Sometime in the early 80’s, I got my first computer for Christmas. Our friends, the Williams, had one and it was so cool. That computer was a Texas Instruments TI-99/4A Home Computer. It was so amazing that it could do so much stuff, I mean play games. I don’t have any fancy pictures if it, though I have one now but I can’t use it because it needs a CRT monitor/TV or some sort of analog-to-digital converter for modern monitors or HDTVs.
I am going to rogue a picture off of the internet of the full experience and then my experience. My parents never got me the expansion box with the disk drives nor any other accessory. What I got was the extended BASIC cartridge. All I could do with it was learn to program BASIC. I was happy to do so. I entered in programs from the backs of magazines. Entering them in helped understand what commands did what and how BASIC works to draw graphics, etc.
Here is what I had:
Exactly what I had. I was later able to obtain software on CASSETTE. Yes, cassette tape. We joined the local TI-99/4A user group and I got public domain (or what we now call open source) software. To copy, you use a dual-cassette recorder just like for music.
This isn’t the exact one we had, but it was similar. You could get an data cassette drive that was specifically for the computer or you could use one of these devices. Since we had one, there you go.
But I wanted more (of course I did!). This is what I wanted:
The Expansion box. You could add in cards, it had disk drives (no more cassettes!) and memory expansion. Everything a growing technology kid wants. Unfortunately, my parents didn’t share my enthusiasm. We never did get it.
This is what I wanted my computer to look like…
Did I mention the Voice synthesizer box…. It could repeat what was on the screen. Kinda like WarGames. “Would you like to play a game?”
Oh, what could have been. I never got to own Parsec (probably the best TI-99/4A game), but I could program BASIC. That is where I learned to enjoy programming. That is why I am deep into technology today. Maybe even why I keep wanting more and trying to obtain it: because I have always been that way. I think with technology, nothing is ever enough. It keeps improving and you don’t want to be left behind. You want the best and the latest. You don’t just say, “Ah, it’s good enough” even if it is. Always looking for the next best thing.
The TI-99/4A finally ran its course and there had to be that next thing eventually… and I will share that in part II coming soon.