I feel like this is overstating how good things were. Yes, my ZX Spectrum and Amiga both came with some very nice documentation to at least the block level on

I feel like this is overstating how good things were. Yes, my ZX Spectrum and Amiga both came with some very nice documentation to at least the block level on how everything worked - but at the same time, every programming manual for the Amiga was an expensive Addison-Wesley tome. Every programming language beyond BASIC was an expensive proprietary product. It wasn't the paradise people seem to (mis-)remember.