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I started out with Basic on a C64, patiently entering the programs from the back of the manual. In 9th grade we had to choose a company for work practice. I ch
by codr7 6y ago
I started out with Basic on a C64, patiently entering the programs from the back of the manual.
In 9th grade we had to choose a company for work practice. I chose Oki, since I figured printers were close enough to computers to be interesting.
Turns out the task was burning EPROMs, basically pushing a button once every five minutes. Luckily, the computer controlling the burner had QBasic installed. I remember some of the employees looking over my shoulder and oohing and aahing while I was making time pass by writing code.
Fast forward 30 years and here we are. Haven't touched Basic since then but I've written substantial amounts of code in most languages out there. Even created ten or so of my own.
As much as I respect the guy; when it comes to Basic, Dijkstra was wrong. You have to start somewhere.
- Gibbon1 6y agoI think if it was up to Dijkstra you'd never have been allowed to program. Instead you'd be still pushing the button and I'd probably be attaching the label. Also I feel the pain, at one time I was the guy hitting enter every couple of minutes, then applying a label and putting the programmed eeprom in the tube.
- codr7 6y agoProbably, cranky old fart :) Damn, now I remember the tubes. Once a day or so a tube came back because one or more EPROMs where faulty which meant they all had to be verified.
- Gibbon1 6y agoSlips first eeprom into the tube. Falls out the other end. Another 5 minutes of life gone. Dijkstra would have been even crankier if he'd lived an another 15 years.