I see the cost of and lack of awareness of development tools outside of BASIC as a bit of an advantage since it enforced focusing upon learning how to program.

I see the cost of and lack of awareness of development tools outside of BASIC as a bit of an advantage since it enforced focusing upon learning how to program. There were no shiny tools distracting the budding developer. When I did learn about languages other than BASIC/assembler I did my research and saved up for one of those expensive compilers, which was no simple feat having grown up in a family of limited means. I don't know what's best for the long term growth of software developers: the mandated focus due to scarce resources or sophisticated tools that are freely available to facilitate further learning. What I do know is, "where should I start?" is one of the most frequently asked questions these days. It is a question that far fewer people had to ask thirty or forty years ago.