The Snowflake Chronicles

The First Time

2 Ayyam-i-Ha 163 B.E. - Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The first time I used a computer was in a class at the Community College of Southern Nevada (CCSN). I didn’t have a computer at home so I had to go to the lab to do my homework. I’m attempting to remember which class it was that I need computer time. I know the first class on computers I took had to do with the history of computers, so we didn’t actually use the machine for that course. If we needed to hand in a written assignment, instead of using a word-processing program I used a typewriter. It was an electronic typewriter and if I misspelled a word I could automatically erase and type over it immediately, but it was still just a typewriter and I had to know how to spell the word or have a dictionary next to me.

I think the first computer course I took was either a FORTRAN or a BASIC language course. The BASIC language probably, I enjoyed writing programs in BASIC, true there was a lot the language couldn’t do, but it was fun. I enjoyed the FORTRAN class as well even if we did use formulas. What other (computer) language courses did I take? There was RGP II, Assembly Language, and there was another one … a business language, but I can’t remember what it’s called at the moment. I enjoyed them, but I enjoy working with the word-processing and spreadsheet programs a lot more. I like ACCES and the other Microsoft office programs. I would like any of the other programs of this type more than a computer language course.

Anyway getting back to the first time I used a computer. The lab I used was located at the Cheyenne campus of CCSN. It was the old lab, before they build a wing to hold a modern lab with classrooms around it. That lab had only one entrance and was originally an ordinary classroom. The computers were on tables and each student had to go to a lab monitor to check out a disk for his or her class. Each class had color-coded disk, with the student’s name on the disk. Students could bring their own disk into the lab at that time. However, most of the instructor wanted the students to do their homework on the course disk because they periodically checked the disk for assignments. If students did their work at home then the instructors ask them to had in the disk they used.

There were a few of the computer language instructors who wanted students to had in hardcopies of the assignment with the disk the assignment was on. Each student taking a computer course had to pay a lab fee, but I don’t think it was very much maybe $5.00 or $6.00.

When I first used a computer, I was afraid of it. I’ve changed a lot since then. I’m not afraid of them any more, I do get a bit pissed with them sometimes but I think that’s normal. The problem now is no computer is fast enough. I want instant response and that doesn’t happen. I think I could improve the download time if I got a faster link to the internet, but I only have a phone hook-up so speed is a problem sometimes.