Ransom Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 That is, what was the first electronic system you gave a series of instructions to, that it then followed out? The first one for me was the Big Trak: Which you could program to go forward or backward, turn, fire its weapon, or, if you had the optional Big Trak Transport, tell it to dump its load. After that, I believe the next thing was Atari 2600's BASIC Programming (big disappointment!), then a Heathkit computer we had at school (I typed in a Lunar Lander program), and then finally the Atari 400 with Atari BASIC. How about you? 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 For me it was my first home computer, a Commodore VIC-20. The first one in school (after the VIC-20) was a TRS-80 Model III. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 TI-99/4a. That's what my high school could (barely) afford and way more than I personally could afford. I repaired and donated a few small TV's I had sitting around to help get the program going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I For me it was the 4K version of the TRS-80 Model I. I was still in junior high school at the time, so whenever my folks went to town I would go into the Radio Shack store and stand in front of that thing for HOURS! It was a lot of fun. Years later (before I worked for Radio Shack) I went in for some items and was taken by the sales girl, so I banged out a quick program on the Model III they had on display that asked the sales girl out on a date... It worked, we went out for over three years. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Probably the Commodore PET at school. Good times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+5-11under Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Sinclair ZX80, followed by Sinclair ZX81 a year or so later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 TRS-80 Model III at school. Then my 99/4A at home. Apple ][ and Atari 800 (assembly) at school also. BTW: I remember the Big Trak! That "toy" was awesome! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+frankodragon Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 I think it was a Commodore Vic-20 then a C64 if you count typing programs from magazines and user manuals as programming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 For me it was my first home computer, a Commodore VIC-20. The first one in school (after the VIC-20) was a TRS-80 Model III. Somebody call the police! Bill Loguidice stole my personal history! atariage.com/forums/topic/164351-your-first-computer/?p=2029694 atariage.com/forums/topic/180824-what-does-atari-mean-to-you/?p=2264396 atariage.com/forums/topic/236551-show-support-for-a-trs-80-sub-forum-post-here/?p=3205407 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+thegoldenband Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Color Computer 2 here. I still remember a lot of those first programs, both the type-ins and the handful I wrote myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIO2 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 ]CATALOG DISK VOLUME 254 *B 050 INTBASIC APPLE II Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 It must've been by big brother's VIC-20. I managed to get it to crash on my first programming attempt, and yet that only involved PRINT statements! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 For me, the TRS "Trash" 80 in 8th grade! Soon followed by a brand new Atari 1200xl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacManPlus Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) Jr. High School: (through 1983) Commodore PET 2001: We had a bunch of them - https://2warpstoneptune.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/commodore-pet-2001.jpg Personal - TI-99/4A High School: (1983-) Commodore PET 2001 Until '84, when we got all Apple IIc computers, (and I ended up getting one as well) Personal - Apple IIc Used the IIc until building my first Intel-386 (around '90) The IIc is where I taught myself 6502 assembly BTW, I actually had that Big-Trak as well! Edited October 16, 2015 by PacManPlus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 It's a toss-up between a simple BASIC program on the Commodore VIC-20 and Logo on the Apple II. Loved that little turtle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) TI calculator, PET, Oric (at a friend) and then the C64 (still mine!). Edited October 16, 2015 by Thomas Jentzsch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defender_2600 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Simple BASIC program on Commodore VIC-20. Big-Trak as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emehr Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Not counting the type-in programs on the Commodore 64 back in 83, the first system I actually learned programming on was an Apple II with BASIC in high school. The SuperNES was the new hotness so I was inspired by making shapes scale and rotate on the Apple...very...slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitoco Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 When I was a kid, I liked to "draw" using the typewriter at my mom's office... my own ASCII art! Then I learned a little about the TELEX machine she had, and started to "save" my artwork in punched paper ribbons, so I could recreate my art later. I don't know if that counts!!!I started learning BASIC programming in a Sinclair ZX-81 and wrote 2 simple games in about a month. Then I moved to an Atari 800XL and "ported" one of those games 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alp Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 I learned to program on the C64 when I was 6. Made some primitive ASCII games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tickled_Pink Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 It was probably the family's 16K Sinclair Spectrum. Just type-in listings. The machine I actually learned to program on was the 800XL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fujidude Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 (edited) Apple ][, followed shortly thereafter by Atari 600XL. It was BASIC on both. Then Pascal on the A2. Then Action! on the Atari. Then a little bit of 6502 assembly on the Atari. Edited October 28, 2015 by fujidude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Apocalypse Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 And then: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgmonroe Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Apple II in elementary school. Atari 1200xl at home (and a little PC in a class) my junior high years. Apple IIgs/Mac in high school and an upgrade at home to an XEGS. Actually been thinking about those early days lately... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 It was either a TRS-80 Model I or a PET when I was in 4th grade around 1978-9. My school system had a small computer lab with both. It was probably the PET because there were more of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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