Number 253 - June 2004
The Good Old Days
by Ron Weinberg, Tampa PC Users Group,
   Do you remember the good old days when things cost less (or did they?)

   We all know that from time to time replacements or upgrades to our systems are necessary.

   You can search the net or scour the newspaper ads for the best deal. One thing is certain, hardware prices continue to drop. Bargains abound on all but a few state of the art models.

   But most of us don't realize the real values in today's systems. Compare any one of them to the first PC which I was privileged to use.

   It was June 1982, not too long after IBM had introduced their first mass-produced and mass-marketed personal computer, ancestor of all non-Apple systems in use today. Although our company had a substantial mid range system, our Controller requested an IBM PC because of the notoriety and publicity it had been receiving.

   At the time there was only one place in Tampa that you could buy one, ComputerLand on Fowler Ave., which disappeared years ago.

   After carefully discussing the equipment, options and pricing we made the following purchase.    
  • Model 5150 64k IBM-PC with Disk Drive (a 5.25" floppy) - $2295
    •    
  • Model 5151 IBM Monochrome Monitor (12") - $345
    •    
  • Monitor/Printer Adapter Card (this was not standard) - $345
    •    
  • Data Mac 64k Memory Upgrade Card (k not MB) - $495
    •    
  • 2nd Diskette Drive - $570.00
    •    
  • Communication Adapter - $150
    •    
  • IBM DOS Operating System - $40
    •    
  • Printer Cable - $55
    •    
  • VisiCalc Software (this was before advent of Lotus 123 and Excel) - $250
    •    
  • Desktop Planner (another pre-Lotus software) - $300
    •    
  • Box of 5.25" Floppy Diskettes at no charge - $0
    •    
  • Sales Tax at 5% - $242

    •    
  • TOTAL: $5,087


    •    Yes, $5,087, without a printer. Only 128K of memory, and hard drives did not yet exist for PC's. Even more amazing is that there was 90% inflation between June 1982 and December 2003, making the cost $9665 in today's dollars.

       While this information may not make spending on a new box less painful, no one can say you will not be getting a lot more bang for the buck than in the old days.

    Editor's Note:
       Many of you have similar stories but with Osbornes, TRS-80s, etc. as their first machine. Our own user group was formed by Osborne 1 users in 1982. The Osborne 1 with two disk drives but no printer cost $1895. The price included the following "bundled" software: the CP/M operating system, Microsoft Basic, CBASIC (compiled BASIC), WordStar (word processor) and SuperCalc spreadsheet. Later dBASE II was added.
      Number 253 - June 2004