re-found magazines

From: Sam Ismail <dastar_at_crl.com>
Date: Mon May 12 11:53:53 1997

On Mon, 12 May 1997, Charles P. Hobbs wrote:

> > The main thing that struck me is the diversity of computer systems that
> > were available in the early 80s. Contrast that with what you got today
> > (Wintel crap/Macincrap). That diveristy is what we are discovering
> > today.
>
> The other side of the coin, though, is the difficulty of converting
> programs
> to make them work on your computer. I remember spending a lot of time
> in high school, trying to convert TRS-80 and Apple II programs to run on
> my TI-99/4A. Fun? Yes. Would I want to do this under deadline pressure?
> Probably not.

But wouldn't you agree that all the frustration you went through back
then is what enables you to write good code today? The diversity back
then was at least conducive to creativity. You were always challenged.
If you got bored, there was always some other system out there to conquer.
These days its trying to figure out what IRQ and base address you should
use, and some of that is handled for you anyway. What fun is that?

Sam
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Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
Received on Mon May 12 1997 - 11:53:53 BST