On Tue, 16 May 2006, Alan Gauld wrote: > Hah, if you haven't bootstrapped a VAX using the toggle switches on > the front panel you ain't a real progammer ;-)
Not with a VAX, but I had to do that with a TI-980, long, long ago! And once I had it booted, because the assembler was a pretty primitive two-pass assembler, I had to run my punched cards through twice. But at least I got to use punched cards. I forget what the other system we had in that room was, but I had to use paper tape on that one. > Actually one of our local Universities still starts their computer > science courses by teaching students how to do that, before moving them > onto machine code, assembler, C and finally Java(*). It's like an > historical tour of computing/programming.... They consistently produce > very good graduates, so it seems to work. I wonder if the results are good because it's an effective teaching method, of because it culls out the faint-of-heart right up front! > The machine code is done on little hex keypads with pocket calculator > style printout rools! Its only when they get to C that they get to use a > PC! A couple years ago, I took a course in which I built my own computer. And I mean built. The individual chips (CPU, RAM, resistors, etc.) were off-the-shelf components, but that's it. I soldered every lead and wire-wrapped every wire on that thing, build on a breadboard. It was very primitive: its only input devices were an 8-bit DIP switch and thermometer sensor chip (and a flashable EEPROM to hold the OS/program, if you count that as an input device); and its only output devices a couple of seven-segment LED displays; but it sure taught the hard-core hardware. I didn't actually need it for the subject matter taught; but I'm planning on taking the patent agent's exam, and the US patent and trademark office insisted I shore up my academic credentials with a few additional physics courses (the course was actually about physic laboratory instrumentation). It was quite a bit of fun, though. _______________________________________________ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
