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37 lines
2.8 KiB
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37 lines
2.8 KiB
Plaintext
---
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title: "A Computer Timeline: From C64 to Dell"
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section: "retro"
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tags: "retro"
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description: "The personal computing history behind the retro corner, from the first C64 in 1983 to today's machines."
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layout: base.njk
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parent: "/retro/"
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---
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<h1>A Computer Timeline: From C64 to Dell</h1>
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<div class="detail-content">
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<p>Every retro computing setup has a story. Here's mine, from the first time I sat in front of a screen to the machines I use today.</p>
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<h2>1983-1987: The C64 years</h2>
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<p>When I started primary school in 1983, friends already had computers. A C64 with a Lego game at someone's place was the first time I saw a home computer in action. I didn't have one myself, but the seed was planted.</p>
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<h2>1987-1990: The Atari ST era</h2>
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<p>In secondary school a friend had an Atari 520 with an external floppy drive, and we played games and swapped disks. For Christmas 1989 I got my own 1040STFM. A year later, Christmas 1990, came the Mega ST 4 with a MegaFile hard disk, the beginning of a much deeper relationship with the platform.</p>
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<h2>1990-1992: The Amiga detour</h2>
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<p>Friends had Amigas, and when Lemmings came out in February 1991 I wanted in. The Amiga arrived around April 1991, and with it came the first steps into creating my own software: the Esprit disk magazine in July 1991 and the BGC News disk magazine in October 1992.</p>
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<h2>1992-1994: The PC arrives</h2>
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<p>Christmas 1993 brought a Vobis Highscreen 486 DX2-66 in its distinctive Colani tower case. The PC opened the door to DOS games, and in 1994 the real creative phase began: DOSMENU, the SkyLine demo group, and the first modem connecting to the outside world.</p>
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<h2>1994-2000: The Fido era</h2>
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<p>A modem in spring 1994 led to the FidoNet world, and by late 1995 I was running my own BBS node. Through the mid-90s I collected old and new machines enthusiastically, building up a collection that lasted until 2005 when most of it was sold off. By 2000, the FidoNet hobby had quietly faded.</p>
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<h2>2009 and beyond: The modern era</h2>
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<p>The collection shrank down to what I actually used daily: a 2009 iMac, a 2010 iPad 1, and eventually a Chromebook for everyday tasks in 2017. The iPad 1 is practically a museum piece by now, and the Chromebook has become the machine I reach for when I just want something that works.</p>
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<h2>2020: The retro revival</h2>
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<p>In 2020 the retro computing hobby came back in full force. The Mega ST 4 fleet was rebuilt, the MiSTer and MIST FPGA boards were added, and this site was born to document it all. The machines from the 90s were given new roles instead of gathering dust: a workstation, a demo machine, a reference piece, and a spare.</p>
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<p class="note">The pattern seems to be: every 10-15 years I rediscover the machines I grew up with and find new ways to use them.</p>
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</div>
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