The 6502 was the first cpu that I programmed in machine code - on my Vic-20 and BBC Micros at school in the 80s. Later I wrote some code for the 6809. And later

The 6502 was the first cpu that I programmed in machine code - on my Vic-20 and BBC Micros at school in the 80s. Later I wrote some code for the 6809. And later still I used 68000 dev boards as an undergraduate. Its been a while now, but I remember feeling that the 68k was clearly powerful and elegant and a proper cpu, but also that I had little hope of understanding all the details. The 6502 was my first, and with hindsight was far less elegant with plenty of warts, but I felt at the time that I understood it pretty well. The 6802 was somewhere inbetween, I guess, and a very nice cpu to work with I've never thought about it before, but I suppose I benefited from that progression 6502->6809->68k. Whether or not it makes sense now, I couldn't say. (Never got on with the Z80. That brash upstart /s)