In 1991, I purchased my first home PC, an IBM clone. Designated as a 286 AT, it had an Intel 80286 16-bit microprocessor, 1 MB of RAM, and a 20 MB hard disk drive. It also had a 5.25-inch floppy disk drive and the MS-DOS operating system.
From those days, the leading software programs included WordPerfect for word processing, Lotus 1-2-3 for spreadsheets, and I dabbled in some database work with dBase IV, all launched from a floppy disk. So I was pretty pleased with my efforts when I programmed a retail sales system in dBase IV for my sister's business, with sales transactions and inventory management as the essential features.
What you saw on screen with WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3 was not how it would print in those days. Instead, you would print something out, only to find that it wasn't quite what you wanted. When Lotus 1-2-3 introduced WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), users could edit on-screen content in a form that resembled its appearance when printed. It was a great new feature, but now we take WYSIWYG for granted.
With the development of faster processes and more advanced software, it wasn't long before I needed to upgrade my PC, a recurring task that continues today.
From those days, the leading software programs included WordPerfect for word processing, Lotus 1-2-3 for spreadsheets, and I dabbled in some database work with dBase IV, all launched from a floppy disk. So I was pretty pleased with my efforts when I programmed a retail sales system in dBase IV for my sister's business, with sales transactions and inventory management as the essential features.
What you saw on screen with WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3 was not how it would print in those days. Instead, you would print something out, only to find that it wasn't quite what you wanted. When Lotus 1-2-3 introduced WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), users could edit on-screen content in a form that resembled its appearance when printed. It was a great new feature, but now we take WYSIWYG for granted.
With the development of faster processes and more advanced software, it wasn't long before I needed to upgrade my PC, a recurring task that continues today.
