Robbie Rist as computer genius kid - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Rich3 · 03-13-2007, 08:04 PM

Pretty cool. I just watched a first season episode of "Simon and Simon" where Rist (Cousin Oliver) plays a teenager who breaks into a bank's computer. It was VERY similar to Wargames even though this episode was from 1981 and Wargames didn't come out until 1983. Even the name of the episode, "Trapdoors" was similar to the term "back door" used in Wargames.

The computer security of that time was a joke. Network security barely even existed back then. Anyone on the internet in the early 1980's was seen as some kind of genius.

James · 03-19-2007, 02:23 AM

I thought that businesses used "local area networks" which linked computers to a central processing unit (CPU) back in those days if there had been more than one computer/dummy terminal. Since said computers would not have any access from hackers outside of the network, I don't see why it would be a problem. Why would one want to be connected to the Internet in those days to do business, which IMHO would be very private to the company? One of my favorite school subjects was computer science, by the way.

Rich3 · 03-25-2007, 10:13 PM

Actually, I don't know how much businesses used the internet in those days. The episode itself had some questionable elements. The movie Wargames was probably more realistic from a computer standpoint.

Tweety · 03-25-2007, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich3

Actually, I don't know how much businesses used the internet in those days. The episode itself had some questionable elements. The movie Wargames was probably more realistic from a computer standpoint.

Businesses really didn't use the internet at all in the early 1980s, when those shows were made... at that time, fax machines were just becoming affordable for most businesses. If your office/business had a fax machine, THAT was considered top-of-the-line technology in those days. Email? Forget it.

Rich3 · 03-26-2007, 11:53 AM

"Internet" is just my all purpose word for computers hooking up to the telephone networks. Even in Wargames they accessed an airline company to make reservations. He also dialed into the software games company.

In Simon and Simon they did show him using a telephone/modem. So I assumed there was some truth to the idea of people dialing into commercial computers.

sixfingers · 03-14-2010, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich3

"Internet" is just my all purpose word for computers hooking up to the telephone networks. Even in Wargames they accessed an airline company to make reservations. He also dialed into the software games company.
...

You should reconsider that usage. When you say "internet" people think you are actually talking about the internet, rather than a computer network.

BTW, it wasn't until the early 90s that it became legal to carry out commerce on the internet.

03-13-2007, 08:04 PM	#1
Rich3 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 10, 2005 Posts: 688	Robbie Rist as computer genius kid Pretty cool. I just watched a first season episode of "Simon and Simon" where Rist (Cousin Oliver) plays a teenager who breaks into a bank's computer. It was VERY similar to Wargames even though this episode was from 1981 and Wargames didn't come out until 1983. Even the name of the episode, "Trapdoors" was similar to the term "back door" used in Wargames. The computer security of that time was a joke. Network security barely even existed back then. Anyone on the internet in the early 1980's was seen as some kind of genius.

03-19-2007, 02:23 AM	#2
James Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 07, 2001 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,370	I thought that businesses used "local area networks" which linked computers to a central processing unit (CPU) back in those days if there had been more than one computer/dummy terminal. Since said computers would not have any access from hackers outside of the network, I don't see why it would be a problem. Why would one want to be connected to the Internet in those days to do business, which IMHO would be very private to the company? One of my favorite school subjects was computer science, by the way.

03-25-2007, 10:13 PM	#3
Rich3 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 10, 2005 Posts: 688	Actually, I don't know how much businesses used the internet in those days. The episode itself had some questionable elements. The movie Wargames was probably more realistic from a computer standpoint.

03-26-2007, 11:53 AM	#5
Rich3 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 10, 2005 Posts: 688	"Internet" is just my all purpose word for computers hooking up to the telephone networks. Even in Wargames they accessed an airline company to make reservations. He also dialed into the software games company. In Simon and Simon they did show him using a telephone/modem. So I assumed there was some truth to the idea of people dialing into commercial computers.