Favorite Computer Software?

[nw6675]

Learning DOS. My computer science teacher always said to save, save, save. He would randomly flip the switch that cut power. Many a program was lost.

 

[emily nicole]

I was very impressed with Microsoft's multi-disc encyclopedia, Encarta

Wow, this really brings back memories. I had to google to find out what it was called, but I loved the trivia game (MindMaze) that was in this software. I had forgotten all about it! I used to play it for hours.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

You can still play that...
https://quuxplusone.github.io/Advent/

It took me over a year to get through that because we deliberately made the wrong choices just to see what would happen. We died. a lot.

 

[MGMmjl]

The Oregon Trail comes to mind as an educational game I liked playing growing up. Since I'm a WDW fan, I loved my Walt Disney World Explorer CD-ROM.

 

[Communicore1991]

The Oregon Trail comes to mind as an educational game I liked playing growing up. Since I'm a WDW fan, I loved my Walt Disney World Explorer CD-ROM.

Walt Disney World Explorer as well as the Second Edition were great. I remember going over to Test Track in the program which was still Under Construction and being able to see publicity stills from the ride (I think the one shown was when you go through the heat chamber).

In my family our first PC was a Packard Bell with a whopping 100MHz processor and 4MB of RAM. It came with a CD for this game called Tuneland from Howie Mandel. As a kid I had games from the Jump Start series, Reader Rabbit, and other CDs from The Learning Company.

I also remember as I got older getting Dogz to have a cute dog sitting on my screen while I used the computer as well as the Bonzi Buddy green parrot before that became complete bloat/adware.

 

[mrodgers]

There was a great golf game called Links that had a build-your-own course feature. Lots of regular users made courses that were realistic to famous courses around the world: Augusta, St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, etc. It was a lot of fun to play against other users online. Unfortunately, Microsoft bought it and essentially killed it.

I think I played Links back in the days of my first computer. All I remember is hearing after every shot, "I think you hit the tree, Jim."

 

[mrodgers]

How many of us had Flight Simulator and crashed into the World Trade Center........years before the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Nope, can't say I did even in the first days when I was just playing around with Flight Simulator 5 I think, on floppy disk. I have crashed into buildings, but as it started you out in Chicago, that's about all I could do then, get it in the air and fly around until I crashed usually into a building.

Today I am touring all around the US right now in a Cessna. MSFS is freaking amazing looking. I've circled my childhood neighborhood, taken note of the dirt race track the neighbors have up in the house I use to live at. I've taken the drone camera and landed underneath the group of trees that are next to my Dad's burial plot.

 

[BrianL]

If you're talking old-school, then I used to have an Apple ][ game called Adventure Construction Set, and I played with that thing so much! You could make your own RPGs - primitive but fun - and even create your own sprite tiles, etc. I also played a lot of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego on that unit, which was actually an off-brand Apple ][ clone.

Later, I did used to have fun with the previously mentioned WindowBlinds, which had a skin to make the computer look like the LCARS computer interface from Star Trek TNG. Back then, a little animation and sound were so impressive.

My all-time favorite computer software though, that isn't a video game, is probably Microsoft Excel. It is insane just how useful and versatile that really is, and not just for work either. I keep all kinds of lists in it, plan my Disney vacations, etc. It really is one of the greatest tools ever created.

 

[amcnj]

I would have to say the workplace tools, spreadsheet and word processing initially, and later presentation software. It was amazing how much you could do and how easily changes could be made.

I guess you can tell my first exposure to computers was through the workplace!

 

[Mysterian]

Overall, Photoshop.

Old school: I had Garry Kitchen's Game Maker for the Commodore 64. Limited, but fun. That cover brings back memories!




Later on the Commodore Amiga, I had Disney Animation Studio. It works like real hand-drawn animation in that you can overlay frames as you draw, like tracing paper. I made little movies with this but was limited by disk space. MTV's Liquid Television was on at the time, and Aeon Flux was a big inspiration for animation.

Even later, on Windows, I used Macromedia Flash to make little movies. Now with music and sound. Such fun! I need to get back into this with a new program.

 

[luvthatduke]

I also remember as I got older getting Dogz to have a cute dog sitting on my screen while I used the computer as well as the Bonzi Buddy green parrot before that became complete bloat/adware.

I enjoyed my "pet" running around my screen.
IIRC he had to be fed on schedule or he'd disappear.
I think that's how I lost him .


MillauFr: I was only half-joking about trying my old CD's.
I still have an old PC w/XP if nothing works on the WIN10 (which I don't think any will,
but you never know).

 

[DLgal]

The original Roller Coaster Tycoon sucked up more of my time in college than I'd like to admit.

 

[sam_gordon]

The original Roller Coaster Tycoon sucked up more of my time in college than I'd like to admit.

I remember spending hours on it myself. I recently got a copy of it and installed it, and found I just didn't have the patience to work on it like I did in the past.