Very true. But there were downsides too. Like many I started writing BASIC on a ZX Spectrum (very popular in the UK), and later started learning Z80 assembly

Very true. But there were downsides too. Like many I started writing BASIC on a ZX Spectrum (very popular in the UK), and later started learning Z80 assembly language. However learning was damn hard because the books were few and far between, and largely inaccessible to me as a teenager. A year or two ago I wrote a simple adventure game in assembly for Z80-based CP/M, which I then ported to the Spectrum. It wasn't so complex and I didn't struggle too much, but it was still a lot better writing such a thing in 2022 - because the internet is FULL of resources on assembly language coding, and you can download an assembler for free. Back in the late 80s? I had a computer, with a thorough manual covering BASIC, but learning more was hard. Though I think the z80 foundation put me in a good place when it came to learning x86 assembly language, which helped me get my later jobs. These days I code for fun, and to automate things, but I only really do "cloud stuff". And there's a world of difference between those two extremes.