From: SonOfLilit <sonoflilit@...>
Date: 2007-02-13T19:14:18+09:00
Subject: Re: Getting my sister to learn programming

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Side question to ask ye olde programmers of BASIC age:

Is there a cheap way to get myself one of those oh-so-limited machines, and
one that does not require a TV set?

I always feel like I just never learned the lesson those machines taught
programmers.

Aur Saraf

On 2/13/07, gga <GGarramuno@aol.com> wrote:
>
> On Feb 12, 11:56 am, "M. Edward (Ed) Borasky" <z...@cesmail.net>
> wrote:
> > The other side of that coin,
> > though, is that I was also sad to see the first really high quality
> > computer for kids, the TI 99/4, die.
>
> Oh, man.  I was *SO* happy to see that machine dead.  The TI 99/4 was
> a big piece of poo and it was already dead on arrival.
> By the time the TI 99/4 was used for teaching, I was using an Atari
> 800XL computer... with 256 colors, colored sprites, blitter, etc...
> and with 48K or so of memory, instead of the pathetic monochrome
> screens and 16K or less of most machines back then ( the TI99 had
> basically no RAM and forced you to buy the additional 32K module).
> And with a BASIC that was not a pain to use and was built into the
> ROM, not taking useful RAM.  The Atari 800XL is without a doubt one of
> the best pieces of computer equipment I ever owned.
> Trust me, as one of those students that was forced to use a TI because
> someone sold my school that those machines were good teaching
> machines, I can attest it was shear PAIN to have to work on that piece
> of crap machine.
> The original Atari computer line was *the* best computer to teach at
> the time.  Not a PC, not an Apple, not a Spectrum, not a C=64.  It
> just was hard and somewhat expensive to get them, as their stock was
> small.  Atari was also run by morons back then, who figured selling a
> computer was the same as selling a game console.  You put it in a
> window and it sells... doesn't it?
>
> Other than that, I do agree with your post, thou.
>
>
>

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