Time Traveling Technology

Back then I was always in the PC camp; Apple had their market, but the price point kept me away and the PC was more about business.

Scrolling through vintage tech photos online, I feel a pang of regret for not documenting my own journey. A 1974 CP/M terminal catches my eye - those phosphor-green screens where we typed cryptic commands, unwittingly shaping the digital future. Back then, RS232 serial ports were our lifeline machine to machine, carefully configuring stop bits and parity. Direct connections between computers required null modem adapters or cables with crossover wiring - TX to RX, RTS to CTS, the careful dance of handshaking signals.

Before the internet as we know it, there was TYMNET - that pioneering packet-switched network connecting terminals across the country. The hiss and static of dial-up modems negotiating connections to local terminals providing access to remote systems through X.25 protocols. The world seemed smaller as we connected across continents through packet-switched networks, each X.25 virtual circuit opening new possibilities.

The memories flow: DOS in the '80s, watching that C:\ prompt blink as we crafted batch and config.sys files and navigated directory structures. Serial connections ruled - null modem cables letting machines talk, COM ports needed constant coaxing. Remember XMODEM and KERMIT file transfers? Hours spent watching progress bars crawl across the screen, praying the connection wouldn't drop. My first local area network ran on ARCnet, with its characteristic coax cables and T-connectors linked by 93-ohm terminators. Troubleshooting always started with "Wiggle the coax!" - somehow, that gentle twist of BNC connectors often restored life to the network.

Ethernet brought its own challenges - thick yellow "frozen garden hose" cables threading through office ceilings. Installing vampire taps demanded precision: clamp them just right,  the perfect depth to contact the core. One mistake meant cutting, splicing, and starting over. But a successful connection brought pure joy.

 

And let’s not forget Token Ring, IBM's answer to networking. Those distinctive MAUs enabling token passing, ensuring orderly network access. Type 1 cable with its hefty copper shielding snake through the walls, each connection requiring perfect crimping of those specialized connectors. The satisfaction of seeing all stations "actively monitor present" on the ring - when it worked, it was bulletproof but so expensive.

OS/2 was a brief chapter - true multitasking, the Workplace Shell, and an object-oriented interface years ahead of its time. Though the market passed it by, tech enthusiasts still remember its innovation.

Windows evolved rapidly: 3.1, then Windows for Workgroups 3.11 that ran on top of DOS and revolutionized business and industry computing. Finally, sharing files and printers became accessible. Configuring peer-to-peer networks and IRQ settings was complex but rewarding - each successful file transfer felt like a small miracle.

1995 brought Windows 95, and I captured that excitement in my book "Windows 95 for Engineers." Features we take for granted - the Start button, taskbar, plug-and-play - seemed revolutionary then.

Looking at my modern setup, these milestones feel surprisingly close. Fifty years of technology have flowed past like silicon sand, each innovation building on its predecessors, each memory marking my path through the digital age.

I wonder what that CP/M dude would think of today's world. Would they see their work's legacy in our systems? Technology time moves strangely - crawling in anticipation, yet lightning-fast in memory.