"WHO REMEMBERS PRODIGY, AOL, MSDOS etc.. IN THE EARLY 90s "

in #technology7 years ago

My first computer was a 286 for our office with two work stations. My father was totally against it but we had over 10k line items that we had to inventory and were doing it manually since the 60s. I finally convinced him to let us put these computers in our business to make it more efficient , he thought I was nuts. My computer guy was Don from Georgia, this guy was a genius. He had to teach me and two other salesman on the counter how to use these boxes. We were all lost, first day Don set everything up and he went right to the screen and started pushing keys. I said wait, first show us how to turn it on, he laughed but I was serious. We had to go on the black msdos screen and type in msdos\dos\adv and we were lost, then this blue screen came on and he started teaching three guy's who were never on a computer in their life. It was funny because it was 1992 and the customers were impressed that we had computerized the business. We all looked so intelligent on these computers until they froze up, which happened daily, then we had to call the computer guy to come out and fix it while we went back to manually writing up tickets. He said you have to reboot it but we didn't know what he was talking about. My dad was furious when the computer went down but he never used it. he said I can write a receipt out faster than that thing can. Now remember it took me until almost 1980 to get off the Rotary phones and go from one to 4 lines with push buttons. Also you will get a kick out of this, our secretary had been their since 1967 and now it's 1992, 25 years. I said to my father in 1992 that we needed a Fax machine like everyone else has so we can reorder product. He said no, I said why not it saves us money and time, finally he gives in. First day we set it up because we were computer literate now, when someone needed a copy of an invoice before the fax machine, the secretary would take the original up to the bank and make a copy then come back and mail it to them. So now we have a fax machine, I said to the secretary someone lost an invoice could you look up the original and fax it to the vendor. So her first time on a Fax was like our first time on a computer but worse. She sticks the invoice flat and it pulls it in, she stops and says wait a minute, that is our only invoice and that it was the original one, if we send it we won't have one. We all were laughing, I said do you honestly think that paper invoice is going to travel up that phone line, and she looked at us all laughing as it came out the other side. Now I have to teach her how to use the computer, I would stand there and show her for hours with a stack of invoices on how to put them in the right areas on the computer. I would walk away and she froze, she was scared to death of that thing. unfortunately after three months of trying to teach her she retired, and never did learn how to use a computer.

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Thank you !!!

OMG! This is hilarious! I grew up with computers in my class room, and gadgets and machines to play with so when I came into the workforce it was just before everyone had completely switched over. It was 1997 and these corporate adults were trying to add their computers, their fax machines, and their emails, but none of these people had any clue how to use any of it. I was 21 years old at the time and the only person who knew how to write a proper email, and type a form letter using the computer, and to use the fax machine. It was really strange to be in that position being the youngest least work experienced, but most gadget and new tech experienced. In 20 years the office and how business is done has changed so much from those days. One could say I am from the last generation who used analogue tech to run a business the way your father did, but the first generation to use and understand how tech in the workplace came to be what it is today. Loved your post. :)