Hacker News Reader

The programming manual that came with the TRS-80 Color Computer was among the best introductions to programming ever. Really as good as Why's poignant guide to Ruby. There were similar books at Radio Shack for the TRS-80 Models I and III, also. The books were funny and informative, and easy enough for me to follow along when I was 11.

View on HN

I got a Color Computer for Christmas and my parents gave me the instruction books several months early. I read them through several times and wrote programs in my notebooks at school.

And that's how I learned to program without having a computer. :-)

I also started with a notebook, before getting a commodore vic-20. Pencil and Basic, you were the CPU.

Nice one. I read every computer book and magazine in the library, years before I could get a computer. Then my parents and I split the $99 for an Australian made VZ-300, with a z80 and 16kb ram. To write in assembly, you needed a 16kb addon. Loved it.

Friend of mine still writes actionscript by hand on occasion.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com