alt Hacker NewsGrab BBC Basic manual (supplied with the computer) off the shelf, switch my Model B on (later Master). Within milliseconds a fresh working environment is created (ie a cursor starts flashing next to a “>”) and I’m off to the races.
Hope the tape recorder works to save my work every hour or so. Switch on my Epson fx80 to dump hard copy.
Simpler, happier times.
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robrain • today at 11:02 AM
Memory error - it was a Seikosha dot matrix I used back then. The FX80 came later.
Those manuals were fantastic. I was still coding on our Beeb in the early 90s and I wanted the assembly manual. My dad ordered it from Acorn but it never arrived. Ended up going to the small claims court to get our money back.
In the late 90s, I wanted to learn x86 assembly and sent an email to Intel asking for their reference manuals. They sent four huge volumes to me for free. I've no idea whether that was a mistake, but I was very grateful.
I still can't believe any of us were able to write programs just from reading books, and I'm not sure to what extent that's even possible today. Even online documentation now seems really crappy compared to those old manuals.