Reintroducing the 28lb Compaq Computer

Posted By on September 16, 2006

Vintiage 28lb Compaq Computer

Laptop computers came up in conversation today as my kids and I were sitting at the kitchen table. My daughter commented that her professor was joking about using technology in one of her classes and pulled out a 1990’s laptop that had some size to it. They started laughing since it was ‘large’ relative to what they know. I smiled and said I my first laptop was 28 pounds.

MS-DOS 1.14 Floppy disk and Manual

The next hour was spent showing off my vintage Compaq Portable with its impressive green screen, 640 kilobytes of RAM and 5-1/4 inch true floppy. To their laughter I booted up MS-DOS version 1.14 to which they began playing the built in games. I realized that I hadn’t boot this computer up in their lifetime. It was enjoyable to see their reactions, especially when I removed the bottom to display the tiny screen and keyboard. My daughters comment was “I thought maybe the side would open” — she thought the whole surface was a display! (photos and posting with Palm Treo 700p smartphone)

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Comments

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
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