[AT] Off-topic Operating Systems (was Re: Forum registration)

[Al Walker]

As I understand it about the only reason to move from Windows 7 to Windows
8 is for touch screen use?

As someone well blessed with poverty one of the reasons I first started
looking at Linux was because it was stable and free.
:-)
My original computer experience was in the mid 1960's and NOTHING like a
PC. When I started on a regular PC (after my time with a Timex/Sinclair and
then a Radio Shack Coco III it was all DOS. I did not know a single soul on
the planet with a PC that I could learn from or ask questions. I about went
mad. Talk about a learning curve... The 6 page manual explained how to use
the switch to turn it on.
:-)
I later got a copy of DR-DOS (Digital Research) and it had a common sense
manual. MS-DOS manual I believe was intentionally confusing.

Francis Robinson . . . .





When I started in micro-computers, we had an operating system that I've 
forgotten the name of, running WordStar.  It was OK. I could get it to 
perform all right.  Then came MS-DOS  Not much there until version 3.  At 
that time, many people couldn't wrap their heads around micro-computers much 
less the operating system.  But I loved it.  It took a little digging in 
books etc to find the commands to modify the operation of the computer to do 
what I needed it to do.  I worked in the community college computer lab at 
the time, and these computers were a new way of doing things.  It was a 
major upheaval to the "standard" ways of doing things.  I knew we could not 
afford a printer for each of the 25 computers in our lab, but realized that 
a network and one really good laser printer would do.  We picked a 
networking product called LANtastic.  It was easy to set up, easy for 
students and faculty to use and served for many years.  I wanted to get into 
Linux at home, and bought a Dell pentium 4 machine.  I tried setting it up 
for dual booting.  But the Linux would not load.  Come to find out, there 
was an Intel video chip in the computer that had a defect in it that 
prevented it from displaying the graphical user interface.  And like Farmer 
being deeply blessed with poverty, I have not gotten anything to run Linux 
to this day.  Maybe some of these newer, more finished versions, would 
possibly work, I just haven't gotten that Round Tuit.    Yes, I did mess 
with DARPAnet before the Internet was born.  Just  a short version of my 
computing history.
Al in NW MN