Just for "fun" (and a little "Oh yeah...? I've got one better then you!" one-upmanship), describe the first system that you used for "CAD" (note that the first computer that you used will be the topic of a similar future question in this forum). For me, it was:
Synercom Informap, an AM/FM/GIS/LIS system running on a PDP-11/70 using the operating system RSX-11M-Plus (anyone remember PIP?). Program customization was done using FORTRAN IV Plus. The workstations were the gigantic, twin-CRT, LSI monsters with 48"x36" digitizer tables. And the plotter was a Calcomp 960 (with a two-pen block).
Yeah, we've come a long way since then!
Computervision CADDS 1 with a whole 5MB drive the size of a washing machine. Ran on a Data General 1200 (short for 1.2 Khz processing speed!) using CV's proprietary operating system and design software Used two forms of input: a combination plotter/digitizer with a joystick for moving it and "digitizing" printed circuit board designs from the drafting dept. The second input device was a 10" Tektronix storage tube terminal with 12x12" digitizer tablet and pen. The whole system cost a cool million $$$ including the Gerber photoplotter. Programming language? How about assembly language... on an authentic teletype machine! The S/N for the first machine ( we got a second one to do chip design on later) was #016. Dang, I'm dating myself now!
Ooh, I'm feeling so young now ;-).
I'm not exactly sure what came first, but I remember the first one I really worked on was surveying system named Eclipse from a UK vendor I don't remember (and doesnt exist anymore). Last build was from 1989, running on a 2 Monitor DOS Environment (one small 14" for text, and a large 21" for grafics). The hardware was still expensive, ~30.000 $ per seat.
Beside this I saw an early verison of ACAD (9.x) with a DOS extender and ME10 on Unix at the university, where we should learn computer graphics (I cannot really say that I liked it this time)
Michael