Professor Andrew Hopper - CBE. Huzza for honours!
Back, way back, in the midst of computer time (1978) a man called Andrew Hopper was involved in the foundation of a company called Acorn Computers. This company created computers called the BBC Micro and the Acorn Archimedes (which was based on a RISC processor) - among others.
Today, well as being Professor of Computer Technology and Head of the Computer Laboratory at the University of Cambridge – Professor Hopper has just been made Commander of the British Empire – a CBE. All here at SPOnG say, “Bloody well done!” to one of the most innovative thinkers in European computing ever.
On the other hand, an older member of the SPOnG staff would also like to waggle a finger in anger at Prof Hopper CBE, but he can’t because he damaged it too badly playing Elite on the Beeb.
Today, well as being Professor of Computer Technology and Head of the Computer Laboratory at the University of Cambridge – Professor Hopper has just been made Commander of the British Empire – a CBE. All here at SPOnG say, “Bloody well done!” to one of the most innovative thinkers in European computing ever.
On the other hand, an older member of the SPOnG staff would also like to waggle a finger in anger at Prof Hopper CBE, but he can’t because he damaged it too badly playing Elite on the Beeb.
Games:
Elite
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Comments
ajmetz 5 Jan 2007 05:34
1/2
We learnt to do spreadsheets and databases for GCSE IT on Acorn computers. Then when we left school, it was useless, as we didn't know a thing about Windows and Excel.
Still...I used to play a prank on the next person in class, by entering into the commandline, and using BASIC to type a flash command, so that the entire OS flashed funny colours, and perhaps also a BEEP command so it beeped too, all as soon as a key was pressed....so they'd sit down, to start the lesson, press a key, and the whole screen would flash funny colours and beep...heehee...and I'd go: "Look! You crashed the computer", and then: "Not really..." and exit the BASIC interpretter....
^_^ Ah...them were the pointless computer lesson days.
Still...I used to play a prank on the next person in class, by entering into the commandline, and using BASIC to type a flash command, so that the entire OS flashed funny colours, and perhaps also a BEEP command so it beeped too, all as soon as a key was pressed....so they'd sit down, to start the lesson, press a key, and the whole screen would flash funny colours and beep...heehee...and I'd go: "Look! You crashed the computer", and then: "Not really..." and exit the BASIC interpretter....
^_^ Ah...them were the pointless computer lesson days.
tyrion 5 Jan 2007 08:31
2/2
ajmetz wrote:
We learnt to do spreadsheets and databases for GCSE IT on Acorn computers. Then when we left school, it was useless, as we didn't know a thing about Windows and Excel.
I've always thought that "learning" Windows and Excel is the worst way to learn to use a computer. You should be taught concepts not implementations then you will be able to move around computers with ease.
If you only know how to navigate Windows and learn it by rote, then you are stumped if you move to where they use Macs or Linux. The same can be said for learning specific applications.
I'm sure that after being taught on Acorn computers, you took considerably less time to pick up Windows and Excel than a computer newbie would. Unless you were taught spreadsheets and databases by rote on Acorns of course.