Am I the only Zoomer? I see a lot of “I remember”-type responses, so I have to wonder.
I’m in that weird group that’s between Gen-X and Millennial. I’ve seen us called Xennials or the Oregon Trail Generation.
Was Oregon Trail really that huge?
About twice a week we would go to the computer lab filled with Apple IIes. Usually we had to play Number Munchers, Word Munchers, or some other game to reenforce whatever we learned in class. After we finished the game in the lesson plan, we could then play whatever educational game we wanted. Oregon Trail was a popular choice because nothing was funnier than having the game say a classmate had died or broke a leg. And the hunting and rafting mini games were the closest to arcade games.
Also keep in mind that the only exposure most of the teachers had to a computer were the mainframe terminals in the school’s office or the computer lab. MECC put together a lot of software and training for teachers. A school building out an Apple II based computer lab with a bunch of MECC software was as close to turnkey as they could get at the time. The documentation for Oregon Trail or Odell Lake gives you an idea of what it was like.
http://www.mecc.co/history/the-oregon-trail---a-157/mecc_a-157_oregon_trail.pdf
http://www.mecc.co/science/odell-lake---a-192/mecc_a-192_odell_lake.pdf
There are dozens of us, dozens!
@CanadaPlus I’m 54. If you’re into the generation markers, I’m a Gen X. We don’t get your generation’s jokes and we’re totally comfortable with that.
Wife bad? I’m sorry, are we being catty? Haha.
@CanadaPlus See…
I remember xp… Thanks about it
Xennial. Grew up memorizing phone numbers, using 1-800-COLLECT to get picked up from the mall, and typing basic programs from magazines into qbasic.
The first operating system I used was windows XP (:
Worry not I am also a fellow Zoomer.
I always enjoyed retro technology either because I didn’t use to get the latest stuff right away or because there’s a certain charm to it that still grabs my interest.
Xennial!
First computer I used in school was an Apple IIe with a 720kb, 5.25" floppy drive.
First computer at home was a Tandy 1000. Still out in the garage, I think.
I was born in 1991. I do not know what that makes me… half dead maybe.😹
Millennial, I’m pretty sure.
To answer the question a bit more directly, I would guess that demographics here skew a bit older than elsewhere. That is just a guess, based on the fact that sdf.org dates back to 1987.
I’m a Millennial (35 years old)
When did you get the internet for the first time?
My first PC was in 1998, I think we had internet in 1999.
Started with a Tandy 1000.
I always coveted the Tandy 1000, but I never got one. Which one did you have?
That was pretty early on for me so only remember a few details. Playing Chuck Yeager’s Advanced Flight Sim was the main thing I did on it.
