A personal history of computing by Josh Rubin http://tincansandstring.net/computer_history.txt about 1965 I have a plastic Digicomp I mechanical computer. I follow the manual, but I don't understand what it does or why it was given to me. 1969 I become proficient at typing. 1972 I write a program for an IBM 1620. On punched cards. In machine language. Not as hard as it sounds, since the 1620 was a decimal machine. 1973 I use a slide rule. 1974 My typing skills are useless because Teletype machines only go a few characters per second. I get a grant of $100 to use an expensive mainframe, but a trojan-horse program steals my password, and somebody drains my account. I hate computers, but I get interested in computer security. 1975 I use a Brunsviga mechanical calculator. My father visits me at college and defeats the chess playing program MacHack, but we are thrown out of the computer room for using too much computer time. 1976 Apple computers are ridiculous. I buy an HP programmable calculator. 1977 Dave Cutler's RSX-11M operating system works well on Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-11s. 1981 The IBM PC is ridiculous. 1982 At work, I test an Interlan Ethernet card with serial number 000002. 1983 Dave Cutler's VMS operating system works well on the Digital Equipment Corporation VAXs. 1984 The IBM AT is ridiculous. 1987 I buy a PC, but DOS is ridiculous. I use it to learn C. 1988 Microsoft hires Dave Cutler to design Windows NT, which comes out just like VMS. about 1992 I use Bix, a bulletin board system run by Byte Magazine. 1993 They make me use an IBM PC at work for reading email. 1996 I decide to skip Windows 95. 1999 Windows 98 is ok for reading email. 2002 Windows XP works well. 2005 I get an account on a web server. 2006 A private LAN links my apartment with Kath's apartment. 2007 I prepare to switch to Linux because Microsoft is about to stop selling Windows XP. Two used computers, an LCD monitor, and a copy of Linux cost nothing. Two used 200GB disks cost $70. A gigabit switch and 2 NICs cost $75. 2008 I skip Microsoft Vista. I learn how to make ethernet cables. The software in my Linksys router has been replaced with Linux, thanks to the DD-WRT project. I promise not to hack the camera. 2009 I skip Windows 7. Kathy buys a Macbook. I buy an all-in-one network printer. 2010 Kathy buys an Apple iMac from her employer. Later, lightning burns out the ethernet port, leaving the machine with only wireless or USB access. There is no way to repair it short of soldering parts on the motherboard. 2011 Kathy buys a Cisco Flip video camera, a small device that shoots high-def video. The device has captured more than 30% of the camcorder market, but Cisco cancels it.