Oh yes, I started out on the modified IBM terminal with a phone receiver cradle built into it. I used it when I was in college. I was not allowed to tell anyone that I was working remotely as that was just not really heard of in the early 80's. If you typed in a "bad" word starting with S, it would say sugar. If you typed in a different word, it would say fudge.
>From there I moved onto an Apple Iie with a Slot buster card and a speech system from RC Systems. That got me through 3 years of classroom teaching, and 2 years of graduate work. It took me 8 hours to spell check my Master's thesis on that machine. Next was a Toshiba 8088 running Windows 3.x with the Artic speech software and their internal sound card. From there I moved to the Artic Transport and then the Artic Ergo Braille. By the way, the Apple Iie and the Toshiba 8088 are still in my basement in an area we call the computer grave yard. It kills me to just toss them in the garbage, even though I have no plans to turn them on again. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Annette -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of George Marshall Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2010 10:14 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Blind-Computing] Computer museum, Hi Lenny: You and I go a long ways back, if you can remember the old RCA and yes I also started on the old Burroughs (with so little memory) todays kids wouldn't believe it. The first speach I had for the main frame was a modified IBM terminal with speach, it worked quite well for the times. I also had the TSI DOS speach systems and one of the first JAWS DOS for my PC's, just to mention JAWS for DOS was not free in those days. I also met Ted Henter at a seminar here in Fort Myers, when he was just starting JAWS. George R. Marshall [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lenny McHugh" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 7:50 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/ __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5418 (20100902) __________ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5419 (20100902) __________ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
