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Raw Bytes Computer News KPBX FM 91.1 Radio National Public Radio Network Frank Delaney Producer Broadcast on Wednesday Morning 7:35 AM During Morning Edition Support Public Radio ! The Theater Of the Mind |
In computer news this week 03/28/2007 |
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I realized today that I’ve
been doing Raw Bytes for over 20 years now. The most common question I get
asked by KPBX listeners is “How did you get into this business ?”
so here’s my story. I was working as a Sales Executive
for the Xerox Corporation in1977 in Pullman, Washington..
One of the Xerox Service Technicians and I were walking down one of the main
streets after work - headed for a local watering hole - when we passed a
Radio Shack store that had one of the new TRS-80 Microcomputers on display in
the window. He said "I've been reading
about these - let's go inside and look at it." I wasn't sure why he
would want to look at a computer - we were working for the world's largest
copier company and I had absolutely no interest in computers. He walked up to
this computer and began typing on the keyboard. In less than a minute he had
a message appearing on the computer screen that kept repeating his name and
"Xerox Corporation." I was both astounded and fascinated. Here was
an ordinary human being - a regular guy
- who walks up to a computer and gets it follow his commands! This was a moment that changed my life.
I've been fascinated with
microcomputers ever since. I started talking to people and found out that no
one knew much about them - they were so new. I went back to Radio Shack and
bought 2 books. One was on Digital Computers which was very technical and
hard to read. The other was on learning BASIC for the TRS-80 which I found to
be interesting and logical. Not having a TRS-80, I just worked through the
lessons in the book mentally. In 1979 I left Xerox to become the
Marketing Director of one of Spokane's first Microcomputer companies. Oddly enough, I later learned that
Xerox had discovered many of the key pc world technologies at their Palo Alto
Research center – like the graphical user interface, pc networking,
laser printing, the mouse, high resolution graphics
– but being a paper copier company they didn’t know what to do
with them. The microcomputer company I worked
at sold Apples, Commodores, and
CP/M systems with names like Polymorphic, IMSAI, and Cromemco.
I also worked with an Apple II, learning Apple Basic to write small programs
for myself. Later I worked for Univac selling mainframe computers,
and for a time with IBM in their VAR program. By 1984 my desire to work with
and program computers - not sell them - caused me to make a career change to
become a programmer. I worked
at KPBX as Business Manager/Programmer from 1984 to 1987 ; writing their Membership
Program, Classical Library, creating many spreadsheet models, and bringing
the accounting in-house onto PC's. I did this using CP/M and MSDOS (Not IBM
compatible) PC's. Later we got a "modern" IBM AT. Then in 1987
I left KPBX and started my own company dedicated to computer programming and
support . So I
don’t work for KPBX, as many people have thought, and I don’t
have anything to do with selling computers or software, but I do love and
support KPBX, and that’s my story and I’m sticking to it . For Raw Bytes This is Frank Delaney (C) 2007 MTA Micro
Technology Associates http://www.mtamicro.com/kpbx.html PO Box 31522 Spokane, Wa 99223-1522 (509)624-7230 |
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