3 ms·
Besides the wide availability in chainstores (like Target) and low price (~ $100 towards the end), you could find 2 or 3 books that spelled out how -everything-
by 8bitsrule 7y ago
Besides the wide availability in chainstores (like Target) and low price (~ $100 towards the end), you could find 2 or 3 books that spelled out how -everything- inside worked, and how to access it ... using the built-in BASIC or, if that was too slow, assembler. So it was pretty much wide Open.
Many MANY magazines supported it with type-in software that adventurous users could freely modify. (Among them, 'The Transactor' dived deepest.) And empowered -many- users to comprehend important basics.