The Early Days

bakron1

Ambassador
Mar 27, 2015
3,643
39
48
Visit site
Being I am mostly retired these days has given me a lot of time to think back about my early days in the computer and tech industry.

My first real machine was an Osborne portable given to me by a friend who was an early computer tech and showed me how CPM worked and gave me a few floppies and I played around with it for a short while and gave me an early lesson into keyboard commands and such.

Then came MS Dos and I had many early machines including Kaypro, IBM and many of which I built myself. Back then it was all manual setup and required basic understanding of software and hardware and was a lot of fun.

Then came my introduction in the the Apple word. My friend Sam who has since passed showed me the way of Apple back then on his old 2 series machines.

He owned a business had the resources to upgrade and graduated into the McIntosh line, then the G series and eventually the intel based iMacs.

I really liked the early Apple GUI and was even given a Lisa by a longtime friend and I was hooked. I still had to use DOS and Windows based PC’s because the majority of the business world I worked in was using them.

In 2008 our engineering company decided to take the plunge and switch over from PC’s to Macs and we never looked back. The networking ability was far superior and once we adapted to Mac OS, we where hooked.

As far as phones, back in the day everyone carried a BlackBerry and BBM was the primary messaging app used by us and our corporate clients.

Even when the original iPhone 2G came out, which we quickly bought 4 of them. We where still using our BlackBerries because that’s what our customers required.

When things where transitioning from BlackBerry to IOS and Android, we jumped on the Apple wagon and never looked back. I still carried a BlackBerry and an iPhone because I will always have a loyalty to the BlackBerry brand.

It was fun back then and I learned a lot and met some interesting and very smart people along the way. I have always carried the same work ethic, that I am no smarter then the people I work with.

Just thought I would share some of my early days in these difficult times we are living and hopefully some of the folks out there will do the same.
 

Just_Me_D

Ambassador Team Leader, Senior Moderator
Moderator
Jan 8, 2012
59,707
632
113
Visit site
Like you, I have fond memories of personal computers and mobile phones in the early days of personal tech. In regard to my BlackBerry years, those were the best....:)
 

anon(10700196)

Well-known member
Jul 18, 2020
211
0
0
Visit site
Looking back on life, can be good and bad. Right now, with a significant age approaching for me, I am trying not to think too much - LOL
But, like many others who posted before me, I miss the BlackBerry days. I learned a lot, and did a lot, during that period. I was even a MOD on CrackBerry, too. Ah, those days...
 

gnirkatto

Well-known member
Nov 4, 2017
570
6
18
Visit site
I still have the Bold 9900 and the Classic. And I'm going to keep them, for sentimental reasons, although they are no longer really useful (for me at last).
I also have a Key2 LE, which I turn on when being at home at night. And it makes me very happy whenever someone sends me a message, because I will respond by typing on a real keyboard.
 

wilber1

Trusted Member
May 13, 2013
18,336
0
0
Visit site
I still have a 9900 bold from 2011 just for nostalgia I guess ,my son in law still uses his classic kind of beat up but he can't let it go .
 

joemd60

Well-known member
Feb 22, 2013
3,008
0
0
Visit site
Loved my Blackberries back in the day. One other great phone I had and loved, was my Nokia 6200. That was my best phone, it never missed beat even in fringe areas.
 

bakron1

Ambassador
Mar 27, 2015
3,643
39
48
Visit site
Best device I ever typed on ,BlackBerry 9900.

View attachment 129410

My favorite BlackBerry device for forum factor and keyboard. I also loved my z30 and passport. Being I will always have a soft spot and I still very active on the CB forums, if the new 5G BlackBerry is what they are saying it’s going to be, I will be all over it.

I will be back to carrying two phones again, my iPhone and my BlackBerry, the best of both worlds.
 

bakron1

Ambassador
Mar 27, 2015
3,643
39
48
Visit site
I love Blackberry phones but sometimes I can't just live without the big screen these days.

The larger screens are almost a standard for the devices offered today. We have come a long way from the early devices which primarily used for emails, text and messaging to the devices of today which have become a portable PC, communication device and gaming platform.
 
Apr 4, 2020
7
0
0
Visit site
I love Blackberry phones but sometimes I can't just live without the big screen these days.

Yeah that’s why I moved on from Key2 I need a big screen device.

if BlackBerry produce one again I might move back but have to be honest 11 pro max is up there with Bold 9900 as my best devices I love it
 

qbnkelt

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2012
5,213
5
33
Visit site
My first love in the tech world was an Audiovox Pocket PC. Loved that thing.

Then I fell in love with a LOOOOOOOONG list of BB devices and had a blast for a few years. Alas, it didn’t last forever.

I tried Android and Windows devices. Even a One Plus One.

But my love is iOS. And my favorite devices were the 4S and the 5/5S. It was a traumatic experience falling out of love with BB, but I’m extremely happy with my Apple devices. I landed in my best spot.
 

Just_Me_D

Ambassador Team Leader, Senior Moderator
Moderator
Jan 8, 2012
59,707
632
113
Visit site
My first love in the tech world was an Audiovox Pocket PC. Loved that thing.

Then I fell in love with a LOOOOOOOONG list of BB devices and had a blast for a few years. Alas, it didn’t last forever.

I tried Android and Windows devices. Even a One Plus One.

But my love is iOS. And my favorite devices were the 4S and the 5/5S. It was a traumatic experience falling out of love with BB, but I’m extremely happy with my Apple devices. I landed in my best spot.

Like you, I was a die-hard Blackberry fan and still long for one made by RIM. Although Android has come a long way, I still prefer iOS over it. Leaving iOS is not in the cards for the foreseeable future….;)
 

qbnkelt

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2012
5,213
5
33
Visit site
Like you, I was a die-hard Blackberry fan and still long for one made by RIM. Although Android has come a long way, I still prefer iOS over it. Leaving iOS is not in the cards for the foreseeable future….;)

I wish my Windows device had lasted longer. It really was a fun device. I had the Nokia 1520 and I loved it.

I still have a few BB devices that I try to fire up when I come across them in my kitchen drawer, but of course it’s just a nostalgic moment.

Edit:typo.
 

Just_Me_D

Ambassador Team Leader, Senior Moderator
Moderator
Jan 8, 2012
59,707
632
113
Visit site
I have fond memories of personal computers and cell phones from the early days of personal technology, just as you do. As far as my BlackBerry years are concerned, those were the best ones

BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) ruled the internet back then and there were no inundating of ads like there is today on the web. The camaraderie that existed by fellow BBS members were high and everyone appeared eager to assist you with something you didn't know how to do. Nowadays, everything is so commercialized and privacy is a thing of the past. (Sigh)....:concern:
 

Latest posts

Trending Posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
259,997
Messages
1,765,282
Members
441,219
Latest member
MadisonOlsen