|
The first computer I laid my hands on was a Sinclair ZX81 (black and white), I was fascinated and got hooked on Basic programming. Did not think I would be doing this as a profession later on in life, evolved from Basic to VB, VB.NET and finally C#.
|
|
|
|
|
I went the same path but started with a commodore 64 and went via SuperBase before I got into VB.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
|
|
|
|
|
SuperBase rings a bell with me, I had that on my Atari 1040ST but never did anything useful with it.
Later on I thought DbaseIII+ was more interesting because of job opportunities, and to my amazement I got a job as a database programmer pretty quick !
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Guess that's why I never had a Commodore 
|
|
|
|
|
|
When: Sometimes in 1981,82,83-ish (sinclair, Apple II...). and after that, university by the start of the 90's
Why: Because it was supposed to be the thing of the future, and I (well, my parents helped a bit) had to start learning it.
I'd rather be phishing!
|
|
|
|
|
When: 1983-4.
Why: Because you can't do much else with a Commodore 64, its programming manual and a tape drive.
|
|
|
|
|
When? Back in the late '70s at University.
Why? "It's indoor work with no heavy lifting".
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
|
|
|
|
|
OriginalGriff wrote: with no heavy lifting
Unless you had one of those "boat anchor" portable computers. 
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
|
|
|
|
|
Hah! In those days you needed a crane to change the disk! 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
|
|
|
|
|
I remember the Kaypro!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
|
|
|
|
|
Mycroft Holmes wrote: Kaypro
Yes! And the Osborne!
The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.
|
|
|
|
|
The Osborn was portable. If you had a forklift. 
Sometimes the true reward for completing a task is not the money, but instead the satisfaction of a job well done. But it's usually the money.
|
|
|
|
|
1984 if I remember well. A fantastic ZX Spectrum 48K. BASIC, Forth and Assembly.
Why? Fashinated by videogames!
|
|
|
|
|
When: Spring 1980
Why: Because it was interesting (it became less interesting in college later that year because they used [time shared] mainframes and mainframes bored me and still do.)
I continued doing it because it's one thing I'm very good at and which pays the bills. One could argue that it's the only thing I'm very good at.
|
|
|
|
|
Late 80s on a commodore64. I was sick of repeatedly estimating the number of tiles on a roof, and getting it wrong. The application reduced my error rate from about 20% to 5% and those were transposition errors because I had to write up the order manually.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
|
|
|
|
|
I learned in 1967, because I wanted to learn about those newfangled compputer machines. I started getting paid to program in 1972 when I took a job to pay for my university studies.I tutored and taught FORTRAN for several years, then worked for a research commision writing FORTRAN and Algol programs. I started a software business in 1990 after working as an engineer for 15 years.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E.
Comport Computing
Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
|
|
|
|
|
Walt:
Like you, I started in 1968 when I took a Fortran programming course at IIT. I went on to start writing programs at Argonne National Laboratory for nuclear reactor data collection and simulation. Data collection was done in assembly language for a HP 2115 mini-computer; simulation was done in PL/I on an IBM 360 Model 95 (the super-computer of the day).
When Tricky Dicky got elected, our budget was trashed, so I went to work at GTE writing factory automation software for the IBM 1800, Data General Nova, DEC PDP-11, and a few off-brands that nobody has ever heard of.
I found I had a knack for developing operating system software and communications systems. So I started my own software business in 1980. I learned that I liked sales, contract negotiation and writing, development, and a lot of other things -- except for people management! People management took me a looonnnnng time to learn and appreciate.
For me, learning a new language or system has always been a piece of cake which I attribute to a solid foundation in assembly language.
I still do a lot of development on both Windows and Linux systems. The hardest part for me nowadays is the circular definition that all too many people use in their documentation. E.g. "FunctionA -- Invokes FunctionA". Usually lacks any explanation of what FunctionA does, how it does it, what the parameters are, return values and conditions, etc.
To me, I want to know the internals so I can be effective and efficient. But that goes against many modern management and implementation models.
I could say a lot more...but I won't.
My only serious career regret is that I was writing an OS for the Intel 8080 at the same time Bill Gates was writing DOS. My system supported real-time, interrupt driven multi-tasking and multi-programming. I did mine under exclusive contract and did not retain rights of ownership -- Gate was smarter! The company subsequently went out of business. (I could have been rich!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Because I needed a job and there was good money to be made in IT
I actually learned on the job (and in my spare time after I got my first job).
I liked it, it kind of stuck, and I've been doing it happily ever after 
|
|
|
|
|
The year was 1992. It was DOS on a IBM386. My dad was a programmer back then, so I learned a few nifty things using his class notes...I ended up studying it in college after my hopes to pursue a career in aviation got crushed. But hey, 10 years into doing this for a living, no regrets!
WHY?
Because this world needs more people doing good things to make a difference. 
|
|
|
|
|
I started programming in 1984 (standard 4 / grade 6 - age 12) on a Commodore VIC20. I just always enjoyed it. Couldn't believe that one could get paid to do something so enjoyable
|
|
|
|
|
It was year 1999. There was huge incentive before Y2K and market was prospering and shedding money who could code HTML. But to make my fundamentals strong I started with C language and fell in love with it. I then wrote code in C, C#, Java, JavaScript, Web languages and frameworks, windows app development and Silverlight, etc.
// ♫ 99 little bugs in the code,
// 99 bugs in the code
// We fix a bug, compile it again
// 101 little bugs in the code ♫
|
Tell your manager, while you code: "good, cheap or fast: pick two. "
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
