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No matter if it is 3583 BYTES FREE or 38911 BYTES FREE or some other number - the start-up text was an important message to all users: There's this language (BASIC) available right here at the prompt, ready for you, just type away. And there are N bytes free, available for you to do whatever you want to do.

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I was raised on the ]█ (later the ]▒) prompt, but I agree with you. We lost a lot when computers started greeting people with OS prompts and mouse pointers.

I agree, but people commonly argue that there is so much more available today. However, the one thing we lost is the focus to turn the machine into something more.

I think the kinds of media being produced shifted. Machines like the Apple II or the VIC-20 were machines to produce computer programs (and to play games). Then computers became machines to produce spreadsheets, reports and memos, then machines to share photos and comments. It was an unavoidable transition, as those who are interested in producing programs are no longer the majority of computer users.

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