20121112: Procrastination loop in basic by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org (cc-sa) #design
When I was 12 years old, my mom saw that computers might be something I’d be interested in and that it might be an important skill in my future. She got me a couple of computers that worked in Basic, namely the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A and the Timex Sinclair 2000. The Sinclair with its 16k memory module addon was especially frustrating because it had this graphics mode that you could hold down a modifier key to add symbols to the screen, but it would take forever to refresh, would suddenly crash after a half hour of work, and had no easy way to save. The TI-99/4A at least had the ability to save to cassette tape. It was a simpler time for technology, but definitely not better. I think my favorite program I made on the TI was an ATM machine simulation that asked your password, denied access without the right one, asked if you wanted your bills in large denominations or small ones, and thanked you for your business.
This content is published under the Attribution 3.0 Unported license.