# Remberance of things past - computer division

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remberance-of-things-past-computer-division/635689>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 24, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remberance-of-things-past-computer-division/635689 "2012-09-24T17:56:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remberance-of-things-past-computer-division/635689/101 "2012-10-02T11:57:51Z")

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Ah, the punch cards. The MSU computer building had vending machines that sold them and a room with about a dozen punch card writing machines and another machine that would read your deck and print out what the cards said. Some of my programs were about as long as my forearm and one trick was to draw a design on the top of your cards when they were properly stacked so that if by chance you either took some cards out or spilled them, it would be a quick visual confirmation that the stack was in or out of order.

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