I don't fully agree with the sentiment that it would be IBM's responsibility to cater to hobbyists (nor do I think that programming in, say, COBOL or PL/1 is ac

I don't fully agree with the sentiment that it would be IBM's responsibility to cater to hobbyists (nor do I think that programming in, say, COBOL or PL/1 is actually fun), but if you must try on a limited budget, there is the Hercules emulator: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_(emulator) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_(emulator) There is also moshix' youtube channel covering the topic.