first programs

From: Rob Kapteyn <kapteynr_at_cboe.com>
Date: Wed Jan 17 14:10:55 2001

I don't remember the first program that I wrote.
It was probably "print 1+1" on the PDP-8 we had at school.

I do remember the first program that I loaded into my Altair when I got it running.
Remember that Altair came with no I/O other than the switches and LEDs of the front panel.

The program came from the Altair User's Group and was a simple game called "Kill The Bit".
The Altair has 8 "data" LEDs on the front panel.
"Kill The Bit" lit one of the 8, and kept changing it, around and around.
Your job was to toggle one of the front panel switches at just the right time, otherwise you would create more "bits" to kill.

Rob Kapteyn
Received on Wed Jan 17 2001 - 14:10:55 GMT