I had to ink dot matrix printer ribbons and change glass disc platters to do the reel to reel back ups in my first tech job. tested modems with a butt phone. that was 1990. if I knew then what I knew now, I would have sold my MCI Stock before worldcom screwed me.
It had 2 CPUs, an 8080 and an 8085, an 8088 math co-processor, a 300dpi COLOR monitor, a 1200 baud INTERNAL modem, 1Mb RAM, a 10Mb double height 5.25" hard disk, two 5.25 floppy drives, and a 300bpi dot matrix printer. I was HOT STUFF.
It cost me almost $3,000. It got me an education I couldn't have bought at the time. It also got me my second sub-specialty code in the Navy for Communications/Computers.
I later had a TEMPEST version at work that had a removable HD so I could lock up the data and not the machine.
WWG1WGA
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)