That picture was just an illustrative one I found on the web. The ones I used back in HS were from DEC. I'm not sure the model number.

We had a pdp/8e marketed, IIRC, as Edusystem 25. Closeup of the front panel here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG77zE37f5w

The TTY w/ paper tape punch can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyDufWHsNVE&feature=related
Unfortunately it's not a closeup of the TTY.

At about 1 min in, you can hear the computer printing. We had two of these in our class; one can imagine what it sounded like to have been in that classroom.

At college we graduated to Hollerith cards
Example card punch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaVwzYN6BP4&feature=related
This was very slightly superior to paper tape, but still had significant drawbacks.

I was too poor to afford a personal computer in college, but I could log in to their mainframe from home via my vt52 over a 300 bd modem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYvKzNEKF2w&feature=related

I remember I bought it from my buddy for, I think, $50. Not much, but it was vastly superior to either the tape punch/TTY or the card punch.

Unfortunately, we can't see closeups of any of the dang keyboards in those videos.

Last edited by TheFallibleFiend; 05/27/11 02:35 PM.