"We are born astride a grave - WaynesWorldStage.com

Chapter 13It was 1978. Small computers were justcoming on to the market. Radio Shack and TexasInstruments both offered computers for under$500. I knew nothing about computers but wasinterested in getting one for the business. Idiscussed this with a computer programmerfriend from the train. He said, "No, they are waytoo small. They're just toys." He knew of a new,more sophisticated, small computer made byOhio Scientific. It cost about $3,000, but wouldsave the business a lot of time and aggravation.His experience was all on main frames. Herecognized that small computers were going to bea hot item. He wanted to get experience on one.He said that if I bought it, he would write all thesoftware I needed. I didn't know what softwarewas, but it sounded like a good idea.After being on a waiting list for threemonths, my friend called me and said, "I'vecanceled the order at Ohio Scientific. RadioShack has a new computer called the Model II.It's head and shoulders above everything else onthe market." "Radio Shack?" I asked. "I thoughtyou said they were toys." "Trust me," he said.Now I was on the waiting list at RadioShack. By the time the computer arrived, my273