NYCPHP Meetup

[Rukbat]

On 1/26/2012 12:22 PM, Tedd Sperling wrote:
> On Jan 26, 2012, at 11:34 AM, Ajai Khattri wrote:
>
>> On 1/26/12 11:03 AM, Rukbat wrote:
>>> As someone who started by writing machine code (not assembly, bits - and in octal, which was the big thing back when we wrote code on stone with wooden chisels), I can say that's very true.
>> As someone who also cut his teeth writing code on 6502 and 68000 processors, I personally believe all programmers should have some experience writing machine code. Not for machismo or bragging rights, but simply because it gives you a different perspective on languages and runtimes in general. You understand a lot more how languages operate at a lower level and that makes you a better programmer when using high level languages.
> Oh, you had it easy. I cut my teeth on pre-6502 processors, namely a home built variety (dual logic analyzers), where we programmed with dip switches and saved our programs to paper punch tape. Later we hard-wired our first assembly language.

Punched tape?  My first assembler was a legal pad and a pencil with a 
good eraser.  Did a lot of 2-pass assembling that way.  (Okay, so I 
still have a [probably] working model 19 in my basement, but that came 
later.).  8080 wire-wrapped with 1k of 2102 RAM.  (I don't consider the 
8008 board I made a "computer".)  Remember the 2708?  No more toggle 
switches to get it running by that point.