Maybe, one day, i'll play around with Word Star or an advanced clone of it. But if I use a newer computer, I'll need to remap the keys to the diamond, where the control is to the left of the a, to make things easier. I've never had a DOS machine crash on me, though with one of my two KeyNote Golds, KeySoft always freezes the computer. I don't know why and can't reinstall it because I don't have the disks. So I just don't use that program on there and stick with WordPerfect.
On 9/2/10, Alan Dicey <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear ROSEMARIE , > Yes, I remember them, but I only used one at a typing Class for Blind > students, when going through the rehabilitation center for people who lost > their vision. > The first computer I really used for Work or home was the IBM PC. > Good old DOS was nice. > I used WordStar mostly on it, but WordPerfect also! > > I used a 19 inch monitor with hardware to magnify the screen, from V-Tek > Wow, was all that stuff so primitive compared to today's stuff! > LOL! > > Nice memories though, never, never thought about a "crash", it just never > happened! > With Best Regards, > Alan > Miami, Florida > Alan Dicey, President > United States Braille Chess Association - USBCA > "Yes, Blind or Visually Impaired People Can, and Do, Play Chess!!!" > United States Braille Chess Association Home Page: > http://AmericanBlindChess.org > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "ROSEMARIE CHAVARRIA" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 11:50 PM > Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] Computer museum, > > >> Hi, Alan, >> >> Do you remember the Apple II E? That was the very first computer I learned >> to operate. I remember there were two drives side by side. The first one >> was >> for your speech program like word rap or word talk which is what I used. >> The >> second drive was for the floppy disk that you stored information on. If I >> remember correctly, control L turned the voice on and off. I almost bought >> an Apple II E from someone but I didn't have quite enough money to pay for >> it. I sure loved that machine though. It wasn't that hard to learn to >> operate either. >> >> Rosemarie >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] >> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Alan Dicey >> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 5:44 PM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: [Blind-Computing] Computer museum, >> >> Dear Kim, >> Oh yes! >> >> Vert, it was later called Soft Vert! >> Nice simple program! >> >> But it was just the software to make the hardware work, and one could use >> Accent, Echo, Votrax, oh, so many different ones. >> I remember you could purchase a Echo sound card from Radio Shack for about >> $80 and then you could use a computer without sight! >> >> Big difference now with JAWS almost a thousand dollars! >> >> And those 5 and 1/2 inch floppy disks, that held 362 K of data! >> LOL! >> >> I can hardly believe it! >> >> In 1985, I purchased an external hard drive, to go with my IBM PC. >> It was 30 MB! >> >> It cost $900 >> Can you believe that? >> >> I have single cuts of music that are larger than 30 MB! >> and my T-Drives cost about $79 each! >> >> LOL! >> With Best Regards, >> Alan >> Miami, Florida >> Alan Dicey, President >> United States Braille Chess Association - USBCA >> "Yes, Blind or Visually Impaired People Can, and Do, Play Chess!!!" >> United States Braille Chess Association Home Page: >> http://AmericanBlindChess.org >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Kim Kelly" <[email protected]> >> To: <[email protected]> >> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 8:32 PM >> Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] Computer museum, >> >> >>>I remember taking a computer class in the mid 80s, and we used a huge >>>computer and two floppy disks and we used a speech program called "Vert >>>Plus". >>> Has anyone heard of that speech synthesizer? I thought that class was so >>> fascinating. >>> >>> Learning Doss and all of those commands. >>> What memories. >>> >>> >>> >>> Kim Kelly >>> >>> Clarkston Washington >>> >>> Email and facebook: >>> [email protected] >>> >>> Alternative E-mail: >>> >>> [email protected] >>> >>> skype: >>> >>> kblinky971 >>> >>> >>> Visit my website >>> http://www.samobile.net/users/kimk59/ >>> >>> Keep on smiling and everyone will wonder what you've been up too. >>> author unknown >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Lenny McHugh" <[email protected]> >>> To: <[email protected]> >>> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 4:50 PM >>> Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] Computer museum, >>> >>> >>>> Well, my first PC type computer was Maryland Computer Systems ITS, >>>> information through speech. I then upgraded to total talk PC again by >>>> Dean Blazie. >>>> Then at home Karen won an 8088 Packard Bell xt computer. With that >>>> system >> >>>> I used jaws for dos. I believe that in the mid 1980s is when I purchased >>>> jaws for windows 1 for windows 3.0. At that time I hated windows and >>>> still am not a fan of PCs. Give me my old big mainframes. B5500, B6700 >>>> then into the larger IBM mainframes. The first computer that I worked on >>>> was an RCA spectra 70 and the IBM 1401. >>>> On these systems I had to write my own read /write macros and multiply >>>> and divide routines. That was a lot of fun. >>>> For the ITS, it was the world's first talking computer linked to an IBM >>>> mainframe. When it was linked a news release was sent out through AP. I >>>> started receiving calls from all around the world inquiring about it. >>>> -------------------------------------------------- >>>> From: "heather kd5cbl" <[email protected]> >>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 7:07 PM >>>> To: <[email protected]> >>>> Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] Computer museum, >>>> >>>>> One of my favorite system is weird! It was a 280 or 480 something back >>>>> in the 80s. We had to use vex. I remember that we thought it was the >>>>> coolest thing. That was when you had two floppy drives and about 2 or >>>>> three buttons to turn the computer on. That thing is still probley >>>>> working today! I remember we took the computer apart in school to see >>>>> how the components worked. Remember that is when it took two folks to >>>>> carry it or maybe it is because we were so little. I just remember >>>>> playing that typing game where you hit a key before the ghost gets you. >>>>> And I remember all the commands just to make the computer function. >>>>> You >> >>>>> had to do it in the exact order or you had to do it all over again. I >>>>> remember having to type "win" inter to make the windows come up. I >>>>> remember that if you wanted to spell check something, you had to put >>>>> another flopp disk in that had the dictionary or part of it to get the >>>>> correct word. I liked my old dos based commands. I was real >>>>> disappointed when you did not have the direct access to windows root >>>>> comands. I mean you can still have access but, dos was just so much >>>>> more efficient. Heather >>>>> >>>>> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: >>>>> http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ >>>> >>>> >>>> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: >>>> http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ >>> >>> >>> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: >>> http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ >> >> >> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: >> http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ >> >> >> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: >> http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ > > > For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: > http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ > For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
