> But today's computing really can't be compared to the experience in the 80s, when you as a kid >could master your CPU and know its complete instruction set, i

> But today's computing really can't be compared to the experience in the 80s, when you as a kid >could master your CPU and know its complete instruction set, its registers and important >memory locations and feel completely in control. I shudder when I see where general computing >is headed with kids dreaming of owning iPads. I wish too that computers were like they were in the 80's. Growing up now, I remember when to me the System Preferences on a Mac were a place that you didn't go or else you might mess up the computer. Still, with programming knowledge and all, I always get a little bit frightened when I'm about to do something the tiniest bit dangerous that might it so my computer won't turn on, like using `dd` even though I checked the name of the disk I was trying to write at least ten times. I blame it on my generation and the "magic" about computers today that some other HNers mentioned.