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Not sure whether it was exactly this version, but on an early job in the mid 80s, used a Microsoft BASIC compiler on a PC in a shared office. At least by defau

Not sure whether it was exactly this version, but on an early job in the mid 80s, used a Microsoft BASIC compiler on a PC in a shared office. At least by default, when compiling, it would ring the "bell" on every syntax error. And by "ring", I mean loudly. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. Which I discovered sitting at the PC, surrounded by secretaries, who commenced withering stares. That's the first day I remember not liking Microsoft.

WorldMaker 6y ago
Supposedly IBM's fault that the original PC speaker failed to think of niceties like a mute button. As late as the 486 era I remember how often it was reminded to people to just disconnect the PC Speaker. I also recall there were also crazy case mods where people would add a switch to their cases to add an on/off button.
- downerending 6y ago
  Yeah, once I bought my first PC, I rapidly realized that just disconnecting the speaker was the way to go. That said, I totally blame Microsoft for thinking that ringing the bell was in any way acceptable. Even if the PCs of the day had a soothing, quiet 'ding' sound, emitting that for every compiler diagnostic was the height of stupidity. As it was, I recall the original PC bell sound as more like gear grinding, if your head was one of the gears.
  - WorldMaker 6y ago
    Once per compiler diagnostic isn't quite so bad as POSIX and macOS apps I know that will ring the bell for every wrong key stroke. ;) (Even if more POSIX terminals these days make the bell actually sound like a bell or use a simple visual "nudge" instead and not the poor buzzsaw of an early DAC wired to a cheap speaker because it was free parts just laying around during the invention of the IBM PC, it's still amazing that terminals ever had a bell signal, as annoying as it can be, much less that apps intentionally used it or that it will forever be ambered into Unicode even. Learning to type a bell was a rite of passage for DOS kids, maybe with pseudo-terminals coming back into fashion it will be a thing kids learn again.)

WorldMaker 6y ago

Supposedly IBM's fault that the original PC speaker failed to think of niceties like a mute button. As late as the 486 era I remember how often it was reminded to people to just disconnect the PC Speaker. I also recall there were also crazy case mods where people would add a switch to their cases to add an on/off button.

downerending 6y ago
Yeah, once I bought my first PC, I rapidly realized that just disconnecting the speaker was the way to go. That said, I totally blame Microsoft for thinking that ringing the bell was in any way acceptable. Even if the PCs of the day had a soothing, quiet 'ding' sound, emitting that for every compiler diagnostic was the height of stupidity. As it was, I recall the original PC bell sound as more like gear grinding, if your head was one of the gears.
- WorldMaker 6y ago
  Once per compiler diagnostic isn't quite so bad as POSIX and macOS apps I know that will ring the bell for every wrong key stroke. ;) (Even if more POSIX terminals these days make the bell actually sound like a bell or use a simple visual "nudge" instead and not the poor buzzsaw of an early DAC wired to a cheap speaker because it was free parts just laying around during the invention of the IBM PC, it's still amazing that terminals ever had a bell signal, as annoying as it can be, much less that apps intentionally used it or that it will forever be ambered into Unicode even. Learning to type a bell was a rite of passage for DOS kids, maybe with pseudo-terminals coming back into fashion it will be a thing kids learn again.)