"I Wouldn't Watch This Commercial" - JOHN CLEESE Compaq Ad

[TheGTAVIIMaster]

Inet (Sweden) Taurus Hardcore Überkill Gamer with 4 GTX600 HDGraphics card, and 5 1920x1080p 24" BenQ monitors, all this is at least 15000 Times better than the computer in the video, and the price for everything is between 1599.90-3299.90. In Sweden it's about 15990-32990:- (SEK).

[enednas801]

Looking inside my old 486 from 95 is a sad sight, looks sooooo old and crude and nasty. The new ones have fancy,cool printboards with colored chips and stuff. wonder what the a computer will look like in say 50 years??? xD

[yUsReE96]

it can't run cs 1.6. thats for sure

[Loomr]

Aah, we had a 386 a long time ago. Maybe at -92. I think computers lasted a bit longer in those days. :P

[RowenaSierrawg709]

cool Im daddys little girl

[sideslide23]

nice



[pyrogyra72]

The Compaq computer I used was nothing more than an overblown typewriter. While it was great for word processing and photoshop, it sucks when it came to video editing.

[MRaserious1]

@Monkeynuts502 no

[TSR1989RN]

Hmm, Dell / Packard Bell (& all the Foreign Made Brands) could learn much from this (they can't make a catchy Advert [or a Decent PC] for Toffee ; )

"Rule Computannia" i say!

(Laugh ; )

[PackedInsanity]

0_0 Must. Buy. Compaq.

[AbsintheGirl27]

John Cleese = Greatness

[Michaelscoolio]

Me and my friends regularly see who can quote more of these sketches. i've found a loot of Cleese's stuff on the snapsnap channel.

[Dorminay42]

More chips=more POWER

[algorithmae]

people could say cock-and-balls on public television?

[WatchVenusSpa]

Did Cleese ever make a BAD commercial?

[crusty21]

The keyboard alone weighed about 40lbs so I guess the bus part was right.

[kozmon0t]

@crusty21 old keyboards are heavy but at least they have real springs under the keys, instead of rubber. Far better than new keyboards. Made for typing speed.

Mouses killed keyboard design, and are also why today's 20-somethings can't type their way out of a paper bag.

[livedandletdie]

and some people may say that 1'000'000'000'000'000 is a quintillion but it's really a trillion. million milliard billion billiard trillion and so forth. A quintillion is 10^30 a 1 with 30 zeros afterwards. What most morons calculate with is wrong and the imperial one is the correct one where a billion is a million million. a trillion is a billion million and a quintillion is a quadrillion million. just because people say otherwise doesn't make it true.

[MrToiletclogger]

@livedandletdie it is... 1000 trillion = quadrillion. n00b. 1,000,000x 1,000,000= 1billion in the older days.

1000 quadrillion is quintrillion so.. a quintillion isnt 10^30 its 10^18

[wallet1337]

@livedandletdie

"just because people say otherwise doesn't make it true."

Alright. Then I'll just take your ramblings as bullshit then, as you insist.

[DGPR105]

@livedandletdie There are two systems of enumeration, the short and long scales. In the short scale, a billion is a thousand million, a trillion is a throusand billion, etc. In the long scale, a billion is a million million, with a millard becoming a thousand million.

The long scale is rather archaic, so "MrToiletclogger" up there is more corrrect.

[livedandletdie]

I had a Compaq it broke. And now for something comletely different, 2011 and homemade computers using the highest quality computer parts. 5 Terabytes memory is a lot better than 512 kilobytes. Oh sweet technology that advances every year. But still cost to much. 512 kilobytes is equal to 4194304 bits and that is little compared to 5 terabytes which is 4'503'599'627'370'496 bits or 4'000'000'000'000'000 bits depending on how you count. 1024 per ^n+3 or 1000 ^n+3

[NationalSoundImage]

And now for something completely different; the Compaq 386!!!

[TheSneakyCheetah]

@Monkeynuts502

It shouldn't be strange, John Cleese and the Python's should be famous in every English speaking country in the world, if not then every country

[phyllis1753]

Smart...very smart....oops...wrong commercial....

[pinky2ify]

@Monkeynuts502 Dont worry He's One of mine as well

[cochranexyz]

He switches to the original trailer for Spinal Tap!

[DjTommyKx]

Is it strange that I am Australian mid 20s and still love 1980-1990s british comedy? Fawly towers, One foot in the grave , father ted & the list just keeps rolling on!

[Professicchio]

Fawlty Towers is from the 70s but yes I'm with you.

[pinksoggy]

@Monkeynuts502 Not normal, just FRIGGIN' EPIC!

[JamNJohnN]

@Monkeynuts502

naaaa ur fine.

[AdvancingTECH]

@Monkeynuts502 no

[MrGuywhodoesnothing]

@Monkeynuts502 perfectly normal, so am i

[pulpstress]

@Monkeynuts502 No. It is, however, completely awesome.

[pulpstress]

We had a 386.

[97nachotv]

@Monkeynuts502 Not at all.

[CommanderPayne]

@Monkeynuts502

yes you're so indie and special

[Lobsterboyman]

@Monkeynuts502 You are still... only human.

[OLee82]

@Monkeynuts502 No, since he is a great comedian. And for you it's a nice way to get a few thumbs up :)

[the3rdjoker]

@Monkeynuts502 no, all the monty pythons are timeless greats

[stuckers1]

Oh wow! I remember the 386s. Those were epic.

[yurismir1]

@Monkeynuts502 Yeah, you weirdo. What's wrong with you anyway? :)

[therealMrMackem]

pre pentium? pre 486!

[timothy22597]

@Monkeynuts502 Ditto!

[ETNOLEKA]

@Monkeynuts502 Well I'm only two years old and he is much bigger idol to me

[MomoTheBellyDancer]

@ETNOLEKA

"I'm only two years old "

How the heck do you reach the keyboard? 

[Mynamesnigel]

this guy is god.

[sladikk]

Terabyte? Isn't that some sort of dinosaur?

[pretorious700]

pre pentium computers-seems like eons ago

[ProtoMith]

@Monkeynuts502 I would say no, but then I remembered that it is in my Monty-Python-Loving opinion.

[BrokenHorn90]

I wouldn't doubt that's still Compaq's top-of-the-line model even today '>_>

[MegaSlipperynipple]

even my core i7 - nVidia SLI monster system cannot run crysis.....but this can.

[FACP07]

But can it run Crysis?

[fjccommish]

@FACP07 The guys with the sticks were the Crysis of the day.

[CliveGains80s]

can john even use a computer or is this just $ for him?

[pikuorguk]

@CliveGains80s It's an advert from the 80s... but he is on Twitter and he insists on calling it "Twatter" so he must be moderately clued up.

[Brigitt3Babe]

lol this computer is probably still in use in all public schools in south australia. I remember only having one modem to access the internet with for the whole school back when i went to high school. Hehehehe took 10 minutes just to access the bloody net! Grr don't miss them days @ all!!

[whodoesknow99]

Windows XP - the source files when install are from the i386 folder. What's that all about?

[soupalex]

"...I'll switch over for you"

*CHANNEL CHANGES*

*Compaq advertising v/o continues*

...damn, Compaq's advertising is pretty tricky to get away from!

[dragonheart333]

Cleese is the man

[meaganfarr2]

@Monkeynuts502 No, my friend, for he is also my idol.

[CIarKent]

seeing this makes me feel really old

[steuenschannel]

The gracefull lines, the slick touch screen, the portability, Wifi, dazzling graphics, HD Screen........... the compaq has none of these, but i remember it being the best computer id ever had at the time.

[fairhillnorrie]

@steuenschannel luxury!!! we were lucky to have a plastic watch!!

[MrVirtualCoder]

@steuenschannel Ehm. These were technologies within Computer Engineering, that was developed LATER.

[TAPriceCTR]

wow. I remember canabalizing 3 386s into one. I am old

[WILDBULL1984]

COLOR BIATCH!!!

[commanderandom1]

so many past commercials look ridiculous nowadays, but these commercials just get funnier and funnier with time

[jbenjamgmail]

I remember a time when Compaq was "cool" and I thought that Micron PCs would dominate the market in the way that Dell did.

[StormU21]

OMG I had one of those!!...lol

[blackenedmaster]

compaq has ceased to amaze me, yet it was amazing in the past

[ThunderofBabylon]

386 !!?

that was my first pc I`ve ever had

with the mighty 20 MHz processing power and the great 3 colors CGA graphics

I played ally cat which is considered as GOD of War of these days lol

[TheYoshi42]

I wonder what parts of a bus they used? I cant thing of anything... maybe the smelt down some stuff...

[mrFalconlem]

The smart kids are using computers.. the "easy A" kids don't... and they are screwed later... the Xbox will go away soon, already 2 years outdated architecture.

[hattrickster33]

@mrFalconlem Yea you can keep upgrading your PC, for years to come. Xbox is a lot like the iMac and the Macbook. In 5 years its completely outdated with no way of upgrading without a complete replacement. But at around $200, a lot of people just buy the Xbox to play exclusive games that aren't released on PC.

[gigobait]

I have a functional 386 in the basement

[ritwingr]

John Cleese is positively brilliant - and there are maybe 3 comedic performers in the world I'd ever say that about. I can't remember anything he's ever done that didn't make me laugh.

But for a guy who fancies himself a socialist, he's sure never minded taking corporate money, has he?

[LihAniaih]

What on earth is going on at the end? It looks like some leprechauns ran headlong into a Renaissance fair.

[yaxxbarl]

@LihAniaih That will be Morris Dancing.

[yunk9]

Wow I remember having a 386 lol

[NavySealWannabe67]

funny as hell!

[mattxr2i]

I remember when a 386 was the top of the line. I'm old :-(

[CCLJunky]

... and 32 bits of a bus!

LOL! Hilarious!

[nothingbutrock666]

too bad, just did

[horselin1999]

he should knock off the computer and say oh no help

[HorsemadxEmma]

@Monkeynuts502 No.John Cleese is amazing. Have you ever seen Fawlty Towers? If you haven't, I would recommend it. You'll love it.

[Monkeynuts502]

@HorsemadxEmma Yeah, Ive seen Fawlty Towers, the episode with the Germans still cracks me up.

[TheLonersManual]

@Monkeynuts502 If it is not strange for every other person in the world, why would it be strange for you?

[shmookins]

I'd love to get the specs on that old just to appreciate how far we've come along...then to get sad and depressed knowing how the business side of computer development actually slowed down invention and evolution to a frightening crawl.

[rohultima]

@shmookins if that was a 386, it was running in the area of 16 mhz to 33 mhz

and might have had 1 MB of ram. you may think we've slowed down cause of business. is not true. it is getting harder to make chips smaller. they are getting down to atom sized transistors...and getting faster speed isn't an issue. the CPU MELTING down is...hence why they are adding additional CPUS for more performance. even that will reach its limits though

[neko9]

ahh good old 386s... maybe even with sound blaster 16 and math co-processor... those where the times...

[nodnarBius]

an intelligent commercial, holy shit! dont see those nowadays do ya's?

[MattTheSaiyan]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what year did this commercial air?

[Andrewcranky]

@MattTheSaiyan 1986

[MattTheSaiyan]

@Andrewcranky Thanks!!

[Jesustube7777]

I had one of those... buahahahah

[MarkArandjus]

'EVER' made?

[MonkeyBoyBud]

Is that Terry Jones doing the VO at the end?

[BrodinBrothers22]

lol

[JaysonSR]

I remember my old gateway 2000 system. 486-DX processor with 8mb of ram. That thing taught me so much about computers!

[halfdogderek]

Chips busses and compatablity

[CharlieSpecs]

Compaq took a huge risk by employing John I expect.

[dharmaseed]

Ahh, the randomness. Straight from a computer commercial to Morris dancing.

[infidel94]

good old hard devices!

[sw1000xg]

486 DX100 OMG happy days!!!

[vawriss3]

And it still holds the most powerfull desktop computer EVER made! :D

[Widmerpool99]

386. Happy days.

[Altinget]

Yes i agree: A computer made of 386 chips and 32 bits of a bus, what a load of nonsense. :-)

[snicky58]

Cool! Morris dancing! (That's what the guys are doing when Cleese "switches you over". :-)

[XxGaarasGirlxX]

'And now for something compleatley different.'

[danielalien]

I lost my chips, but I still have a few busses left.

[MrNinjaFish]

THis would be perfect for an MG ad

[0katron]

BUT I JUST DID WATCH IT

[Terragen]

wooot I owned a Compaq 386 SX !!

I could barely run Quest for Glory 3 on that damnable thing!!

[Nostalgico80]

LOL! XD

[FireAce44]

Lol, first PC i had was a 386. Later I got a 486, and thought I had it all. I used to dream of having two Floppy A drives, instead of one.

[shaniyyy]

@FireAce44 good old days!!

:D

[jerryhello100]

@FireAce44 I gave your wife a floppy A drive last night, if you know what I mean.

Just kidding, lol

[ToiletFinger]

@FireAce44

I remember my first IMB 286 complete with EGA monitor! That bitch was color!

[infantrydivision11]

@FireAce44 and now you could have all kinds of floppy drives

[pinger56]

386 chips?but i'm confused how many are them in today's computers...

[thebeetalls]

its only one chip, its called the 386. its a joke because he thought the intel 386 was 386 individual chips. notice he also said 32 bits of a bus, instead of a 32-bit bus.

[shivercanada]

I can imagine my new quad core will look this hilarious toaster in 30 more years!

[GuysSeriously]

my mp3 player is more powerful than this xD

[lilyphilia84]

probably 100 times more powerful..

[gerbrandt92]

haha 32 bits of a bus

[Mornedhel77]

Love morris dancers :D

[senorme1]

hey chief inspector dreyfus pink panther 2

[jankuya]

Haven't you heard of a CPU tree???

[AresCassell]

John Cleese is hilarious

[onotuoedaul]

32 bits KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK OOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDD­DDDDDDDDDD

[jobrook911]

Today's youth just don't appreciated the value of good old-fashioned processing power.

All these PSP's and X Boxes and the like, they'd think that CPU's grew on trees.

[IRONiHonakoo]

Not really bud kids today on avg understand more about CPUs and how they work then any before threm, And just bc they enjoy a PSP or a Xbox does not mean a damn thing.

[Sqdrn1]

@IRONiHonakoo

|Completely untue. Early micros did little without programming and serious people got into machine code. Owning a console is like saying a modern car driver of today is an engineer, in fact early car owners of HAD to be! Likewise on the CPU ask a kid at his console today what Assembler , Machine code or a register is .... they have no idea how a CPU actually "WORKS" just that it makes their game work. In the past - many did.

[IRONiHonakoo]

@Sqdrn1 it is like you did not even read what i said, It is a fact that more ppl now younger then ever understand more about tech then before, I will say again I'm not talking about random ppl who own a xbox or what have you, all tho alot of tech heads do have them but just having one does not make you a techhead.

[o2Ke]

I think they were grown on trees it's getting back to the begining thats will take time. oh should not have said that, oh like you believe me anyway

[spacecowboy5000]

Tell that to kids today and will they listen? Nooooo...

[LillyTeamRocket4evr]

I'm sorry what did you say? I was to busy playing my nintendo ds while listening to music and noisily chewing bubble gum to listen.

You should really stop stereotyping "kids" like that...

[spacecowboy5000]

That wasn't stereotyping - it was generalizing. BTW was comment was a DIRECT reference to a Monty Python sketch. Clearly, no one gives a damn. Thank you for commenting!

[Dms12444]

I would. Perhaps it is just my opinion, however I have noticed that most people consider my age group to be full of idiots. I find this quite insulting as this is not necessarily true for all of us.

[Jakeshark]

@Dms12444 Doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of idiots in our age group. There's a lot of idiots in every age group for that matter.

[gunman5550531]

@jobrook911

Agreed my friend

[gschjetne]

@jobrook911 And yesteryear's kids only went on and on about clock speed, not knowing that it was the floating point operations per second that mattered. And that you went nowhere fast without cache and enough memory.

[LucienFati]

@jobrook911 Gaming consoles are horribly outdated; they make a set standard to ensure compatibility while denying the ability to be on the cutting edge of technology. The processing power of computers used to navigate the lunar lander=sega genesis=game boy. The processing power of computers doubles every 4-6 months and will continue to do so until we reach the limit. 1987 computer ~=1/100th power of a 2010 computer. Though in 1950's you'd be lucky to ever see one of the few computers in the US.

[haydondres]

@jobrook911 they do:)

[TheMCMXXL2]

@jobrook911 Yes, "Processing Power". For what. Playing YT Vids or running fat operating Systems. Thats waste of capacity. Imagine the power of a Dual-Core C64, programmed on assembler.

[MtheGate]

@jobrook911 WAIT, THEY DON'T!? ALL I KNOW IS A LIE!!!!

[devxc]

@jobrook911 xD nice one

[guyverman]

@jobrook911 yea but 3d graphics are the most demanding applications found in consumer level computers and therefore are there largest driving force of computational standards; so these youth raise these standards with: "PSPs and Xboxs and the like".

[TheAndiePerson]

@jobrook911 Dude I am all for processing power, the better it is, the faster I can run Starcraft 2!

[ugz101]

@jobrook911

u must me over 40 huh?

[i7fan]

@ugz101 "u must me over 40 huh?"

Yeah like you will be soon enough. Funny thing that time business. The older you get the faster the clock is ticking so you will be there in no time. Since you'll be there in no time your basically mocking yourself. Think about that.

[freshaca3]

@jobrook911 What the hell did you use to write this on the internet? A toaster?

[TheDutchGame]

@jobrook911 But they do, right? RIGHT?!

[durge666]

@jobrook911 CPU's aren't grown on trees. They're grown in vats. Duh. Organic computers are the future. Well, quantum computers are too, but you can't grow those, so using those as an example would have made this comment considerably less relevant. Also slightly less amusing.

[Dodo251]

@jobrook911 What the hell are you talking about?

[centar50]

@jobrook911 i think i know you from nam

[ComePlayFlash]

@jobrook911 they do grow on trees!!! and so does money :P

[SgtHydra]

@jobrook911 Don't they just magically appear out of thin air?

[sheogorath19]

@jobrook911 you think GAMERS of all people wouldn't know about the tech of a pc? i personally have to know what i buy don't i? pc upgrading isn't that easy not knowing shit bout pc's

[zenixoffical]

@jobrook911 no, they're made in factories

[WeesGegroetOnderdaan]

@jobrook911

And you AND I dont appreciate the value of, well, everything people have invented before we were born.

[nedwarp]

@jobrook911 Yeah because back in the day everyone know how computers were made you fucking idiot.

[Robloxian182]

@jobrook911 .....All of today's youth except me! I'm 12 but I play tons of DOS games, and I'm looking for a pentium-based DOS machine! :D

[zenixoffical]

@jobrook911 no, they're made in factories

[Oxmustube]

The 286 I got in 1992 was 100 times more powerful than the onboard computer of the first space shuttle.

Moore's law baby!

[TheHybridHuman]

The days when you could use the words "cock and ball" in a TV advert!

[AnkhOfDarkness]

it's cock and bull story. it's an expression.

[pyrix]

My, the wonders of Technology. These days my Wii controller has more power than those computers XD

[John27346]

Are you sure about that?

[ViaCydonia]

my mobile has more technology

[TrueAgendaSetter]

John Cleese and Compaq is like David Leisure (Joe Isuzu) for Isuzu.

[jschwind435]

I called the number. I have a new 386 on it's way to my house now! I can't wait to play with it.

[DrummingAMilkshake]

weird ;) the keep selling that stuff? xD

[MattickShock]

who else noticed that was a card board cut out of a computer :p

[DrummingAMilkshake]

yeah you're right xD i see it too^^

[aireun]

i would buy one of those if i saw it now, just because of this commercial

[thefrecklepuny]

Anyone phone the number?

[MAR00NPHOENIX]

I did it said my phone is not authorized to have access to this number.