Comments on: Origins of a love affair http://damieng.com/blog/2009/12/29/origins-of-a-love-affair?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=origins-of-a-love-affair A .NET developer in silicon valley Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:10:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Olivier DALET http://damieng.com/blog/2009/12/29/origins-of-a-love-affair#comment-34646 Olivier DALET Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:08:11 +0000 http://damieng.com/?p=1502#comment-34646 I had always asked myself how you could write such a good English and have a French first name... now I have a clue: I guess it is linked to you being from Guernesey. Anyway this has nothing to do with how much I appreciate your posts. Keep on this way. Thanks I had always asked myself how you could write such a good English and have a French first name… now I have a clue: I guess it is linked to you being from Guernesey.

Anyway this has nothing to do with how much I appreciate your posts. Keep on this way. Thanks

]]> By: Chris http://damieng.com/blog/2009/12/29/origins-of-a-love-affair#comment-33595 Chris Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:02:53 +0000 http://damieng.com/?p=1502#comment-33595 Popular Computing Weekly ! We were still subscribing to that in my family until half way through 2009 when it must have folded due to lack of advertisers in the credit crunch. Guy Kewney, technical tips, adverts from tottenham court road computer dealers ... right to the end it still had code snippets printed in it. I still prefer reading something paper-based over my breakfast. Popular Computing Weekly ! We were still subscribing to that in my family until half way through 2009 when it must have folded due to lack of advertisers in the credit crunch. Guy Kewney, technical tips, adverts from tottenham court road computer dealers … right to the end it still had code snippets printed in it. I still prefer reading something paper-based over my breakfast.

]]> By: Damien Guard http://damieng.com/blog/2009/12/29/origins-of-a-love-affair#comment-33581 Damien Guard Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:38:29 +0000 http://damieng.com/?p=1502#comment-33581 I remember Input magazine too! Also got New Computer Express, Popular Computing Weekly, Sinclair User, Your Sinclair, Crash, C&VG, Sinclair Programs... I still have some in storage :) [)amien I remember Input magazine too! Also got New Computer Express, Popular Computing Weekly, Sinclair User, Your Sinclair, Crash, C&VG, Sinclair Programs…

I still have some in storage :)

[)amien

]]> By: SteveStreeting.com » Blog Archive » Salad Days http://damieng.com/blog/2009/12/29/origins-of-a-love-affair#comment-33577 SteveStreeting.com » Blog Archive » Salad Days Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:06:54 +0000 http://damieng.com/?p=1502#comment-33577 [...] friend Damien was blogging about his early experiences with computers & programming yesterday, and it reminded me of how I [...] [...] friend Damien was blogging about his early experiences with computers & programming yesterday, and it reminded me of how I [...]

]]> By: Steve http://damieng.com/blog/2009/12/29/origins-of-a-love-affair#comment-33576 Steve Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:53:09 +0000 http://damieng.com/?p=1502#comment-33576 Ha, wikipedia has an entry on Input: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Input_Magazine :D Ha, wikipedia has an entry on Input: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Input_Magazine :D

]]> By: Steve http://damieng.com/blog/2009/12/29/origins-of-a-love-affair#comment-33575 Steve Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:50:47 +0000 http://damieng.com/?p=1502#comment-33575 Remarkably similar to my story, except my first was a ZX81 at 9 and BBCs came a year or so later. We had no money (my parents split too) so we saved coppers for about a year to buy my first home computer, a Spectrum 48k which I kept for ages. I got a subscription to a BASIC magazine called 'Input' for a birthday or xmas and slogged through all of the pages of listings, regularly having to fix bugs & misprints. I never learned anything useful at school about computers or coding, lessons were terrible or non-existent. I remember the first dedicated lesson I found was at A-level, and I was devastated when it became clear the whole course wouldn't cover anything I hadn't taught myself by the time I was 13. This was largely responsible for me becoming so disillusioned with school and leaving earlier than I should have done. Even degrees looked boring and I figured I could learn more on my own - which was true, but it just meant I had to work twice as hard to get the degree later on as a rubber stamp and to fill a few small theory gaps. Remarkably similar to my story, except my first was a ZX81 at 9 and BBCs came a year or so later. We had no money (my parents split too) so we saved coppers for about a year to buy my first home computer, a Spectrum 48k which I kept for ages. I got a subscription to a BASIC magazine called ‘Input’ for a birthday or xmas and slogged through all of the pages of listings, regularly having to fix bugs & misprints.

I never learned anything useful at school about computers or coding, lessons were terrible or non-existent. I remember the first dedicated lesson I found was at A-level, and I was devastated when it became clear the whole course wouldn’t cover anything I hadn’t taught myself by the time I was 13. This was largely responsible for me becoming so disillusioned with school and leaving earlier than I should have done. Even degrees looked boring and I figured I could learn more on my own – which was true, but it just meant I had to work twice as hard to get the degree later on as a rubber stamp and to fill a few small theory gaps.

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