By: Bakri Baharom @ Koboi Tunjang

 
Now, it is very difficult to imagine a world without computers. However, it was only in 1946 that the first was introduced, the so-called ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). But, the concept was first proposed by Charles Babbage in 1822, exactly 200 years ago. He called it Difference Engine.

By 1837, Charles Babbage again improved his design known as Analytical Engine. Between 1822 – 1946 (124 years), intellectuals and inventors were seeking knowledge and expertise to come up with one. On the other hand, the most well-known non-electronics calculating machine is the Abacus, introduced by the Chinese thousands of years earlier.
 
What are some of the terms used for these computers? Mainframe, Supercomputer, Mini and Maxi computers. Take Mainframe, considered to be a large size and powerful costing RM20 million in the early 1970s. The storage capacity is a whopping 1 million bytes (1 MB). Putting it into a proper perspective now, Apple 13 handphone (RM4,000) comes with 512 GB storage – that is a storage size 512,000 times bigger at about 5,000 times cheaper. Going by such a depreciating value, a normal sedan car should now cost only RM10 per unit.
 
Apart from doing BASIC programming on a dumb terminal and ForTran via Punch Card, both were connected to Mainframe CPU; Koboi Tunjang was introduced to smaller computers, known as Desktop Computer or PC (Personal Computer). One is PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) by Commodore International, a single all-in-one case using MOS (Metal Oxide Silicon) 6502 with 4 or 8 KB of memory and a built-in cassette tape drive. Commodore BASIC or PET BASIC was the standard language run on Commodore computers. The more popular version was Commodore 64 (1982) and Commodore 128, Amiga (1985).
 
In 1981, Koboi Tunjang bought a small home computer that was connected to a TV. It was called Z80, at £99.95, from a company owned by Sir Clive Sinclair. You may run some BASIC Language programs, but it was not very convenient. Koboi Tunjang returned the Z80 and received a full refund. Two years later, an upgraded version was introduced, ZX Spectrum. It was very popular in Britain and competed against Commodore.
 
In 1981 too, British Broadcasting Corporation (called Beeb) launched 2 computer models, BBC A and BBC B, built by Acorn Computers. Model B (64 – 128 KB) carried a higher memory compared to Model A (16 – 32 KB). BBC computers were intended both for home and education purposes. Model A with 16 KB memory costs £299 then. There was only one set of BBC computers available in the lab, which Koboi Tunjang never operated.
 
By 1982, Koboi Tunjang was already using Apple II for programming projects. It ran a special version of Pascal, known as UCSD (University of California, San Diego). It was the time that Koboi Tunjang started to enjoy reading programming code like a novel. Apple Computer was originally designed by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs from Apple Inc in 1977. Apple used its own propriety Operating System called Apple DOS. It started with Apple I, then Apple II, Apple II Plus, Apple IIe, Apple III, Apple Lisa, Macintosh etc. Steve Jobs was a real genius; everyone should read his biography written by Walter Isaacson (2011). You would be inspired, guaranteed.
 
To understand the world of PCs, you need to acquire a few basic knowledge. The first two terms are Hardware and Software. Hardware refers to the equipment; motherboard, CPU (processor), RAM (Random Access Memory), various cards etc. Software refers to a written program to control the PC, like Operating System and drivers to control input/output devices which are termed as Peripherals, like mouse, keyboard, printer, monitor, webcam, scanner, speakers etc. Application Softwares are packages to run your word processing, spreadsheet, accounting, presentation, payroll, computer-aided design etc.
 
By 1980, the de-facto standard for small computer Operating System (OS) was CP/M, produced by Digital Research headed by Gary Kildall. CP/M stands for Control Program / Monitor (or Microcomputer) and is a text-based OS. Koboi Tunjang had gone through the line commands such as DIR (DIRectory) to list files, ERA (ERAse) to remove files, REN (REName) to change file names, SAVE to keep files and many others. Digital Research licensed CP/M to be used on computers produced by OSBORNE, MORROW and KAYPRO.
 
By August 1981, IBM decided to enter the microcomputer segment – the negotiation to adopt CP/M as its OS reportedly failed. IBM then found a new start-up company, Microsoft, headed by Bill Gates, who was rumoured to quit his studies to concentrate on a brand new OS called PC-DOS (Disk Operating System) to run IBM-PC using Intel 8088 microprocessor. At the same time, Microsoft reserved the right to sell PC-DOS to other similar microcomputers under the original name, MS-DOS. Within a short time, PC-DOS and MS-DOC became the new leader. The joke then, whenever DOS failed, it was a misnomer as Dirty Operating System!
 
A new era started with the so-called; A Prompt (A>) or C Prompt (C>) on the screen. A new set of DOS commands was made available. For example:
 
C>COPY C: XYZ A:
will duplicate file XYZ on hard disk C to disk in Drive A.
 
C>ERASE A:.
will delete all files on disk in Drive A
The * is known as a wildcard to represent any name of any length and any character.
 
C:> REN A: XYZ ABC
The REN command will rename the XYZ file on disk in drive A to ABC. Notice REN is similar to CP/M and MS-DOS.
 
Life was tedious then!
 
By March 1983, IBM introduced a new model, IBM-XT (eXTra), which could further be expanded compared to IBM-PC. While the original had only 5, IBM-XT had 3 extra Expansion Slots. The power supply rate was increased accordingly. Unlike Mainframe, IBM sourced their hardware from external suppliers, which also produced compatible systems like IBM-XT for companies like AT&T, Compaq, Epson and Tandy. Taiwan, which joined the market with even cheaper XTs, were collectively labelled as XT-Clones.
 
IBM responded with a new version, IBM-AT (Advanced Technology), by August 1984. It used Intel 80286. Even though IBM-AT was more powerful than IBM-XT or IBM-PC, IBM made sure it was downward compatible. It means any program will run on all three platforms. Again, clone ATs were produced, which included BABY-ATs as well. Intel continued to introduce a faster chip, 80386. By the end of 1986, the compatibles and cloned manufacturers even beat IBM to launch 386 models.
 
IBM would not surrender but responded with a different approach in 1987. The new range was known as PS/2 (Personal System). Among them are PS/2 30, 50, 60 and 80. There were two interesting points; one, IBM no longer outsourced their hardware supplies to any third parties, and secondly, for the higher PS/2 model, the Data Bus was different. It means all existing expansion cards produced by compatible and clone companies would not work on PS/2. A check-mate by IBM!
 
Intel continued to introduce 80486 and 80586, which was better known as Pentium. As far as Koboi Tunjang knew, there was no original IBM microcomputer based on PC-DOS running Intel 80386 or 80486. But, the compatibles and cloned marched on. We even had a set with Co-Processor, Intel 80386, to run the system and Intel 80387 to take care of the intensive calculations.
 
Likewise, Microsoft kept on enhancing its Operating System. For example, it started with 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 2.1 … 6.0, 6.21. The change in the first digit means major updates; the change in the first decimal digit is small, and the second decimal could be little patches. Koboi Tunjang had gone through it all, from 1.0 to 6.21 if memory still serves him right. Then, the era of Windows OS started with Version 3.1 as the more popular one. The age of GUI (Graphical User Interface) ruled, replacing text-based commands.
 
Let us touch a little bit on storage media. It started with magnetic tape, which stored data in sequence and slowly. Then, IBM introduced the diskette, a much better choice to tape. The first kind of diskette that Koboi Tunjang ever used was a 5.25″, known as Floppy Disk, in 1981. It was Single Sided Single Density (SSSD) with 90K storage. It means only one side of the disk is recorded. Then, Double Sided, Single Density (DSSD) was introduced. The capacity increased to 180K – subsequently, Double Sided, Double Density (DSDD), 360K. Later, you had a 1.2 MB 5.25″ disk too.
 
The bigger size diskette in the 1980s was 8″. In turn, the drive was bigger than the usual 5.25″ drive. The other popular disk size was 3.5″, again by IBM. Initially, the storage size was 720K and doubled up to 1.44M in the 1990s. Over time, the size of data storage kept increasing while the price decreased. Other popular storage were Hard disks, Pocket disks, CDs, Flash Drive, SD Card, Zip Drive and Pen Drive. Of course, everyone is keeping their data in the CLOUD now.
 
In 1984, Koboi Tunjang joined a one-year education training at a very established college (M4P, founded in 1954) in Penang. With thousands of would-be teachers, none knew anything about computers. One of the faculty members informed Koboi Tunjang there was one set of PC sitting majestically on a table in the office. No one ever touched it. Now, there are probably more desktops and laptops than the number of trainers and trainees. By year-end, the Penang Bridge was almost completed. But that is a story for another day.
 
By Jan 1985, Koboi Tunjang took a bus ride from Alor Setar to Kuantan to start teaching and preaching computers.
 
… and Bill Gates marched on to be the richest man on earth.