4 ms·

I was born in 1965 and was an early micro-hobbyist from the end of 1978 onwards. I remember wanting an Acorn System One which was basically a hex keypad attach

I was born in 1965 and was an early micro-hobbyist from the end of 1978 onwards. I remember wanting an Acorn System One which was basically a hex keypad attached to a Eurocard. Unbelievably primitive. In 1980 (aged 15) I got an Acorn Atom, (the predecessor of the BBC computer), with a great keyboard, 8K ROM and 2K RAM. Built-in BASIC and a built-in 6502 Assembler as well. These computers were functional but bare-bones. You really could comprehend how everything fitted together. I was really blessed to be part of that generation at the very beginning. The BBC computer literacy project was fantastic for replicating my experience to those immediately following me in school. The UK was an early world-leader in the number and quality of its programming talent. The real tragedy was this was followed by the utterly useless national "ICT" curriculum in schools which was essentially all about teaching kids how to use Microsoft Office, and probably discouraged an entire generation of kids from getting involved in software. This still makes me angry.

Zenst 7y ago
After the atom they did the bbc micro and then the electron which was supposed to be a cheaper version of the bbc micro, though interesting history on that with issues I vaugly recall. http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/33746/Acorn-Atom-TRANSFERRED-TO-HANDLING-COLLECTION/ http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/33746/Acorn-Atom-TRAN... has some nice nostalgia content to compliment this. FOr me 1967, zx81 was first computer, school was a ICL 2902/3 via acoustic coupler and teletype connection that was painful and with bad lines, 30 minutes handshake was kinda how it felt to get connected. Then RM machine and in last year at school we got our token BBC micro that the teacher was overprotective with, almost had to let him know which key you was going to press in advance. >The real tragedy was this was followed by the utterly useless national "ICT" curriculum in schools which was essentially all about teaching kids how to use Microsoft Office, and probably discouraged an entire generation of kids from getting involved in software. This still makes me angry. Totally and completely agree and to some extent, still feeling that today. 90's was painful - how many times did you have the convo about work and you would say you work in IT and some peon would say, aha yes I can do that - I know Word. Some painful times back then, as they proceeded to ego rub all down your sanity. I would also add that games in many ways did curtail people exploring computers a bit as in the early days, you had to write your own or type them in, today, none of that and in many respects - totally shut out of modifying them to learn. But some exceptions, just not the norm.
derekmcloughlin 7y ago
'65 here as well. We had the Acorn Atom at school when I was 16, but I found it underwhelming. My interest in computing didn't really start until 1983 when I started using System 7 Unix on a PDP/11 in college.
- Wildgoose 7y ago
  The book it came with, "Atomic Theory and Practise" was really well written and was a brilliant introduction to Computer Science. I remember writing to Acorn with a question and received a hand-written reply from Sophie Wilson, (of later ARM processor fame). I also watched Chris Curry demonstrate the forthcoming BBC computer to a packed Sheffield University lecture hall with the South Yorkshire Personal Computer Group. It blew everyone away!
claudiawerner 7y ago
>The real tragedy was this was followed by the utterly useless national "ICT" curriculum in schools which was essentially all about teaching kids how to use Microsoft Office, and probably discouraged an entire generation of kids from getting involved in software. This still makes me angry. My own experience of the ICT curriculum in 2011/2012 was very similar. Pre-GCSE had some stuff about building websites with Dreamweaver. The teacher showed us a banking website, and pointed out various UI elements, and our task was to make a website of our own. Unfortunately, we had to do it completely backwards. As part of some "integrated skills" approach, we had to make the website's text buttons, of size exactly 400x200 using Photoshop, and then place them onto the page. I decided that it was silly to do that, so I made the buttons with HTML and CSS. At that point, I was told I should have used Photoshop to make the buttons. I used Photoshop to make reasonably sized buttons to place on the page, and I was again told to make 400x200 buttons. I think after a while I just gave up. This was at a private school, too - which at least ostensibly placed some emphasis on nurturing "gifted and talented" students. I don't know if HTML and CSS counted for that, but I didn't feel nurtured at all. The GCSE portion of the ICT curriculum was based around creating a database, documentation and pre-made queries with MS Access. Some fancy VBscript dialogue boxes and LIKE queries seemed to get me good marks with it. It was still a far cry from what I wanted to do. At A-level, same story. We were instructed to make a site with Joomla according to the "client specification" one one hand, and do an exam on things like the meaning of SaaS on the other hand. The documentation process for the Joomla site was utterly inane, needing to include a screenshot of every way you modified it from the basic version of the site to include the "features" (features in this case was selecting and customizing Joomla addons through the web interface). I decided to write some code for a passworded portal, and play around with the HTML/CSS, which apparently didn't impress the examiners much. It turns out that the only thing I could do at sixth form (for readers outside of Britain this means the stage of education for 16 to 18s) that required some programming was a BTEC, and BTECs don't curry favour with the university admissions process. It's a miracle I wasn't turned away from computers after all that. In my first year of studying EE, I talked to some computer science students, many of whom told me that they hadn't done any programming before. Ironically, the only reason why I didn't get to do computer science was because I got a B instead of an A in my "ICT" A-level - the Joomla web customization part (the exam was fine). From what I can gather, the university admissions process implicitly works like this: - Can you program and demonstrate open source work? We don't care. What are your grades like? - Oh, you didn't include the requisite number of screenshots showing which buttons you clicked to customize a CMS-built website? Sorry, you're just not fit to do computer science. That's all about information technology, didn't you know? A younger relative did the "computer science" course at school, which is designed to replace or run alongside "ICT". Although better, the questions they asked were inane, and the written exam requires them to write syntactically correct Python code in a big box the size of a page, followed by some questions as to what a BSOD indicates and what "RAM" stands for. In my experience, non-ICT classes do just fine in teaching people how to use MS Office. You have to write essays for English, and make presentations for History. The fact that there's a class dedicated just for learning how to use MS Office and Adobe products is horrible. The whole school system seems bent on inefficiency and inertia. I've learned more Japanese vocab with Anki (spaced repetition flashcard software) and grammar with a textbook self-studying in the space of a month, for less than an hour a day, than I learned French vocab and grammar for two years in school with weekly vocab tests and three timetabled hours during school time a week. Why don't schools make Anki decks for their students to practice every day, and ask for the Anki stats report each week? Why are history lessons built around remembering which year King John died? Why don't maths classes include any work with computers?
rjsw 7y ago
Also born in 1965 and had an Acorn Atom. Went to two schools that had Research Machines 380Z systems. Didn't take any lessons in computing or ICT. I had decided that I was going to be a computer programmer around 1975, I remember having to talk to careers advisers and the job didn't exist as a defined thing that you could do.
- tonyedgecombe 7y ago
  Careers advice was a bit dire back then, I remember being told I definitely shouldn't be a programmer and instead should be an actuary. Good job I ignored that advice.
Toenex 7y ago
Similar memories for me too. Born in '69 and also felt part of a unique period in tech and the UK. In case you haven't seen it, I would definitely recommend watching the BBC film Micro Men (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n5b92 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n5b92). Enjoy.
tonyedgecombe 7y ago
I owned a System One, I had to work picking Apples through the summer to save up enough to buy it. I remember picking through every detail of the system in a way that isn't really possible now. It was basic but I managed to write a few games and a simple interpreted language on it. I ended up giving it away to somebody on HN after they left mentioned an interest: http://forum.6502.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3362 http://forum.6502.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3362

Zenst 7y ago

After the atom they did the bbc micro and then the electron which was supposed to be a cheaper version of the bbc micro, though interesting history on that with issues I vaugly recall. http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/33746/Acorn-Atom-TRANSFERRED-TO-HANDLING-COLLECTION/ http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/33746/Acorn-Atom-TRAN... has some nice nostalgia content to compliment this. FOr me 1967, zx81 was first computer, school was a ICL 2902/3 via acoustic coupler and teletype connection that was painful and with bad lines, 30 minutes handshake was kinda how it felt to get connected. Then RM machine and in last year at school we got our token BBC micro that the teacher was overprotective with, almost had to let him know which key you was going to press in advance. >The real tragedy was this was followed by the utterly useless national "ICT" curriculum in schools which was essentially all about teaching kids how to use Microsoft Office, and probably discouraged an entire generation of kids from getting involved in software. This still makes me angry. Totally and completely agree and to some extent, still feeling that today. 90's was painful - how many times did you have the convo about work and you would say you work in IT and some peon would say, aha yes I can do that - I know Word. Some painful times back then, as they proceeded to ego rub all down your sanity. I would also add that games in many ways did curtail people exploring computers a bit as in the early days, you had to write your own or type them in, today, none of that and in many respects - totally shut out of modifying them to learn. But some exceptions, just not the norm.

derekmcloughlin 7y ago

'65 here as well. We had the Acorn Atom at school when I was 16, but I found it underwhelming. My interest in computing didn't really start until 1983 when I started using System 7 Unix on a PDP/11 in college.

Wildgoose 7y ago
The book it came with, "Atomic Theory and Practise" was really well written and was a brilliant introduction to Computer Science. I remember writing to Acorn with a question and received a hand-written reply from Sophie Wilson, (of later ARM processor fame). I also watched Chris Curry demonstrate the forthcoming BBC computer to a packed Sheffield University lecture hall with the South Yorkshire Personal Computer Group. It blew everyone away!

claudiawerner 7y ago

>The real tragedy was this was followed by the utterly useless national "ICT" curriculum in schools which was essentially all about teaching kids how to use Microsoft Office, and probably discouraged an entire generation of kids from getting involved in software. This still makes me angry. My own experience of the ICT curriculum in 2011/2012 was very similar. Pre-GCSE had some stuff about building websites with Dreamweaver. The teacher showed us a banking website, and pointed out various UI elements, and our task was to make a website of our own. Unfortunately, we had to do it completely backwards. As part of some "integrated skills" approach, we had to make the website's text buttons, of size exactly 400x200 using Photoshop, and then place them onto the page. I decided that it was silly to do that, so I made the buttons with HTML and CSS. At that point, I was told I should have used Photoshop to make the buttons. I used Photoshop to make reasonably sized buttons to place on the page, and I was again told to make 400x200 buttons. I think after a while I just gave up. This was at a private school, too - which at least ostensibly placed some emphasis on nurturing "gifted and talented" students. I don't know if HTML and CSS counted for that, but I didn't feel nurtured at all. The GCSE portion of the ICT curriculum was based around creating a database, documentation and pre-made queries with MS Access. Some fancy VBscript dialogue boxes and LIKE queries seemed to get me good marks with it. It was still a far cry from what I wanted to do. At A-level, same story. We were instructed to make a site with Joomla according to the "client specification" one one hand, and do an exam on things like the meaning of SaaS on the other hand. The documentation process for the Joomla site was utterly inane, needing to include a screenshot of every way you modified it from the basic version of the site to include the "features" (features in this case was selecting and customizing Joomla addons through the web interface). I decided to write some code for a passworded portal, and play around with the HTML/CSS, which apparently didn't impress the examiners much. It turns out that the only thing I could do at sixth form (for readers outside of Britain this means the stage of education for 16 to 18s) that required some programming was a BTEC, and BTECs don't curry favour with the university admissions process. It's a miracle I wasn't turned away from computers after all that. In my first year of studying EE, I talked to some computer science students, many of whom told me that they hadn't done any programming before. Ironically, the only reason why I didn't get to do computer science was because I got a B instead of an A in my "ICT" A-level - the Joomla web customization part (the exam was fine). From what I can gather, the university admissions process implicitly works like this: - Can you program and demonstrate open source work? We don't care. What are your grades like? - Oh, you didn't include the requisite number of screenshots showing which buttons you clicked to customize a CMS-built website? Sorry, you're just not fit to do computer science. That's all about information technology, didn't you know? A younger relative did the "computer science" course at school, which is designed to replace or run alongside "ICT". Although better, the questions they asked were inane, and the written exam requires them to write syntactically correct Python code in a big box the size of a page, followed by some questions as to what a BSOD indicates and what "RAM" stands for. In my experience, non-ICT classes do just fine in teaching people how to use MS Office. You have to write essays for English, and make presentations for History. The fact that there's a class dedicated just for learning how to use MS Office and Adobe products is horrible. The whole school system seems bent on inefficiency and inertia. I've learned more Japanese vocab with Anki (spaced repetition flashcard software) and grammar with a textbook self-studying in the space of a month, for less than an hour a day, than I learned French vocab and grammar for two years in school with weekly vocab tests and three timetabled hours during school time a week. Why don't schools make Anki decks for their students to practice every day, and ask for the Anki stats report each week? Why are history lessons built around remembering which year King John died? Why don't maths classes include any work with computers?

rjsw 7y ago

Also born in 1965 and had an Acorn Atom. Went to two schools that had Research Machines 380Z systems. Didn't take any lessons in computing or ICT. I had decided that I was going to be a computer programmer around 1975, I remember having to talk to careers advisers and the job didn't exist as a defined thing that you could do.

tonyedgecombe 7y ago
Careers advice was a bit dire back then, I remember being told I definitely shouldn't be a programmer and instead should be an actuary. Good job I ignored that advice.

Toenex 7y ago

Similar memories for me too. Born in '69 and also felt part of a unique period in tech and the UK. In case you haven't seen it, I would definitely recommend watching the BBC film Micro Men (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n5b92 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n5b92). Enjoy.

tonyedgecombe 7y ago

I owned a System One, I had to work picking Apples through the summer to save up enough to buy it. I remember picking through every detail of the system in a way that isn't really possible now. It was basic but I managed to write a few games and a simple interpreted language on it. I ended up giving it away to somebody on HN after they left mentioned an interest: http://forum.6502.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3362 http://forum.6502.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3362