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  3. How much computer illiterate were you when...

How much computer illiterate were you when...

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  • D Online
    D Online
    dan sh
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

    A C M OriginalGriffO Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK 39 Replies Last reply
    0
    • D dan sh

      ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

      A Offline
      A Offline
      Argonia
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      My first programming language was Pascal way back in the days. I remember writing my programs when i was about 5th grade eh the old Program p; Back then we had to use dos compiler and that alone was pretty scary for me and the things i was fighting was the . and ; after the end in the different cases. And don't forget mod and div i still call the c++ operators that way :laugh:. For 5th grader that was preety scary :P

      Microsoft ... the only place where VARIANT_TRUE != true

      D 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • D dan sh

        ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

        C Offline
        C Offline
        chriselst
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        Define Computer Literacy. When I wrote my first program I could plug the Commodore 64 into the TV, turn it on, get to the bit to type in the code and then run it. There wasn't a lot else to do, I could also put the tapes for the games into the tape player to load and then start the games.

        Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.

        D P G M 4 Replies Last reply
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        • A Argonia

          My first programming language was Pascal way back in the days. I remember writing my programs when i was about 5th grade eh the old Program p; Back then we had to use dos compiler and that alone was pretty scary for me and the things i was fighting was the . and ; after the end in the different cases. And don't forget mod and div i still call the c++ operators that way :laugh:. For 5th grader that was preety scary :P

          Microsoft ... the only place where VARIANT_TRUE != true

          D Online
          D Online
          dan sh
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          Argonia wrote:

          mod and div

          Isn't that what they are called? At least I call them that since it is more related to mathematical terms.

          A 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • D dan sh

            ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

            M Offline
            M Offline
            mikepwilson
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            Yeah I had NO idea. PDP-8 at school in the late 70s. I got to "10 print \n20 goto 10" pretty quickly. The big reveal was adding the ';' character to the inside of the string which would suppress the crlf (which, on the wide-carriage screenless terminal really was "carriage return, line feed". It's all been downhill from there.

            L 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • D dan sh

              ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

              OriginalGriffO Offline
              OriginalGriffO Offline
              OriginalGriff
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              Very, very, very. I didn't even see a computer until about six months after I started coding - we used punch cards in those days - being able to use a terminal and even an editor (poor by modern standards as it was) was a brilliant revelation! "Turning the computer on" had to wait about another year and the 5th computer I used: a PDP8. And starting that box was a bit harder than today:

              Turn key to POWER.
              Set all switches to 0
              Click on EXTD
              Set switches to 0x0018
              Click on ADDR
              Set switches to 0x0DE3
              Click on DEP
              Set switches to 0x0A19
              Click on DEP
              Set switches to 0x0080
              Click on ADDR
              Click on CLR
              Verify HALT and STEP are up
              Click on CONT

              (I cheated and checked the exact values, but I remembered it pretty well: only one digit error!)

              Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

              "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
              "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

              A C 2 Replies Last reply
              0
              • C chriselst

                Define Computer Literacy. When I wrote my first program I could plug the Commodore 64 into the TV, turn it on, get to the bit to type in the code and then run it. There wasn't a lot else to do, I could also put the tapes for the games into the tape player to load and then start the games.

                Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.

                D Online
                D Online
                dan sh
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                Literacy as in knowing basic user operations before going to programming. For instance, knowing what left and right click is. I, for one, had no clue when I wrote programs for first few months.

                C R 2 Replies Last reply
                0
                • D dan sh

                  Literacy as in knowing basic user operations before going to programming. For instance, knowing what left and right click is. I, for one, had no clue when I wrote programs for first few months.

                  C Offline
                  C Offline
                  chriselst
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  d@nish wrote:

                  For instance, knowing what left and right click is.

                  There was no left and right click. There was no mouse.

                  Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.

                  OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • D dan sh

                    Argonia wrote:

                    mod and div

                    Isn't that what they are called? At least I call them that since it is more related to mathematical terms.

                    A Offline
                    A Offline
                    Argonia
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    In english maybe, but i didn't know that back then. :laugh: After all programming is good for your brain it teaches you english better than the textbook. Noone can make me spell break or switch wrong ;)

                    Microsoft ... the only place where VARIANT_TRUE != true

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • D dan sh

                      ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

                      M Offline
                      M Offline
                      Matt U
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      I was quite knowledgeable of computers when I started programming in C++ back around 1999. I had already been writing basic JavaScript, plus I grew up around computers. I didn't "know it all", but I definitely knew how to operate one and how to get around. But then again, I was also intrigued by hacking, though I never pursued it on a malicious level. Once I started programming, I learned so much more about a computer though, I know.

                      djj55: Nice but may have a permission problem Pete O'Hanlon: He has my permission to run it.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • D dan sh

                        ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

                        Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
                        Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
                        Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        I knew nothing of computer when I got my C64 and started to do some basic and assembly (I got a book with)... I learned side-by-side about how to use and how to program.

                        I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is. (V)

                        "It never ceases to amaze me that a spacecraft launched in 1977 can be fixed remotely from Earth." ― Brian Cox

                        P 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • D dan sh

                          ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          Well, I guess thats the benefit of starting coding way before WIndows rolled along. It was a Spectrum I first wrote programs on, just for my own use, and actually really enjoyed it. It wasnt till much later that I startrd a career in programming, and that was on DOS, which again is simple. Now I write WIndows drivers mostly, as well as LInux, and I am fully aware of the complexity of the OS, and how hard MSFT make it by producing junk code themselves ans almost useless documentation.

                          D 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • D dan sh

                            ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

                            S Offline
                            S Offline
                            Simon Lee Shugar
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            Mine was in VB copying and pasting a tutorial for a whack a mole game, which I then replaced the mole with my friends head. As for my computer skills, I think I did the head picture by cutting it out in paint, I knew a tiny bit about ms dos but literally nothing compared to the vast overwhelming knowledge I know now. Which will be literally nothing compared to the vast super overhwelming knowledge I'll know in five years etc etc.

                            Simon Lee Shugar (Software Developer) www.simonshugar.co.uk "If something goes by a false name, would it mean that thing is fake? False by nature?" By Gilbert Durandil

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • M mikepwilson

                              Yeah I had NO idea. PDP-8 at school in the late 70s. I got to "10 print \n20 goto 10" pretty quickly. The big reveal was adding the ';' character to the inside of the string which would suppress the crlf (which, on the wide-carriage screenless terminal really was "carriage return, line feed". It's all been downhill from there.

                              L Offline
                              L Offline
                              Lost User
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              The old VAX eh? THats even before my time! :) Sinclair Spectrum and the BBC were the first computers I came across. They were rare beasts before then, very rare.

                              K 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • D dan sh

                                ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

                                OriginalGriffO Offline
                                OriginalGriffO Offline
                                OriginalGriff
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                I had nearly forgotten: My Uni course was a "thin sandwich" - 6 months Uni, 6 months industry - and my first industrial training was this the Atlas Computer Division of the Rutherford Labs, a UK government research institution. At the end of the training a report on my work was sent to the college: "Was determined to find out 'all about computers' and showed great ingenuity in doing so" It wasn't a compliment. :-O

                                Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                                "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                                "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                                L 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • C chriselst

                                  d@nish wrote:

                                  For instance, knowing what left and right click is.

                                  There was no left and right click. There was no mouse.

                                  Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.

                                  OriginalGriffO Offline
                                  OriginalGriffO Offline
                                  OriginalGriff
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  There wasn't even a damn keyboard, half the time! :laugh:

                                  Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                                  "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                                  "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                                  C A 2 Replies Last reply
                                  0
                                  • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                                    Very, very, very. I didn't even see a computer until about six months after I started coding - we used punch cards in those days - being able to use a terminal and even an editor (poor by modern standards as it was) was a brilliant revelation! "Turning the computer on" had to wait about another year and the 5th computer I used: a PDP8. And starting that box was a bit harder than today:

                                    Turn key to POWER.
                                    Set all switches to 0
                                    Click on EXTD
                                    Set switches to 0x0018
                                    Click on ADDR
                                    Set switches to 0x0DE3
                                    Click on DEP
                                    Set switches to 0x0A19
                                    Click on DEP
                                    Set switches to 0x0080
                                    Click on ADDR
                                    Click on CLR
                                    Verify HALT and STEP are up
                                    Click on CONT

                                    (I cheated and checked the exact values, but I remembered it pretty well: only one digit error!)

                                    Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                                    A Offline
                                    A Offline
                                    Argonia
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    I am proud to say that i have seen an punch card, never saw the machine (we are not counting the pictures and internet). OT: I have whole 2 boxes full of doughnuts from Dunkin Donuts (we have no other choice here for good doughnuts) but still i am very happy :P Why i am sharing this ? Because when you are sending the lappie sleeve you need to add something extra in good packaging, choco is prefered ;)

                                    Microsoft ... the only place where VARIANT_TRUE != true

                                    OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • D dan sh

                                      ...you wrote your first program? In my case, I had no idea what operating system is. I did not knew I was using windows. Hell, I could not even start a computer. It was really scary. However, if someone could open the "black screen" for me, I could write C++ programs for them. This was the state for a long time. I was proud of myself thinking I could do anything in C++ but had no clue how to reach that black screen. I say anything as I was easily able to understand concept of pointer and templates and was even able to do graphics code. I thought I was awesome back then in year 2000. How about you? Edit: The sole purpose of this post is to feel young. ;P

                                      L Offline
                                      L Offline
                                      Lost User
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #18

                                      I didn't get interested in programming until I had already been using computers for several years. And I didn't even start programming on a PC, I started on a TI-84+. When I started programming on a PC, it was z80 asm, for TI-84+. By the time I finally started writing programs for PCs, I was pretty computer literate, in a Windows-centric way.

                                      OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • L Lost User

                                        Well, I guess thats the benefit of starting coding way before WIndows rolled along. It was a Spectrum I first wrote programs on, just for my own use, and actually really enjoyed it. It wasnt till much later that I startrd a career in programming, and that was on DOS, which again is simple. Now I write WIndows drivers mostly, as well as LInux, and I am fully aware of the complexity of the OS, and how hard MSFT make it by producing junk code themselves ans almost useless documentation.

                                        D Online
                                        D Online
                                        dan sh
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #19

                                        I am sorry, it is not useless. It is fairly easy to get windows message numbers and their meaning if you want to trap them. Oh and applying a processor patch is easier than that if you can get the correct SDK (I almosttypes APK here :doh:). sarcasm

                                        L 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • A Argonia

                                          I am proud to say that i have seen an punch card, never saw the machine (we are not counting the pictures and internet). OT: I have whole 2 boxes full of doughnuts from Dunkin Donuts (we have no other choice here for good doughnuts) but still i am very happy :P Why i am sharing this ? Because when you are sending the lappie sleeve you need to add something extra in good packaging, choco is prefered ;)

                                          Microsoft ... the only place where VARIANT_TRUE != true

                                          OriginalGriffO Offline
                                          OriginalGriffO Offline
                                          OriginalGriff
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #20

                                          Punched card had big advantages over "Modern" editors and HDDs. They taught you to write concise, efficient programs. Otherwise you needed wheels to move your code around! We didn't have "copy'n'paste", we had "drag'n'hernia"! That stuff got heavy quickly :laugh:

                                          Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it. --- George Santayana (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952) Those who fail to clear history are doomed to explain it. --- OriginalGriff (February 24, 1959 – ∞)

                                          "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                                          "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                                          M C 2 Replies Last reply
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