Even without Teacher Gao's instruction, Xing Baohua had to test the host computer and the newly repaired monitor.
"Wait a minute," one of the students quickly stopped Xing Baohua, who was installing the computer.
"What's wrong?" Xing Baohua didn't stop what she was doing, still deftly plugging in the wires, and turned her head to ask.
"The computers are in the computer room, aren't they? I heard that the machine factory has a special room for the computers, with dust removal and air conditioning," the student asked.
"This is a personal computer, commonly known as a microcomputer or PC. Before it was invented, the components inside a computer were basically huge transistors, which are susceptible to moisture. Therefore, it requires temperature control, dust removal, and other protective measures to extend the lifespan of the computer."
After installing the keyboard, Xing Baohua explained, "Ever since the microcomputer was developed by this company, the one under the monitor screen, IBM, IBM used integrated circuits to condense all the transistors together and then packaged them. This makes them resistant to moisture and dust. Abroad, these things are normally placed on office desks and can adapt to various environments. There is no need to make them special. As for the computer rooms specially set up by machine factories, that's an old idea."
In fact, Xing Baohua also knew that in the 1990s, people wore shoe covers when entering and leaving computer rooms, and the rooms were equipped with air conditioning.
After finishing the explanation and plugging in all the wires, Xing Baohua turned on the computer. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the power supply fan start turning. He was lucky; it didn't take much effort.
With a few beeps, he knew the computer had started its self-check. To Xing Baohua's surprise, he saw computer information on the screen, and even more unexpectedly, 10MB of hard drive data flashed by and entered the system.
The familiar DOS system and distant memories. I pressed Enter twice and continued waiting. Those around me held their breath, staring at the incomprehensible screen. It was all lines of English letters.
Everyone probably has this question in their mind: what can this thing do? Besides some English letters, what does it all mean? I can't understand it anyway, so why not just watch a TV program on CCTV?
The rapid typing, the satisfying click-clack sound! It brought back a flood of memories for Xing Baohua of his Cherry MX Blue switch keyboard. He used it for many years, and anyone who has ever used a mechanical keyboard will love that sound and feel.
Early computer keyboards were mechanical keyboards, with a strong sense of pressure and a click-clack sound that was better than any other type of switch. That was the feeling we wanted.
Based on the boot data, Xing Baohua knew that the computer's model was an IBM 5160. If he remembered correctly, this was the most advanced personal computer of its time, a true compatible machine that could be paired with many add-ons. Of course, before it was the world's first compatible machine, the 5150. It thus became the standard for personal computers. In 1983, China also developed its own microcomputer based on the 5150. The 5160 version was simply an upgrade of the 50 version, adding a hard drive. This hard drive alone initiated the standardization of computers, marking the highest level of the industry's food chain.
Subsequent Chinese versions of the system, as well as Chinese character cards and plugins, were all developed based on IBM and on the DOS system.
Of course, the computer is now rather useless to Xing Baohua; he's used to more advanced computers, and switching back to this antique is a bit of a shock. He'll have to learn how to use a computer from scratch. And writing a program might not even be enough to fit it all on his hard drive.
There are still some things in my mind that I haven't quite organized yet, after all, I've only been awake for a few hours.
The system was still intact, though a few files were saved, which Xing Baohua wasn't interested in opening. He was bored; he had no interest. It was like being used to a smartphone and then finding it very difficult to use a feature phone like an old-fashioned one.
"I knew you guys would come here." Old Wei led the security guard surnamed Wang into the repair shop and saw Xing Baohua sitting at the computer, with several young men craning their necks to stare at the computer screen.
Xing Baohua ignored him and tested two small programs, one of which was a coding program. This reassured him that he could use this computer to write some software whenever he had an idea in mind.
After all, early computers were used for research and development. It would take several generations before they were truly used for office work, and decades before they could be used for internet access and entertainment.
I have no idea what the Municipal Machinery Bureau is going to do with this original computer. Did Su Ya get this computer just to type and print English documents?
The Suya I remember is probably a computer novice who hasn't received any systematic training.
"Is the computer fixed?" Old Wei asked. No one paid any attention to him when he entered the room, but he approached the computer by himself and asked curiously when he saw that it was running.
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