The rise and rise of the NetBook

In the midst of a pot-boiling piece by Randall Stross in the NYT is this evocative quote:

“In 1983, the Compaq Portable weighed 28 pounds, more than enough to set one’s shoulder throbbing halfway down an airport concourse; it cost $2,995 for one floppy-drive or $3,950 for two.”

Gosh, I remember the Compaq portable. Some of us have one arm longer than the other as a result of that dratted machine.

Later on, I had a much neater Compaq — the Compaq 3. It proved to be a terrific workhorse. And relatively portable for the time.