Circa 1980 - Michigan: My first *would* have been on a shiny new first gen TRaSh-80, except that due to the low computer/student ratio only high school seniors were allowed in the lab to use them. Instead, I vied for time on the shared computers in the library: at first only a teletype modem (ball type: folding paper output, not CRT display) connected via 300 baud (on a good day, 120 on a bad) to a HP-3000 at some local community college, and later a CBM Pet (green screen).

Interestingly, on the teletype/HP-3000 we broke out of the vocational forecasting program for which the school had obtained it; then I located and ran a tutorial program for Basic in the HP-3000's OS. So it's accurate to state that I was taught computer language by a computer. Also, in a sense, the vocational identification program worked: since then my career has always been with computers.

Update: By the time I was a sophomore, I was teaching seniors as the lab assistant. By the time I graduated, I was getting paid to assist instructing adult education courses after school (to rural farmers). :-)

P.S. I miss playing Oregon Trail on the teletype, and Dungeon on the Pet... Need more bullets!!! :.(

In reply to Re: I started with...: by Knom
in thread I started with...: by davido

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