Favorite 'retroputer' of all time~!

[AB Positive]

OK Folks. Some handwringing is in order now.

The one to top 'em all: pick your poison. If possible explain why in your post and if you want, those that came in close second (or third )



EDIT: 10's too few to get it all in there but I tried to group in compatibility fashion.

Me? I'm an Amiga whore. I'm learning 68K asm so I can homebrew on it. I love lots of different computer platforms but the Amiga captured my heart like no woman ever could.

... don't tell any of my future dates that! :P

[Game Freak]

As a kid I had a windows 95 and a TRS-80 CoCo 2. As much as I loved windows 95, i didnt do much with it and could never easily figure out the DOS commands to play MAME games.

On the TRS-80 however, i greatly enjoyed copy pasta code from the book and also loved and still do love Dungeons of Daggorath. I would manipulate a lot of the book's code as well, and code my own songs and sometimes text based games.

[AB Positive]

On the TRS-80 however, i greatly enjoyed copy pasta code from the book and also loved and still do love Dungeons of Daggorath. I would manipulate a lot of the book's code as well, and code my own songs and sometimes text based games.

TRS-80 apparently had a good foothold in new england - the very school I work at had them for their first computer lab in the early 80's. It prompted a great story from my boss (and former teacher)...


"We had all TRS-80s back in the day... we called 'em Trash-80s because they'd just never work like we wanted them to. Well a custodian or someone left a window open and someone used it to come in and steal the entire lot of computers.

... I came in the next day and saw my entire lab empty. The principal came in took one look and sighed. 'Call the police and give me a PO for what the replacements would cost' he said. I closed the door behind him and jumped for joy... we could get PC Jrs instead! Best theft I ever had on my watch."


... TRS-80 - great for gaming but apparently not much else according to my boss. Still gotta try Daggorath one of these days tho.

[jb143]

I voted C-64. It was my first computer and where I learned to program. Plus, it seemed more like a game system that most other computers. I used Apple ]['s in school off and on but not too many fond memories with it.

I also had a TRS-80 that I used quite a bit for learning to programming as well, but it wasn't the one most people are familiar with, it was one of these ugly guys...

[Dangerboy]

Perhaps a bit biased since, well, it was all I had as a child, but the C64 was my baby de gaming. Maniac Mansion, 10TH MOTHER LOVIN' FRAME Bowling, Spelling Wizard, Print Shop, Newsroom, Defcon 5, Jumpman, the orignal Double Dragon with Apology letter...TRANSFORMERS...that system was my original PSX.

[Gapporin]

I'm a sucker for a DOS machine, the C64 or the MSX. I'd love to get an Apple II someday, but it'll have to be local as the shipping alone would kill me. I had a TRS-80, but it wasn't memorable enough for me to hang on to, and I ended up getting rid of it (Monster Maze was pretty sweet though...a poor man's Berzerk...and I enjoyed every minute of it).

[Kaboomer]

I voted C-64. It was my first computer and where I learned to program. Plus, it seemed more like a game system that most other computers. I used Apple ]['s in school off and on but not too many fond memories with it.

I also had a TRS-80 that I used quite a bit for learning to programming as well, but it wasn't the one most people are familiar with, it was one of these ugly guys...

My computer lab in Jr. High had about 20 of the TRS-80's. And we all couldn't wait to stay after school and play with them. Our lab always stayed open a couple hours after school and the lab was always packed.

As for the poll, the Apple II line got my vote. I loved my IIc.

[Poofta!]

sorry, DOS all the way. the ONLY thing on that list you can compare it to quality wise is Amiga, but the gaming support is behind DOS (vastly more games, and all amiga was ported over anyway), so really there is no competition.

C64 was great for its time, but it was surpassed by the mid 80s+ DOS completely, in every way. (in my opinion its like comparing the Sega Master System to the Genesis)


edit: if dos were to be disqualified, largely because it is an OS which is still compatible with today's hardware, i vote amiga all the way.

[Steve W]

My first computer was a Texas Instruments 99/4A. I have a whole lotta love for that little silver machine. But I had to give the award to the Amiga 1000. My brother got me one from some shady friend of his (who also installed an extra 512K in it that only a few games would recognize), and also around a hundred or so floppies of not-exactly-legal copies of games to run on it. I picked up many, many other titles for it over the next few years. Such a great computer. The games were incredible compared to what I was used to, the TI-99/4A, the Atari 2600, and the NES.

[phreakindee]

Dos, no hesitation at all! It is what I grew up with.

We got a 486 at the start of the 90s and it was amazing. All my friends had an NES but I could play all those cool VGA games from Epic and Apogee! Never got a console until 1997 or 98 (an NES and Genesis) but dangit we had Dos and Windows! So much fun, and when it got old you could upgrade (usually! Memory and compatibility problems were all over). Caught up nowadays with new consoles and handhelds and all that mess, but always a PC gamer at heart.

If I had to pick another on merit... Probably C64. Just so much potential was tapped with that thing it is amazing. The Amiga too though, both lovely platforms. But the PC... Sorry, first loves, you know?

[jb143]

I can let DOS go, but is anyone else just slightly bugged by the fact that Win 98 is included on a retro computer list? I mean, I was still using it on my main computer untill just a few years ago.

[Baloo]

I prefer DOS.

Tandy 1000 series all the way.

[AB Positive]

I can let DOS go, but is anyone else just slightly bugged by the fact that Win 98 is included on a retro computer list? I mean, I was still using it on my main computer untill just a few years ago.

only reason I went up to Win98 in that category is, well, it's the last one to have a DOS-like setup where you could run DOS programs inside it. I use Win98 basically to be a GUI for a DOS laptop for my dos games.

3.1 really could be it's own inclusion, since there's a 2 year period where games HAD to have 3.1 running in order to be used.

[jb143]

3.1 really could be it's own inclusion, since there's a 2 year period where games HAD to have 3.1 running in order to be used.

And 3.1 is actually a DOS program in itself. 95 and up were not.

[cyberfluxor]

I feel bad voting DOS since it's pretty much all I've had software to and owned machines running it. The C64 I have only has Apollo 18 and that's not enough to win against hundreds of complete titles I've played under DOS. It's just easier to find games for DOS too and has always been available to me, so it is my favorite until otherwise.

[Jorpho]

3.1 really could be it's own inclusion, since there's a 2 year period where games HAD to have 3.1 running in order to be used.

Hardly. I wouldn't say there were fewer DOS games than Windows 3.1 games up until the release of Windows 95. (The most elaborate Windows 3.1 game I can think of is SimCity 2000 - and even that had a DOS port.)

[Ed Oscuro]

All of the choices in the poll are pretty solid, although I kneejerk-voted for the "other" category. That one really counts as another DOS / Win9x vote, though.