i had a flight sim (black dots) that you loaded with a cassette player.

Then you could hack the code and change it.

Hours of fun.

Ten years later and I was working in Silicon Valley.

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#15 08-04-2011 10:11pm
Ponster

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In case there are some that don't know, find many more threads like this one in

All Things Retro

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#16 10-04-2011 8:07pm
baalthor

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According to this, the first computer in Ireland was installed in 1957 for the Irish Sugar Company.

IBM had set up here in 1956, it's quite hard to find information on the web about the Irish history of other computer companies until the 80s.

As you might expect, ESB, Aer Lingus and the banks were among the first organisations to acquire computers.
Somebody once told me they remembered using an IBM system in Woman's Way in the 70s.

Up until the PC era in the 80s you would also have had machines supplied by the likes of HP, Digital, ICL, Bull (they had an office in South William St at one time).
There was also Cara, the Aer Lingus computing subsidary.

This is the kind of system you would have encountered in the 60s and 70s.

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#17 10-04-2011 8:10pm
Owen

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One of the old bank Mainframes is stored in a barn in Glanmire IIRC. I have a boxed modem from 1978. It looks like it's an Apple IIe board, but the IIe didn't hit the market until 83. It's an internal one, and it's about 18-20 inches long. Nice to have something from the year I was born, but a pity that the box is a plain white one with no markings.

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#18 12-04-2011 3:49pm
sensibleken

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Commodore 64 were the best ever. 3 quid a game, about 10% would actually load when you get home.

I think the only two games i ever finished were Midnight resistance (with the infinite lives cheat) and the turtles game.

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