Thanks very much for posting this. I read about this and would have loved to attend. My first fascinating encounter with a Microbee at school in 1983 certainly sowed the seeds for my last 30 years in the IT industry.
This is so good, especially the Q&A with Owen. There's so much Australian computing history that's yet to be captured, so videos like this are extremely valuable in documenting and preserving this history (especially oral history) whilst those who made it are still able to talk about it. BTW the audio is fine.
Thank you so very much for this video. It brings back so many memories. I did an apprenticeship (Scientific Instrument Maker) with NSW Dept of Education at Auburn called the Science Resources Development Unit. We built electronics gear for the high schools and repaired microscopes and so on. We had Microbees by the bucket-load. We developed alarm systems that we installed into high schools. The systems were monitored with Microbees.
I could listen to Owen for hours. He's a really interesting bloke and a great storyteller. I loved the anecdotes about certain export markets (I won't spoil it any further for anyone that hasn't listened).
I met Owen when he and a couple of others came to our tech school back in 1983. We were having a kind of tech fair in our sports hall and I sat down and chatted to him about the Microbee and was really impressed at how cool a computer it was. I was 14 or 15 at the time.
Wonderful! I dearly wish I'd have known this was happening. Would've liked to meet you, Ewan (I have two of his systems), and definitely listen to Owen (..and of course other uBee people). Heck, could've brought a few machines. REALLY looking forward to your video of Owen talking especially. That'll be good. Even if the audio isn't great.. don't fret. It's important to document these amazing people.
Very cool, I did see this come up but couldn't make the event even though I'm in Sydney-ish. My last memory of Microbees were about a dozen of them being stuffed into a locker at my high school around 1994, presumably on their way to be dumped. Every computer class in 1993 was renowned for one of them smoking out, on cue. Our Microbee network was run by an Apple II with its hood off and a truck load of network cards inside it.
I actually live not far from where Microbee are based, and I walk past the shop they're in (it's in a dead mall in Mooroolbark, Victoria) all the time. I'm a little scared of just walking in there to check it out, but the displays they have out the front are pretty interesting.
Hmm have you ever come across the Microbee network? I don't know what its actual name was, I have in mind it was probably a serial job. Had little plug packs that fit into the back of the systems, only ever saw one sharing floppy drives, but I assume it could've share printers also...
Thanks very much for posting this. I read about this and would have loved to attend. My first fascinating encounter with a Microbee at school in 1983 certainly sowed the seeds for my last 30 years in the IT industry.
This is so good, especially the Q&A with Owen. There's so much Australian computing history that's yet to be captured, so videos like this are extremely valuable in documenting and preserving this history (especially oral history) whilst those who made it are still able to talk about it. BTW the audio is fine.
Thank you so very much for this video. It brings back so many memories. I did an apprenticeship (Scientific Instrument Maker) with NSW Dept of Education at Auburn called the Science Resources Development Unit. We built electronics gear for the high schools and repaired microscopes and so on.
We had Microbees by the bucket-load. We developed alarm systems that we installed into high schools. The systems were monitored with Microbees.
That was enjoyable, thanks for shaing some of Owen's story. We need a documentary or book on Microbee I reckon. :)
I could listen to Owen for hours. He's a really interesting bloke and a great storyteller. I loved the anecdotes about certain export markets (I won't spoil it any further for anyone that hasn't listened).
I met Owen when he and a couple of others came to our tech school back in 1983. We were having a kind of tech fair in our sports hall and I sat down and chatted to him about the Microbee and was really impressed at how cool a computer it was. I was 14 or 15 at the time.
Great.... liked the MicroBee decades ago, never bought one but will get one when available... Keep on the great videos.
Wonderful! I dearly wish I'd have known this was happening. Would've liked to meet you, Ewan (I have two of his systems), and definitely listen to Owen (..and of course other uBee people). Heck, could've brought a few machines. REALLY looking forward to your video of Owen talking especially. That'll be good. Even if the audio isn't great.. don't fret. It's important to document these amazing people.
Amazing video. Thank you very much !!!!
Very cool, I did see this come up but couldn't make the event even though I'm in Sydney-ish. My last memory of Microbees were about a dozen of them being stuffed into a locker at my high school around 1994, presumably on their way to be dumped. Every computer class in 1993 was renowned for one of them smoking out, on cue. Our Microbee network was run by an Apple II with its hood off and a truck load of network cards inside it.
Thanks for that! Would have loved to go but the distance was, alas, too far. Owen's stores were awesome.
That's an event I would have LOVED to attend! Exactly my cup of tea. Sadly I'm roughly 16000 km away...
Underated channel. Keep going man. Love from India ❤️
My first full time job was at Microbee in Melbourne with a younger Ewan.
I actually live not far from where Microbee are based, and I walk past the shop they're in (it's in a dead mall in Mooroolbark, Victoria) all the time. I'm a little scared of just walking in there to check it out, but the displays they have out the front are pretty interesting.
Go for it. Ewan is a great guy.
The legendary Gamma! Was the next big thing in 1988 :)
Hmm have you ever come across the Microbee network? I don't know what its actual name was, I have in mind it was probably a serial job. Had little plug packs that fit into the back of the systems, only ever saw one sharing floppy drives, but I assume it could've share printers also...
Econet
Would you believe that my kid’s school used an original Microbee to control their bell system up until about 3 years ago?
That’s pretty awesome.
Yeah well you could use a calculator for that, even in the eighties.