Punch cards
What Google would have looked like in the 1960s
1–10 of 25 posts
Re: What Google would have looked like in the 1960s
#2It takes so long to use, but the "printout" feels a lot more permanent and awesome than the modern digital list of search results.
Re: What Google would have looked like in the 1960s
#3Props to whoever came up with the idea.
Re: What Google would have looked like in the 1960s
#4It takes so long to use, but the "printout" feels a lot more permanent and awesome than the modern digital list of search results.
I used to have a box of crummy line-feed paper that I used in a dot matrix printer hooked up to my Apple IIe. I liked the endlessness of the accordion-fold paper. Also I felt like it was very cool (and a bit surreal) to take data that is inside the computer and print it out and leave it in piles on the desk. I wasn't tied to a tiny screen anymore...
I just re-watched Colossus: The Forbin Project and I thought it was funny how you could tell that the paper was much higher-quality than the stuff I had in my box. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vn0... <- should skip to 36 seconds in
Re: What Google would have looked like in the 1960s
#5Wow!
This is actually very classy and reminds me of my dad's office back in the day. I remember going to his desk on Sundays and listening to dot-matrix printers nearby. Now I know those were ordinary MIS/TPS reports that we've come to hate so much. But I used to play with that line-feed paper, ripping its edges where it connected to the printer sprockets.
There was also a huge drum printer in that office, with a giant spool of paper resting on the false floor. The room was air-conditioned, shoes left outside, very cozy and well lit. Sure it looked very cool to me then. Thank you for bringing back those pleasant memories!
Re: What Google would have looked like in the 1960s
#6Wow! This is actually very classy and reminds me of my dad's office back in the day. I remember going to his desk on Sundays and listening to dot-matrix printers nearby. Now I know those were ordinary MIS/TPS reports that we've come to hate so much. But I used to play with that line-feed paper, ripping its edges where it connected to the printer sprockets. There was also a huge drum printer in that office, with a gia…
I get pangs of nostalgia watching this thing. I'm old enough to have worked with punch cards, teletypes, mag tapes, line printers, front panel switches, and such -- in the '70s anyway. (... now where the hell are my cigarettes ...)
Re: What Google would have looked like in the 1960s
#7I have been wondering why it took me so long to become a better, faster programmer. I accomplish as much in a week now as I did in a year back then.
Was I that stupid back then? Have a become a much better learner? Was is the "10,000" hours that made the difference?
No. It was just that fucking hard to make much progress back then. And it's changed so gradually that it's hard to notice.
I've have always known this, but I didn't feel it to this extent until I did this demo.
Great job. Brought back wonderful memories. And new understanding.
Now burn it.
Re: What Google would have looked like in the 1960s
#8Not very realistic, though... where were the ads?
Seriously, though, totally impressive!
Re: What Google would have looked like in the 1960s
#9This is fantastic. I'm 54 and thus old enough to remember writing my programs one card at a time on an 026 or 029 keypunch. A DECwriter with TSO was like heaven.
Great simulation and highly evocative of that earlier time. Kudos to the creators!
Re: What Google would have looked like in the 1960s
#10Wow! This is actually very classy and reminds me of my dad's office back in the day. I remember going to his desk on Sundays and listening to dot-matrix printers nearby. Now I know those were ordinary MIS/TPS reports that we've come to hate so much. But I used to play with that line-feed paper, ripping its edges where it connected to the printer sprockets. There was also a huge drum printer in that office, with a gia…
I get pangs of nostalgia watching this thing. I'm old enough to have worked with punch cards, teletypes, mag tapes, line printers, front panel switches, and such -- in the '70s anyway. (... now where the hell are my cigarettes ...)
This 60s Google app is very cool, and I can see how it might inspire nostalgia.
But whenever I think about how prevalent cigarette smoking used to be in those days, I feel sad that so many people smoked without fully understanding the health risks. Both of my grandfathers lived and worked in that era, and both died of lung cancer.