May 2023
Update Nov 2024
My early days of “Computing Interest” started many years before I got my first computer. I joined the Army Cadets when I was 13 and developed an interest in “Electronics”, things like telephones and “Radios”. When I was about 15 yrs old, I went on a course at the Royal School of Signals in Blandford Forum and was catapulted into the magical world of Radios (for communications), Telephones, Teleprinters, Morse code, Antennas and computers. All this technology was mind blowing. After the course, I passed a test and received my “Crossed Flags” badge to show that I was a “qualified” Signaler (Radio Operator) and could operate backpack and other radios. As an aside, I was also good at shooting using the .303 Lee Enfield rifle and the .22 Rifle. I gained my “Marksman” badge and won many medals but hey ho.
I loved being in the Army Cadets and gained the rank of RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major) but the cadets was only a couple of evenings per week along with the occasional weekend stuff. I left school at age 15 and became an indentured Craft apprentice. Aptitude tests suggested was very “Mechanically minded” and was persuaded to enroll on the “Mechanics” course. I was advised that I could swap over to the “Electricians” course if I didn’t get on with the “Mechanics” course. I found that I actually loved the “Mechanical” side of things, Electricians only played about with cables but I was learning about hydraulics and pneumatics, circuits, systems and machines.
However, I did still maintain my interest in “Electronics” (resistors, capacitors, transistors etc) but it remained in the background. During the final year of my apprenticeship I was made aware of plans to control machines remotely from a central control room. This was awesome, I and a few others were allowed to play with the technology and witnessed the implementation of the “remote control system”, which used “Radio Isotopes” but for some reason, it didn’t really catch on. Maybe Luddite tendencies were in play because it meant possible job loses and here we are some 50 years later and we now have “Driverless” Cars, trains and buses. Its likely that modern cars will be controlled electronically with regard to speed limits and spacing.
I completed my apprenticeship and got married a few months later. My interest in Electronics was still in the background and I used to buy a magazine called “Amateur Radio”. It had Electronics projects which involved soldering things together and I quite enjoyed doing them. In the late 1970s I built my first “Computer”, it didn’t do much other than flash a few lights on and off but come 1981, I bought a (Sinclair) ZX81 computer that had 1K of memory (RAM) and had a 16K memory expansion cartridge. It didn’t really do anything other than produce a “Flashing Cursor” on the TV screen, mmmm!
Turned out I had to type something using the QWERTY keyboard and it would display it on the TV screen. I suppose I was a little disappointed to learn that this bit of kit, which had cost me a few weeks wages, didn’t seem to do anything useful and all it did was display on the screen what you had typed.
My wife & I learned how to “program” using ZX basic and save the program to a cassette tape. We did a few programs that we hoped would encourage our young kids to become interested in maths but we were only at the “Janet & John” level. We basically played with the ZX81 for a few years until the mid to late 1980s. By this time I was running my own business and keeping the accounts in order was becoming a PITA. Personal Computers had come on in leaps and bounds and were offering useful solutions. In addition to Sinclairs Spectrum, the Commodore 64, Amiga and Apricot we had Amstrad blazing a trial. Exciting times.
We saw a few adverts for “Accounting software” that was “PC Compatible” and investigated further. We came across a company that offered to demonstrate what the “Accounts Software” could do and we were very impressed but the cost was “How much!” Then they advised that they could supply the same software to run on an Atari 520ST at about half the cost so we were very interested 🙂 (I’m a Yorkshire lad and don’t like paying more than I have to). I thought (at the time) that Atari only did game consuls but I had a look at the Atari 520 ST and was suitably impressed 500K of RAM and a GEM user interface on a dedicated screen instead of using telly. Floppy disks and external HDD, no messing about with cassette tapes.
The “CashLink” account suite was awesome and included a “WordStar” compatible “Word Processor”. We had to do a lot of learning, we didn’t really know what a sales ledger or purchase ledger or general ledger was and we didn’t really know what a “Word Processor” was. My wife had done a typing course and quickly found her way around the Word Processor bit. I was a bit slower but learned how to “mail merge” and send a letter to our Customers. It was hard work but it was worth it, eventually we got our heads around the accounts thing and went on to purchase a “relational database” with its own Markup Language. The Atari 520 ST served us very well. We also found Protext (a Word Processor) to be very useful.
I still have the Atari 520 ST and the Cashlink suite and other software in the loft, along with an Atari 1040STM? and a big box of games 🙂
The Atari 520 ST was a game changer, compared to the ZX81. I actually upgraded the memory (RAM) to 2.5 MB and installed an “AT 286” compatible emulator circuit board under the keyboard to allow us to run “PC Compatible” Software on the 520ST, wicked. It’s a unique bit of kit that I can’t bear to part with.
The 286 emulator board allowed me to discover “DR-Dos” (Digital Research) and the “command line but “MS-Dos” (Microsoft) won the race due to a deal with IBM (apparently). I used the Atari for a few years and learned how to use the “Relational Database” with its own “markup language”. At some point, I learned how to network using co-ax cables with BNC connectors, 10 base T, the memories, “Novell Compatible”.
So come 1990s and I bought my first “PC”. It was an AST Advantage and I was using MS Windows 3.1, which came on 6 or 7 floppy disks. It didn’t seem to be any better than the Atari with GEM interface but hey ho. Along came Windows 95 and that was game changer. It was like GEM on steroids and came with MS Office which included a Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Database (Relational) and PowerPoint. The beauty of this was the ease of sharing data between the “Applications” and I never looked back, I was down a rabbit hole and there was no going back 🙂 Our Kids were still using the Atari 1040STM for all the games but they wanted a Windows PC too so they could use MS Office and things like Encarta, not forgetting Flight Simulator 🙂
Having to share 1 PC (mainly for business use) didn’t really work so we bought more and then entered the world of Networking, file and printer sharing and network games. Internet access was done using a dial-up MODEM and when accessing the Internet we could not use the land line for calls so we had an extra line or 2 installed, including a dedicated Fax line!
Late 1990s was probably a mid-life crisis! I was working 12 – 14 hours a day. Doing the work was still very satisfying but all the “admin” stuff, doing quotes and trying find enough work to keep my small workforce gainfully employed was becoming a PITA. There had to be something better and indeed there was. I discovered I could be employed working with computers but would need to get on a correspondence course to get IT qualifications. Seems that you didn’t need to be someone with a white coat and degree qualified. After much discussion with the boss (wife) we decided to get rid of the business(s).
I sold my business and had a sabbatical. I signed up for a Microsoft MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) course and a Comtia A+ course. The Comptia A+ I passed quite easily and demonstrated I was very knowledgeable about computer hardware (CPUs, Memory etc). The MCSE course started out as NT4 but was swapped to Windows 2000. I passed a few exams and became an MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) on several counts but one short of becoming an MCSE.
Year 2000, I started my first job in IT, working as an “Engineer” for an ISP in LEEDS which was about a 50 min drive on the motorway each way. It was strange working as an employee, no longer my own boss but hey ho. I did things like running Ethernet cables in the Data Centre and configuring routers and installing kit in business customers premises. When I passed my MS server exams, I was moved into the Data Centre to help look after the “Servers”.
I learned a lot and had a great time, 18 months or so later I was offered a job as a “Regional Support Analyst” with a large construction company. I was gobsmacked, It was double the salary and included a company car and I could claim expenses for meals. I stayed in fancy hotels and generally had the life of Riley 🙂 I absolutely loved the job although it had a downside. Despite all my Engineering and Electrical qualifications and experience, I wasn’t allowed to make Ethernet cables up and crimp RJ45 plugs on them because I was an Analyst and wasn’t expected to use tools! I was allowed to install more RAM or replace HDDs but the job was more about troubleshooting and passing it on to someone else (lower paid) to fix. I was allowed to sort out the server room cabinets and enjoyed making sure all the cables were nice and tidy instead of looking lie a rats nest 🙂
The job was basically a very well paid hobby. I had to learn about SCO Unix and Linux and become Admin Certified to help look after the 300+ Unix servers but the aim was to replace UNIX with Windows 2000 along with ultimately having a Native Active Directory.
Looking back, I could never have imagined that computers and technology would have become a major part of my life and would provide me with a generous income! My wife still calls me a “terminal Junkie”, I have had a fabulous roller coaster ride over the past 20 years but now I’m retired. I still try to keep up with things but it isn’t easy. Like most geeks, I am lost without an Internet connection and a Smartphone but the current trend of using “Apps” is a bitter sweet experience. It seems that a lot of Apps are developed by people that don’t understand the objective or its more likely that the “Decision Makers” don’t understand the objective.
I used to enjoy “desktop support”, helping and educating people but I moved over to become a Computer and Network Security Analyst where I was now playing with routers, firewalls and mainly doing the “behind the scenes” stuff keeping the company network secure. I still enjoy helping people with computer related problems and still try to help people adopt IT (Information Technology) to make life easier.
My Mechanical Engineering and Electrical qualifications help give me a “Big Picture” view – systems, circuits and procedures. I often find it a tad irritating when IT systems and practices are imposed upon employees and the public in general by people who think they understand IT but lack the overall knowledge of systems, circuits and processes. They don’t have the “University of Life” experience and come up with “systems” that are not intuitive and basically make the use of IT harder and less productive than a manual system which makes some people adopt the Luddite attitude. Computers and IT generally should make life easier for people and should be intuitive. If people have to spend weeks learning how to use the “new system” because it isn’t intuitive, it will fail. It won’t achieve improvement in productivity and in most cases it will make things more difficult and be less productive.
Computers are basically a box of electronic bits that have no knowledge or intelligence. To make them useful, they need an Operating System (OS) and Applications (think list of things to do). Without Applications (Programs) the box of electronic bits would be just a box of electronic bits.
My 3 children have had access to computers from an early age, Mainly games but stuff like MS Office and Encarta etc but (as an Engineer) I’ve always encouraged them to see how it works. Installing more RAM, fitting a new HDD etc. Our Youngest (son) has been coding since he was about 11 years old. Back then our Internet Connection was via a MODEM. He and his older brother used to connect to a “Network Game” called Unity Wars which was accessed by thousands of people around the globe. The guy responsible decided he didn’t want to pursue it so our youngest decided he would continue it and it become known as “Beyond Unity”. He did this with the help of a guy in Vancouver and a guy in Australia and neither of them knew that Bob was only 11 or 12 years of age. Turns out Bob was Sh*t hot at PHP (self taught). Over the years he got involved in Affiliate Marketing and developed his overall skills and knowledge of the Internet and WWW. He codes in several languages and is currently employed as a DevOps Architect / Consultant which is basically the top of the IT tree. His older brother currently works as a Web Developer and is doing well, happy and plodding along. Their sister (the oldest) is doing OK. She is a Linguist and speaks several languages fluently. Her 2 sons are amazing, the youngest is a Minecraft “expert” and does some amazing stuff.
I’m immensely chuffed that my interest in Computers and IT have rubbed off and has enabled my 3 kids and their offspring to aspire to their highest potential.
I still eat, breathe and sleep computers and technology and I understand computers a lot better than I understand my fellow humans 🙂 Computers do not have a mind of their own (that might change) they do as instructed. If the instructions are not correct, they won’t do what you expect!
Here’s funny. Wife phones hubby and asks him to get a loaf of bread and if they have eggs, get a dozen. He arrives home with 12 loaves and wife says “why have you bought 12 loaves” and he replied “they had eggs”. 🙂
I’m always in awe of the “Mechanical Engineering” achievements of the early days of the “Industrial Revolution”, things like Canals, Locks, Aqueducts, Steam powered machines, Water powered machines and the way they changed the World.
Computers have changed the world maybe more than the mechanical machines did in the “Industrial Revolution” but that is debatable. Computers (PCs), Smartphones and Tablets have changed the way we live and in many ways for the better. The Industrial revolution was more about profits for mill owners but to find that most of it is still working after 150 – 200 years is a testament to those Victorian Engineers and the vision they had.
Modern day computers have improved way beyond computers of say 40 years ago but still need an OS and Applications, otherwise they are just a box of electronic bits. Over the years, I’ve seen many advancements in computers and IT. I have witnessed the birth of Mobile Phones and the SMS capability along with the evolvement into smartphones, which are basically miniature portable computers that now have an “always on” connection to the Internet.
The downside to our success with technology is that we are losing our ability to talk to each other (verbally). The younger generation arrange to meet up as a group and end up all staring at a screen messaging each other and using some strange “text speak” language. We have people walking down the street staring at their screen oblivious to what is happening around them. That is not a good situation, we are becoming antisocial.
That said, I honestly don’t know what people find to talk about LOL. My wife can talk for ages on the phone to her friends about anything or nothing but I find that Email or instant messaging is my favoured means of contact, straight to the point. I suppose its good to talk but what about 🙂