In the early days of microcomputers (mid-1970s), software was sometimes distributed on paper tape. I purchased a government surplus paper tape reader to read these tapes. But I first had to interface it to one of my early computers, probably a MOS Technology 6502-based computer with a parallel interface. It took me a week or two of nights to finally make it work.
In the early to mid-1980s, more software was distributed on 9-track magnetic tape. So, I bought a tape reader with an interface that plugged into an IBM PC bus.
My first encounter with an actual digital computer was in 1964, when my cousin invited me to his home near Princeton University. He worked at their computer center, which used an IBM mainframe and some others, which probably included a DEC PDP-1. The operators loaded programs into the computers from punched cards, magnetic tape, or perforated paper tape such as that pictured here. They had a game called Spacewar! on paper tape, and I managed to mangle the tape after loading and playing it several times.
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In the early to mid-1980s, more software was distributed on 9-track magnetic tape. So, I bought a tape reader with an interface that plugged into an IBM PC bus.
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