Hal Berenson:
I'll bring this to some measure of relevance to Syosset. SHS was one of the first high schools in the country to give students access to computers. While my friends and I were playing around on ASR33 teletypes connected to BOCES LIRICS' DECsystem-10, Bill Gates and Paul Allen were doing the same (the Lakeside School in Seattle had its own DECsystem-10). That is what got us all hooked on computers. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak followed a slightly different route but ended up in a similar place. Many SHS alumni went on to careers in computing, and we've made some major contributions (although obviously nothing on the same scale as these other guys). In particular Jobs and Gates became the two key leaders of the computer industry as we transitioned to "personal computing", and just as importantly the two most important industrialists of the baby boom generation. I went to work for Bill, but have no less respect for Steve's importance to our industry and our generation. When Bill decided to move his full-time focus from Microsoft to charity work I was saddened that I wouldn't be working with him but happy for what it meant for the world overall. But Steve being forced from his CEO role at Apple over health reasons saddens me tremendously. It is, as Stephen Gyetko points out, pretty ominous and I am taking it quite personally. And so in the spirit of this group, you really know you're from Syosset if you used the ASR33s when there was one each in adjoining closets on the second floor of the E wing (around the corner from Mr. T's) when the teachers were clueless (or even scared) about what to do with them and everyone else in the school thought you were nuts; And you can trace that experience to the news of the day.
Outstanding Hal Berenson I could not have wrote better. I spent much time at the computer lab at Syosset, and went on for a college degree in programming. I still have the punch tapes to prove it!
Outstanding Hal Berenson I could not have wrote better. I spent much time at the computer lab at Syosset, and went on for a college degree in programming. I still have the punch tapes to prove it!
