Then and Now

I was given my first PC when I was about 6 or 7 years old. It was an old DOS PC, some type of IBM-compatible. The year was 1996.

I remember the huge, red switch at the back of the machine, which was used to turn it on and off. If switch it on and it would then emit all sorts of clicks, hums and ticks, as it went through its bios check. I remember the EnergyStar logo in the corner, and the immense curiosity at what it all meant.

It was my first attempt, and success, at hacking too. As a family, we each had our own passwords and one day, while exploring the system, I discovered where the passwords were saved (and in clear text too). I changed a few and, once discovered, declared my triumph and genius. It was shortlived though.

This isn't the beginning of some grand origin story as I didn't go much further than that back then. I came from a small city in South Africa and it was very hard to find the right information to guide me on my journey, let alone even find likeminded individuals.

In my school, there were only two other kids that grew up with PCs at that young age. One kid's dad even had a laptop (although, by today's standards, it would've been a briefcase).

We would play games we passed around on big floppy disks (5.25" I recall); they were called floppy disks because they were actually floppy.

Fast forward to today, and so much has changed. We don't own software anymore, it's all monthly or annual subscriptions (unless you dig hard to find a "lifetime" license).

I'm so proud of the growth in open-source (and related licenses), as it contributes immensely to the education of newbie developers as well as providing quality alternatives to the general commercial options.

It's scary to see how quickly everything has changed. We used to run around the playground, pretending we had communicators like in Star Trek; now, we can talk to anyone in the world in fractions of a second.

I definitely enjoy those nostalgic memories. I miss much of the tech that, by today's standards, would've been passed over in a second.

I especially miss those utilities that showed you virtually ever aspect of your pc, and let you tweak and change things at will. The GUIs were basic but the functionality was powerful. I don't know if the equivalent ones today are even on par.

Yes, it's easier to develop and deploy however, this new magic has displaced the old; something the next generation of kids will never understand or appreciate.