4 ms·

People like me never have to poke around to find anything. Everything is either answered by a Youtube video or Stackoverflow, but it only gives a surface level

People like me never have to poke around to find anything. Everything is either answered by a Youtube video or Stackoverflow, but it only gives a surface level understanding of everything, and we become clueless when something breaks.

jlokier 6y ago
The computer manuals in those days were excellent, especially the more advanced manuals. They included circuit diagrams, data sheets for individual chips, just about every detail of how the system worked. You'd still have to figure out a lot just to understand those reference manuals, and guess a lot, especially with no internet and no good library (my local library did not have books like this!). I only had a very small number of books. But I did have the Advanced Guide. Having so much detail available in reference manuals was great for a young mind! Also when I was like 7-8 (edit: previously wrote 10) I was given the Ladybird book for young children: "The Computer (How It Works)".[1] A tiny book. In retrospect I learned a lot of great grounding from that book even though I hadn't yet seen an actual computer. I guess it gave me an appreciation for the video games I played with on show in the supermarket, and the pictures of minicomputers and microcomputers I saw in hand-me-down computer magazines. [1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Computer-Ladybird-How-Works/dp/072140619X https://www.amazon.co.uk/Computer-Ladybird-How-Works/dp/0721... I'm occasionally asked, by people who find learning this stuff frustrating, where did I learn about logic circuits, where did I learn about assembly, where did I learn about RAM and ROM, etc. and for a long time I couldn't put my finger on it. I think it started with being exposed to that book and some early computer magazines at a young age, without even seeing or touching a real machine for a year or so afterwards.
- pmiller2 6y ago
  I don’t remember when the last time I worked with a computer that even had a manual as such. I think it was my TI-99/4A, but it could have been the Tandy 1000HX. Edit: wrongola! Turns out, the last machine I worked with that had a real manual was either a MicroVAX, or a PDP-11, both of which I used in college. Writing ASM for the PDP-11 was great! I just wish I was better at program then, lol. :)
- 082349872349872 6y ago
  For those of you who think your IDE is bloatware: http://users.telenet.be/kim1-6502/6502/2ksa/2ksa.html http://users.telenet.be/kim1-6502/6502/2ksa/2ksa.html > "Cover: Schematics for a 5V, 3A regulated power supply and a 1K x 8 read/write memory block. The power supply and three such memory blocks can be added to the basic KIM-l microcomputer to provide the 4K RAM required by this assembler. Parts are available from Jameco Electronics."
C1sc0cat 6y ago
Check out Mr Carlson's lab and Practical Engineering (if your into Civils and Thermo Fuids) https://www.youtube.com/user/MrCarlsonsLab https://www.youtube.com/user/MrCarlsonsLab https://www.youtube.com/user/gradyhillhouse https://www.youtube.com/user/gradyhillhouse Also for history students Mike Duncans Revolutions is amazing

jlokier 6y ago

The computer manuals in those days were excellent, especially the more advanced manuals. They included circuit diagrams, data sheets for individual chips, just about every detail of how the system worked. You'd still have to figure out a lot just to understand those reference manuals, and guess a lot, especially with no internet and no good library (my local library did not have books like this!). I only had a very small number of books. But I did have the Advanced Guide. Having so much detail available in reference manuals was great for a young mind! Also when I was like 7-8 (edit: previously wrote 10) I was given the Ladybird book for young children: "The Computer (How It Works)".[1] A tiny book. In retrospect I learned a lot of great grounding from that book even though I hadn't yet seen an actual computer. I guess it gave me an appreciation for the video games I played with on show in the supermarket, and the pictures of minicomputers and microcomputers I saw in hand-me-down computer magazines. [1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Computer-Ladybird-How-Works/dp/072140619X https://www.amazon.co.uk/Computer-Ladybird-How-Works/dp/0721... I'm occasionally asked, by people who find learning this stuff frustrating, where did I learn about logic circuits, where did I learn about assembly, where did I learn about RAM and ROM, etc. and for a long time I couldn't put my finger on it. I think it started with being exposed to that book and some early computer magazines at a young age, without even seeing or touching a real machine for a year or so afterwards.

pmiller2 6y ago
I don’t remember when the last time I worked with a computer that even had a manual as such. I think it was my TI-99/4A, but it could have been the Tandy 1000HX. Edit: wrongola! Turns out, the last machine I worked with that had a real manual was either a MicroVAX, or a PDP-11, both of which I used in college. Writing ASM for the PDP-11 was great! I just wish I was better at program then, lol. :)
082349872349872 6y ago
For those of you who think your IDE is bloatware: http://users.telenet.be/kim1-6502/6502/2ksa/2ksa.html http://users.telenet.be/kim1-6502/6502/2ksa/2ksa.html > "Cover: Schematics for a 5V, 3A regulated power supply and a 1K x 8 read/write memory block. The power supply and three such memory blocks can be added to the basic KIM-l microcomputer to provide the 4K RAM required by this assembler. Parts are available from Jameco Electronics."

C1sc0cat 6y ago

Check out Mr Carlson's lab and Practical Engineering (if your into Civils and Thermo Fuids) https://www.youtube.com/user/MrCarlsonsLab https://www.youtube.com/user/MrCarlsonsLab https://www.youtube.com/user/gradyhillhouse https://www.youtube.com/user/gradyhillhouse Also for history students Mike Duncans Revolutions is amazing