The 8-bit generation was special because it's possible for a reasonably involved (as in, someone with a job and a family, can't spend 16 hours a day on this) pe

The 8-bit generation was special because it's possible for a reasonably involved (as in, someone with a job and a family, can't spend 16 hours a day on this) person to learn and understand literally everything about the machines. It will take a while, but it's an achievable goal as a hobby. The C64 was the most common 8-bit computer, and a lot of people in the age group where they suddenly have a lot of free time and money have fond memories about it. Then it's easy to get lost finding out that that's how that actually worked. The later machines, or even just IBM PC, which predates it, are much more complex systems and you are less likely to fully understand them.