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How old did you start programming?

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  • E Ernest Laurentin

    Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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    Nemanja Trifunovic
    wrote on last edited by
    #25

    13 yers old - Sinclair ZX Spectrum with 16 kb ROM and (wait for this) 48 kb RAM. First language: Sinclair Basic, followed by Z80 assembly, then Fortran, C,... currently learning Haskell


    Programming Blog utf8-cpp

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    • E Ernest Laurentin

      Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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      Tim Craig
      wrote on last edited by
      #26

      20 in FORTRAN IV on an IBM 7090.

      The evolution of the human genome is too important to be left to chance.

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      • E Ernest Laurentin

        Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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        Marc Clifton
        wrote on last edited by
        #27

        The first thing I ever did was crash a PDP-11 when I was 11 or so by typing Ctrl+C. I was following the directions, no less! Started coding in BASIC at 12, and teaching it to others at 13. Marc

        Thyme In The Country

        People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
        There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
        People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

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        • E Ernest Laurentin

          Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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          Member 96
          wrote on last edited by
          #28

          Probably 12 or so, my first "computer" was a pad of paper and a pencil and a programming book. I didn't have access to a computer so I wrote hypothetical programs on paper for when I could get my hands on one. Later on I bought my friends radio shack trs-80 colour computer and bought the assembly language add on cartridge and wrote a space invaders clone. Eventually I had it working with the casette port to interpret sounds spoken into the microphone so I could say "left" and "right" and it would move accordingly while shooting. I still remember learning backup panic in those days, I'd write out the program to a casette and have to do a few because it would randomly fail to read it back in. In high school we had commodore Super-PET pc's (with CPM) and I got to do some Basic programming for the first time but my assembly days came in handy when I found the manual for the SuperPet and learned how to Poke and Peek values into memory and cause all sorts of havoc in the computer lab like reversing all the text on the screen or shrinking the screen down to one bright point of light in the center or best of all stuffing data into the shared printing system buffer so the next guy who printed something would get the text I put in at the top of the page. Good times. :) To this day I still have a fondness for green text on a black background.

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          • M Muhadeeb99

            It started @ age 15, aunt asked "do you know what integers are?" then by age 21 got a Tandy color computer where I learned machine language, then a hyundai 8088 - 20 M HDD , I learned DOS,now @57 -C++,C#,Asm,basic Vbasic

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            Member 96
            wrote on last edited by
            #29

            Muhadeeb99 wrote:

            Tandy color computer where I learned machine language

            Cool! That was my first computer and programming language, I had the add on cartridge for assembly. I think it had 8 or 16kb of ram, I remember running into that limitation quite often.

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            • R Roger Wright

              I was 21 or so. College required FORTRAN IV, so I paper-programmed FORTRAN II before starting school from a dog eared book at the library. First computer was a Z-80 with 16k RAM fed by lots of toggle switches one byte at a time. CPU opcode was the only language it knew until I wrote the operating system and an assembler for it. Once I designed and built an interface to a teletype machine with a paper tape punch/reader it became a smokin' powerhouse of computing.:rolleyes:

              "...a photo album is like Life, but flat and stuck to pages." - Shog9

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              Member 96
              wrote on last edited by
              #30

              Roger Wright wrote:

              I paper-programmed FORTRAN II before starting school

              Cool! I did the same thing but with basic but then when I got my first computer it was assembly anyway so it was kind of wasted learning. People must laugh nowadays when people say they learned to program without a computer on paper but when you really want to learn something and you can't afford a computer...

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              • E Ernest Laurentin

                Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                Jon Sagara
                wrote on last edited by
                #31

                16 or 17, in high school. I took a GW Basic class. I didn't really understand or care what was going on. In fact, I'm not even sure why I took the class. I'm pretty sure the only reason I passed is because I spent the week before the final project going in for extra help because I didn't want a big fat F on my report card. I never did get the project to work properly. The first "real" programming I did ("real" as in I was actually interested in the subject matter and wanted to learn more) was when I was 18 and a freshman in college. I had to take a C programming course as part of my (then) EE degree. I was hooked. I took a C++ class the following summer, and after that I decided to switch my degree to computer engineering. That's how I got to where I am today. :)

                Jon Sagara When I grow up, I'm changing my name to Joe Kickass! My Blog | My Site | My Articles

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                • R Roger Wright

                  I was 21 or so. College required FORTRAN IV, so I paper-programmed FORTRAN II before starting school from a dog eared book at the library. First computer was a Z-80 with 16k RAM fed by lots of toggle switches one byte at a time. CPU opcode was the only language it knew until I wrote the operating system and an assembler for it. Once I designed and built an interface to a teletype machine with a paper tape punch/reader it became a smokin' powerhouse of computing.:rolleyes:

                  "...a photo album is like Life, but flat and stuck to pages." - Shog9

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                  elmoe0101
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #32

                  I started programming when I was 17. The language that I learned was C. At first it was difficult to learn C but later on through constant practice I started to love C. But, I don't consider myself as an expert in C because there are still many things that I want to learn. Currently, I also know visual basic 6 and HTML. I wanted to concentrate myself on the learning more about C but because of different circumstances that came later in my life I haven't got the chance to practice. -- modified at 21:26 Monday 4th December, 2006

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                  • M Member 96

                    Probably 12 or so, my first "computer" was a pad of paper and a pencil and a programming book. I didn't have access to a computer so I wrote hypothetical programs on paper for when I could get my hands on one. Later on I bought my friends radio shack trs-80 colour computer and bought the assembly language add on cartridge and wrote a space invaders clone. Eventually I had it working with the casette port to interpret sounds spoken into the microphone so I could say "left" and "right" and it would move accordingly while shooting. I still remember learning backup panic in those days, I'd write out the program to a casette and have to do a few because it would randomly fail to read it back in. In high school we had commodore Super-PET pc's (with CPM) and I got to do some Basic programming for the first time but my assembly days came in handy when I found the manual for the SuperPet and learned how to Poke and Peek values into memory and cause all sorts of havoc in the computer lab like reversing all the text on the screen or shrinking the screen down to one bright point of light in the center or best of all stuffing data into the shared printing system buffer so the next guy who printed something would get the text I put in at the top of the page. Good times. :) To this day I still have a fondness for green text on a black background.

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                    Ernest Laurentin
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #33

                    Peek and poke times were good times indeed! :-D I have lost the green text on black background feeling! VC++ change my heart!

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                    • E Ernest Laurentin

                      Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                      Chris S Kaiser
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #34

                      I was 13 and I can't remember the language. All I remember is that it was a collection of line numbers and gotos on a Commodore 64 at my grandfather's house, and I was trying to write a role playing game. Heh, first stab. And I kept getting mad that when my program crashed, which was everytime I ran it, I lost all my work and had to retype in the code. So I swore never to touch computers as my reaction. :doh: It wasn't til I was 26 when I started programming my TI-81 for a trig class that I started to work with computers again. Then it was Basic then C at which time I got my first computer, an IBM 386 with 4mb o ram, 15mb hardrive, Dos and Turbo C.

                      What's in a sig? This statement is false. Build a bridge and get over it. ~ Chris Maunder

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                      • E Ernest Laurentin

                        Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                        Lost User
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #35

                        I think it was 1980 - I was 12. TRS-80 Model I with the expansion thingy. BASIC first then Z-80 Assembler. I stuck with assembler (Z-80 and 8088/86/286) for about five years before I resigned myself to writing stuff in C and Pascal which I learned at university. Cheers, Drew.

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                        • E Ernest Laurentin

                          Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                          Don Fletcher
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #36

                          1983 on an Atari 400...then to 600XL, then C64, then AtariST, then PC/XT, then AT, then 386, 486, Pentium and here we are today :) Remember 6502 assembler? very cool! Assembler to C then to C++ and stayed there. Tried Java etc but C++ is closer to the metal :) Those were the days! No Windows, no Internet - just my trusty 300bd modem and BBS.

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                          • E Ernest Laurentin

                            Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                            Amar Chaudhary
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #37

                            started programming 12-13(language dbaseIII , basic ) then after a gap of few years (5-6) i get my first computer (pIII , 700 MHz, 64 mb RAM,20 GB hard drive)

                            It is Good to be Important but! it is more Important to be Good

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                            • E Ernest Laurentin

                              Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                              Ryan Binns
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #38

                              I started when I was 10 or so on a C64. Moved onto a 286 with GWBASIC/QBASIC and eventually to Pascal. Never looked at BASIC since :rolleyes: And since I discovered C++, never looked at Pascal since ;)

                              Ryan

                              "Punctuality is only a virtue for those who aren't smart enough to think of good excuses for being late" John Nichol "Point Of Impact"

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                              • E Ernest Laurentin

                                Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                                l a u r e n
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #39

                                i started back in 1981 with z80 assembler ... i remember when i first looked at a code listing i thought "what in gods name is this gibberish??" ... a few months later i knew the opcodes for the most common instructions and my (no)life as a geek began... :rolleyes:

                                "there is no spoon" {gagfoot} {me}

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                                • E Ernest Laurentin

                                  Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                                  PIEBALDconsult
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #40

                                  17, BASIC on a PDP.

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                                  • E Ernest Laurentin

                                    Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                                    bryce
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #41

                                    c64 -cooor we used to DREAM of having a C-64 started on zx81 then onto a vic-20 then finally C-64 :) Bryce

                                    --- To paraphrase Fred Dagg - the views expressed in this post are bloody good ones. --
                                    Publitor, making Pubmed easy. http://www.sohocode.com/publitor

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                                    • M Marc Clifton

                                      The first thing I ever did was crash a PDP-11 when I was 11 or so by typing Ctrl+C. I was following the directions, no less! Started coding in BASIC at 12, and teaching it to others at 13. Marc

                                      Thyme In The Country

                                      People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
                                      There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
                                      People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith

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                                      PIEBALDconsult
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #42

                                      I didn't crash a PDP-11 until I learned Pascal.

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                                      • E Ernest Laurentin

                                        Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                                        El Corazon
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #43

                                        I started a little later, 14 if I recall. One of my friends got a computer (TRS-80 Model I) for Christmas, and he wanted to learn how games were written. He never could learn anything from a book only, and I have always preferred self taught. So he gave me the books to learn and then I taught him. I've been hooked since, but especially because I found a way to sneak in my art career that was refused to me. :) I got my first computer senior year in highschool after saving up all my science fair winnings and working various jobs, and other money making opportunities as they presented themselves. :rolleyes: Anyhow, I saved half the money by beginning of senior year, and the other half I paid for senior year. That was an Apple II+ computer, which I promptly jumped into 3D graphics, AI, and logic systems, voice and music synthesis later followed. :) I learned Basic, 6502 assembly, Fortran, Pascal, C in that order, after that came an avalanche of computer languages.

                                        _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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                                        • E Ernest Laurentin

                                          Just wondering: how old were you when you start programming? maybe had your first computer? - I started programming when I was 12yrs (w/ VIC-20 and commodore 64)(I still feel young though!) - Programming language: Basic, then..Assembler for Commodore 64

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                                          Luis Alonso Ramos
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #44

                                          I was 9 or 10 I think when I found QBasic... Interesting question for a poll, isn't it? :)

                                          Luis Alonso Ramos Intelectix Chihuahua, Mexico

                                          Not much here: My CP Blog!

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