Episode Details

Origins in BASIC

Where It All Began with One Apple and a Lot of Typing

I was lucky.

In elementary school, I was in a gifted program, and our class had access to the school’s single Apple II. It wasn’t locked away in a lab. It sat in our classroom, free to use. We’d huddle in teams, cracking open the thick manual and typing out programs in BASIC line by line.

Half the time, all that work only produced a “HELLO WORLD” on the screen. I was both unimpressed and completely captivated. Our little pack of nerds kept at it, and somehow, I was hooked. I didn’t want to just use the school’s computer—I wanted my own. Unlike the model in the photo above, we didnt have the fancy tape deck. So, we would finish a program, and it would disappear into the ether in between sessions. It was beyond frustrating.

There was something intoxicating about the idea of having a machine that answered only to me. No sharing. No limits. Just possibility. And I could finally save my work.

So, in 1982, thirteen‑year‑old me marched into Service Merchandise—birthday money, babysitting money, and Christmas money all pooled together—and bought my very first computer: the Texas Instruments TI‑99/4A. It cost around $300, and I paid every penny myself. And, yes, I splurged for the cassette deck. Or, as I believe we called them back then- data cartridges.

Even now, I can still feel that pride. Owning that machine wasn’t just buying a computer. It was proof that I could dream big and make it happen.

Read the full article at droids.substack.com

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