A common item in e-mails and blogs (online journals) are lists of questions and answers, called "memes". The usual definition of a meme is: "A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another." (ref: http://www. dictionary. com), but in the online world it refers specifically to a set of questions which people answer and then forward to others via e-mail or their blog. It's a quick way to find out about each other, and the questions can range from superficial issues about favourites (eg. "what's your favourite ice-cream flavour?"), to more serious matters such as personal life experiences (eg. "have you ever had a near-death experience?").

I saw a version of this meme on a Live Journal blog http://www.livejournal.com, and thought it would be interesting to post it on our local newsgroup melbpc.general. There were lots of responses and subsequent discussions about the issues it touched upon. So, I thought I'd compile some of the answers to share with other members through PC Update. Here is an edited version of the melbpc.general responses to "The Computer Old-Timers' Poll"!

1. Word Up

Do you know what that little "cc" in your e-mail header actually stands for? If so, when was the last time you made or used a real physical cc?

Andy C: Mum used to bring some home from work. There were different colours; red, blue, green, as well as the normal black. We used to make pictures, with copies.

Ash N: Carbon Copy. Don't know who decided it is Courtesy Copy, given that Blind Courtesy Copy doesn't make sense.

David B: Long time ago.

Denis F: Carbon Copy.

Di A: 2000. Treasurer for local club.

Geoff C: I thought it was Courtesy Copy but I also knew of Carbon Copy.

Henry M: Yes, I know! It means "Carbon Copy"! But what is "Carbon"?

John G: Carbon Copy. Used a few months ago in a receipt book.

Judy B: Yeah, and about a month ago - we have a receipt book at the Waiora office that has carbon.

Kate L: Couple of weeks ago with my invoice book bought at the newsagents.

Katharine S: Carbon copy. Last time I used a receipt book at my shop, a few weeks ago.

Pat M: Carbon Copy - since attempted to be changed to "Courtesy Copy, but as likely to succeed as the alphabetical keyboard failed to replace the qwerty.

Malcolm M: Yes, Carbon Copy. Last Thursday, when I was using an order book for music rental. A real piece of carbon paper is used to create a duplicate order.

Russell C: Carbon copy. Yesterday - receipt book.

What's the first word processing program you remember learning to use?

Andy C: Multimate.

Ash N: Wordbee.

David B: Wordstar 2, on a CP/M system.

Denis F: Pocket Writer.

Di A: Multimate.

Henry M: On an IBM Memory and Magcard Typewriter - no display. Does anyone know what they were?

John G: Wordstar under CP-M.

Judy B: WordPerfect.

Kate L: WordPerfect.

Katharine S: Not sure what was on the Microbee (possibly Wordbee), the Amstrad had AmiPro.

Pat M: Commodore EasyScript.

Malcolm M: WordStar.

Russell C: Multimate/Wordstar at about the same time.

What new "feature" of the word processing program you now use do you wish they had never invented?

Andy C: That silly little toolbox with all the clipboard objects. Gives me the irrits.

David B: Automatic numbering whenever Microsoft Word decides I'm typing numbered points.

Di A: Any Wizard - like Chas [Charles] Wright says - should be the first thing you disable.

Judy B: Office Assistant and automatic formatting (when it presumes to know where I want dot points, indents, etc).

John G: I don't use most of the current "features". Pet hate is the auto completion of dates in Word.

Katharine S: Grammar check. That "passive voice" thing is stupid.

Pat M: That childish Office Assistant.

Russell C: Clippy.

2. Sending And Receiving

When and under what circumstances did you get your first e-mail address?
Ash N: 1987, Deakin Uni as part of my course.

David B: Do FidoNet addresses count? Otherwise when I signed up for the Melb PC Internet trial.

Denis F: When I joined the Melb PC Internet Service in the mid-90s.

Di A: Mid-1990s, Cloud Nine for $20 per annum.

Henry M: In 1975, on an IBM mainframe system called "PROFS".

John G: When I joined Melb PC. Can't remember the year.

Judy B: City of St Kilda - used only for internal mail.

Kate L: At Melb PC two years ago. (I'm a late starter.)

Katharine S: LaTrobe Uni Comp Sci degree, 1988. It was my student number, something like s84544@ something_something.

Pat M: TAFE College - when I was Head of Dept.

Russell C: Melb PC Internet subscriber, circa 1995.

What did you think "the Web" would be like before you actually used it for the first time?

Ash N: A curiosity, back in late 1993 when it was just cranking up.

Denis F: A different way of communicating and researching about my interests.

Di A: An easier tool (than using the BBS) for downloading new programs.

Henry M: Like "Charlotte's Web", an IBM mainframe access route to the WWW, where I could download files and graphics, but not browse.

John G: Didn't think about it. Just used it.

Katharine S: I used a text based version before it went to visual Web pages. Not sure.

Pat M: Never thought about it. It just grew like Topsy.

Russell C: Pretty much the way it was.

How did you find things on the Web before the advent of Google?

Andy C: Yahoo. Lycos. Altavista.

Ash N: AltaVista. Had a great search operator NEAR.

David B: Altavista, Yahoo. With difficulty.

Denis F: I used other search engines, Excite and Yahoo.

Di A: Yahoo, not very well.

Henry M: Yahoo - via "Charlotte's Web" - initially I thought Yahoo was some yobbo program to be avoided at all costs - work of the devil...

Judy B: Can't remember - I think Google was there when I first tried. Although I have a feeling I first tried Altavista.

Katharine S: Other search engines, eg. Yahoo.

Pat M: Dogpile, Altavista, Looksmart...

Russell C: Altavista.

Van: Painfully.

What was the first mailing list (or newsgroup) you ever joined? Do you still belong? Why or why not?

Ash N: Probably a BITNET one.

David B: Possibly comp.risks. Yes. Still relevant.

Denis F: A Star Wars group and yes I enjoy the info.

Di A: soc.genealogy.aust+nz

Henry M: On one e-mail account I probably ended up on scores of spammers' mailing lists... my penis increased in size exponentially...

John G: Aus-Soaring. Still a member. Hobby.

Judy B: Hungarians. Keep leaving and re-joining. I like the conversation, interesting, cultured people, but there are too many posts to cope with.

Katharine S: A Star Trek one. Still pop in occasionally, but I've found a lot more to read on different topics since then.

Pat M: TAFE College.

Russell C: Woody's Windows Watch, yes, it's a useful resource.

If they developed the technology to implant e-mail and the Web in your head so you could access both mentally without typing and simulate telepathic communication, would you be the first to sign up, or would you run away to a cabin in Montana and start growing your own wheat? Explain.

Andy C: Translate that to a cabin in the Otways, and you're right on the ball.

David B: Would depend how good the anti-spam measures were.

Denis F: No I would not sign up as I think that sort of technology is a bit too much like big brother.

Di A: Sign up, already pick up vibes too well sometimes... would need a firewall.

Henry M: A cabin in Montana would be too busy. I'd like a small village in New Zealand...

John G: Neither. Don't hold with unnecessary tinkering with my innards, but don't like farming either.

Judy B: Which is why I have my passport ready to move to Montana.

Kate L: No I wouldn't run away, or sign up. In the interests of civility, I like to edit my thoughts before I send them.

Katharine S: I'd be a fairly early adopter I think :)

Pat M: You mean they haven't? What are those voices in my head, then?

Russell C: No comment - they might be listening.

Van: I have friends who claim they already send telepathic messages without implants. The reception is woeful though.

3. Syntax Error

What's the oldest-model computer you remember using? Did it have any fun quirks that the newer models have ironed out?

Andy C: Yep. It booted up faster.

Ash N: Burroughs B6700 at Otago University, 1975. You wrote FORTRAN IV on coding sheets and unseen gnomes keyed it for you overnight.

David B: An NCR machine, model number escapes me, had a truly amazing storage mechanism called CRAM (Card Random Access Memory?), which consisted of a deck of 256 mylar "cards", each approx 3.5 in wide by 13 in long, on which were magnetically stored 7 tracks of data, in the order of 10 KB/track. The deck was held in a selector mechanism, the desired card was automatically wrapped around the circumference of a rotating drum (held in place by suction) and treated as a magnetic drum, until the next card needed to be accessed. All done with air pressure and clunky mechanicals. Noisy as hell.

Denis F: Commodore 64.

Di A: Apple2C.

Henry M: An IBM 421 Accounting Machine, made up of all relays - it had a mechanical ROM (if you could call it that) of 11 (eleven) bits.

John G: Home made, based on Zilog Z-80 chip (8 bit), running CP-M OS. Originally with audio tape I/O, TV monitor. My son, in his teens wrote a complete new bios for this computer to add 5.25 floppy disks (190 kbit storage - Yay!).

Judy B: It was an IBM - bolted to the floor in the middle of the room. No numeric keypad, although I was mainly using it to do payroll - lots of numbers. The program was ridiculous; everybody's "basic" (40 hours) wages got entered automatically, you then had to add or delete hours as needed. Problem was, that out of 500 employees only the 5 office staff ever had the "basic". All others had to be adjusted every week. It took longer than the previous manual system did! When I attempted to explain this to the boss, he accused me of being scared of technology. BTW, I got sent to IBM for a course (circa 1967) the teacher told us that IBM was short for It's Better Manually.

Kate L: Good old much-loved Amstrad. I hated parting with it. But of course you couldn't access the Internet with it.

Katharine S: Microbee with a tape drive (ie. audio tape). Don't think they make them anymore :)

Pat M: Define computer. In the Army (1960s) we had a WWII No. 10 Predictor. Then the ANKPQ1 Mortar Locator System (tracked mortar in flight for 1.2 sec and computed extrapolated trajectory...), Ground Elevation meter used for instantaneous computation of terrain contours while driving around; Training simulators for guided missiles, etc. Oh yes, and I got my first mechanical analogue calculating device (aka slide-rule) in 1956.

Russell C: Mainframe at RMIT in 1965 - can't recall the make or model. Using punched tape was a bit of a chore.

What was the first programming language you learned? Can you still program in it?

Andy C: BASIC. Yes.

Ash N: FORTRAN IV - probably a Hello World.

David B: Algol 60. I'd probably get it confused with successors like Algol 68, Pascal, etc.

David B: FORTRAN IV. Probably. Might get it mixed up with BASIC and C.

Denis F: Basic and probably not.

Di A: DOS 3, the odd batch file.

Henry M: Wiring up IBM 421 and similar panels. For a long time I did not think there was any other form of programming.

John G: FORTRAN. Haven't used it for about ten years, so would need a refresher read of the manual.

Katharine S: Basic. If I had to, I suppose!

Pat M: BASIC, yes.

Russell C: Algol. Not without a lot of refreshing.

Do you remember playing text-only "interactive fiction" computer games? If so, which was your favourite?

Andy C: I remember typing in text-only "interactive fiction" computer games...

Ash N: Wumpus.

David B: Yes. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Denis F: Zork.

Di A: Dungeons and Dragons was in the house.

Henry M: First one I recall was "ping pong" on my TV, but it had no text...

John G: Yes. "Adventure".

Katharine S: Yep! Adventure. My mum got into it in a big way, drew maps etc. I don't think I ever got to the end.

Pat M: Never played zip-zaps of any description. My boys played something based on LOTR on the
Commodore 64.

Russell C: Of course - Zork, I guess.

Do you still own any 5 1/4" floppy disks? If so, what's on them?
Andy C: Yep. A cup of coffee...

David B: Yes. Mainly data from my XT class computers (which I was still using up till early 1990s).

Di A: No. Used to hold main requirements for Windows reinstall, autoexec.bat and config.sys files.

Henry M: I used to fix equipment using 8" floppy disks for a while... that was as recently as six years ago...

John G: No. Threw them out last year.

Kate L: Probably a lot of land-fill.

Katharine S: Yep, backups from Uni I think.

Pat M: Many TUTs. (Temporarily Unassigned Treasures). I don't hoard junk. I store TUTs.

Russell C: A few - threw a lot out a couple of weeks ago. DOS 5.0 amongst other things.

How many DOS commands do you still know?

Andy C: All of them. Don't ask me to prove it, you'll be sorry...

Ash N: Most.

David B: Probably all of them.

Denis F: About 12.

Di A: only half a doz.

Henry M: Vot vas dos???

John G: Few, but one can always RTFM.

Judy B: Not that many - but never was too good in DOS, always had to look up commands, except for the most common ones.

Kate L: None I would say, but then I never was much good at taking orders. :)

Katharine S: Probably about 10. Amazing how quickly they come back to you when you start typing them!

Pat M: Most of them.

Russell C: Most of them - I think.

Van: Who is he? And who the hell does he think he is to try and give me orders?
 

Reprinted from the Jan / Feb 2005 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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