My Computer Page
----- OUR first computer was a
TRS-80 Model 4P, non-gate array computer. It came with a gray screen
with the arrow keys on the left and right side of the pull out
keyboard. The keyboard tucks neatly under the shelf provided by the
shell itself. It was 1988, sundown days for the product. The kids
were 12, 11, 7 and 4, I think. I traded a 1976 Ford Pinto station
wagon for it, plus, Marcella's uncle gave us 200 dollars. The month
before, I told the kids that we would never get a computer.
----- MARCELLA'S uncle was an
engineer, graduate of the University of Kansas, and was just turning
50. His goal was to have retired at 50, self-sufficiently. But, the
big "C" hit him. First, he slipped and fell just a little and easily
snapped a couple of ribs. Odd, but he didn't think anything about it.
Then suddenly, he wasn't able to use the latrine. The doctor's
examined him and found that he had a rare, bone cancer.
----- AFTER only a few short months,
his employer released him which quickly did away with his insurance.
His hopes of becoming a millionaire were dashed and in only a few
months, he was becoming destitute. Because he hadn't been operated
on, SSI wanted more proof and his workman's comp thought he should
still be able to find a job. He needed a car with airconditioning and
ours fit the bill. It was really too small for us, so we met him at
the end of the Turner Tournpike, and he drove his car home. Within a
year, he went from being a strong Republican to a strong Democrat.
You don't have to worry about doctor bills when you have a good
insurance policy and plenty of money in the bank. Without those, in a
society like ours, he felt that our government should provide,
hospitalization loopholes for catastrophic illness. This was back in
1986, and as I write this, the Republicans control both houses and
the chances of that happening is as great as spotting a polar bear in
Oklahoma in the summer.
----- WITH the help of a lawyer, he
received his workman's comp and SSI, including back months, and he
and his wife were able to drive around in cool comfort his last two
years. Taking strong doses of cortisones and tons of other
medications, he dropped dead one day in the driveway, of a blood clot
to the brain at 52. He was a good man and certainly didn't deserve
his final years. Much too young. We went to his funeral, where his
pheasant hunting buddies all showed up.
----- I HAD hoped that the 4P, with
Deskmate, would instantly improve my free-lance writing ability. But
my hopes were dashed. Deskmate simply wasn't made for writers. Single
spacing won't make it for a manuscript and a publisher.
----- WORDSTAR came to my rescue.
The Model IV is 3 computers in one: a Model IV, a Model III, and a
CPM. Wordstar was the clear leader for CPM computers - the defacto
champion. Tweaking the program just a little bit and using some
"mark-up" language, I could make my 4P control alll the font
capabilities of my Radio Shack 110 impact printer. I easily paid for
the computer in the next two years in free-lance writing, but I liked
graphics.
----- MICRO 80 advertised Alwrite
and Dotwriter and I salivated for both, because using Dotwriter, I
could include graphics! I blew my Air Force brother away.
Unfortunately, in 1984, the Macintosh was introduced to the entire
world during the superbowl, and my efforts at graphics were blown
away by the Mac. I was killing my little brother with the stuff I was
sending him, so he goes out and gets a Mac and begins,
peacemillingly, terrorizing me weekly. In the final Mirco 80, you
will find my letter-to-the-editor telling about my little Model 4P
that I traded a car for.
----- WHEN YOU check out my computer
page, you will see a picture of my 4P. Right now it has a 3.5 inch
drive and a 5.25 inch drive and has a gate array motherboard with a
high rez board in it. I may be getting one that will have two each
3.5 drives and two 5.25 drives in the machine itself. I love the
Model 4P, but the keyboard extention is simply not long enough for my
arthritic back. Check back here, and you will find that I will
include more information about our family's computer experiences. You
can always contact me for questions at my email address, below.
----- So on to my computer museum
page, and I hope you have fun looking at the computers. Remember, I
have many, many more computer than are featured on my museum page;
and remember too, I still use every computer you see. Click on the 4P.
