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> When the computer was $3,000; another $300 for a BASIC compiler was easier to swallow It’s funny to me but I almost feel like computers were a pyramid scheme
by conductr 5y ago
> When the computer was $3,000; another $300 for a BASIC compiler was easier to swallow
It’s funny to me but I almost feel like computers were a pyramid scheme in the 80s
“You should get a computer for home“
“Really? What can I do with it?”
“Run compilers and some business software”
“I don’t need business software at home, what’s a compiler?”
“It helps you build software. It’s like learning a foreign language”
“Oh, I see. So, I buy the computer, then buy software, to make more software which sounds very difficult”
“Exactly!”
“How much?”
“Roughly a Ford Mustang”
“Let’s do it”
- ghaff 5y agoYou can find quite a few pieces from that era gently poking fun at home PCs and the available software and utility. This is a really funny one from the New Yorker: https://howtosavetheworld.ca/2005/04/29/man-bytes-dog-by-james-gorman/ https://howtosavetheworld.ca/2005/04/29/man-bytes-dog-by-jam... There's a book which I could probably find if I were at home that had a piece going into the limitations of spreadsheets, accounting software, etc. that was also hilarious.