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I sorry, but what does he mean by "reintroducing into schools the kind of basic programming skills he learned". He would have been a school in the 1970s, what

I sorry, but what does he mean by "reintroducing into schools the kind of basic programming skills he learned". He would have been a school in the 1970s, what school taught programming then and what on? I don't believe that there was an actual computer class at any ordinary school in the UK at that time (outside of Eton or something) that'd teach you how to program. Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

arethuza 16y ago
I started at Secondary school in '78 and there was at least one dial up terminal that was used by a few older kids - this was probably connected to a mainframe/mini somewhere. By my later years at school (from '80) onward we had ZX-80s, ZX-81s and a couple of Apple IIs.
rwmj 16y ago
In the 1970s, my school (in Liverpool) taught computing on 30 or so terminals connected to an Elliott. Possibly an Elliott 803[1] although I'm not precisely sure. In 1982/83 the Elliott was scrapped and replaced by ZX Spectrums connected via the proprietary and strange Interface 1 network, and a couple of years later by BBC Model Bs connected via Econet. [1] https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Elliott_803 https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Elliott_803
creatorix 16y ago
I think you've got the right end of the stick, with one detail missing: yes, there weren't any computer classes in the 1970s/80s. But in some fee-paying schools in England, there were computers around, like BBC Micros. Thus a few pupils learnt how to program without interference from teachers.
- timclark 16y ago
  It wasn't just fee paying schools that would have had BBC micros, the government was actively promoting computing in schools during the early eighties - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microelectronics_Education_Programme http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microelectronics_Education_Prog...
knotty66 16y ago
The history of Llamasoft by Jeff Minter is a great read. Not exactly what you asked for as he begins in 1978 as a 16 year old just starting college and he learns most of it by himself rather than being taught. http://www.wayoftherodent.com/guests/bob_yak2.htm http://www.wayoftherodent.com/guests/bob_yak2.htm
iujyhgtfhj 16y ago
1981 my comprehensive in South Yorkshire had computer classes on an RML 380Z, by the time I did computer O level in 1984 we had BBC micros
squinn 16y ago
He recounts to Francis Spufford here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Backroom-Boys-Secret-Return-British/dp/0571214975/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300295544&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Backroom-Boys-Secret-Return-British/... that he learned to program on an Acorn Atom. Still got mine :)

arethuza 16y ago

I started at Secondary school in '78 and there was at least one dial up terminal that was used by a few older kids - this was probably connected to a mainframe/mini somewhere. By my later years at school (from '80) onward we had ZX-80s, ZX-81s and a couple of Apple IIs.

rwmj 16y ago

In the 1970s, my school (in Liverpool) taught computing on 30 or so terminals connected to an Elliott. Possibly an Elliott 803[1] although I'm not precisely sure. In 1982/83 the Elliott was scrapped and replaced by ZX Spectrums connected via the proprietary and strange Interface 1 network, and a couple of years later by BBC Model Bs connected via Econet. [1] https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Elliott_803 https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Elliott_803

creatorix 16y ago

I think you've got the right end of the stick, with one detail missing: yes, there weren't any computer classes in the 1970s/80s. But in some fee-paying schools in England, there were computers around, like BBC Micros. Thus a few pupils learnt how to program without interference from teachers.

timclark 16y ago
It wasn't just fee paying schools that would have had BBC micros, the government was actively promoting computing in schools during the early eighties - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microelectronics_Education_Programme http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microelectronics_Education_Prog...

knotty66 16y ago

The history of Llamasoft by Jeff Minter is a great read. Not exactly what you asked for as he begins in 1978 as a 16 year old just starting college and he learns most of it by himself rather than being taught. http://www.wayoftherodent.com/guests/bob_yak2.htm http://www.wayoftherodent.com/guests/bob_yak2.htm

iujyhgtfhj 16y ago

1981 my comprehensive in South Yorkshire had computer classes on an RML 380Z, by the time I did computer O level in 1984 we had BBC micros

squinn 16y ago

He recounts to Francis Spufford here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Backroom-Boys-Secret-Return-British/dp/0571214975/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300295544&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Backroom-Boys-Secret-Return-British/... that he learned to program on an Acorn Atom. Still got mine :)