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Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

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Re: Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

#31

Post by np_tedious »

dev_dull wrote: post #5

> They took the limitations of their computers as a challenge, sat down, and made these tiny machines do impressive things. Poets knew from long ago that using pentameter and constraints fosters creativity. Here we see the same principle applied in computing.

> Within the Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground; Pleased if some Souls (for such there needs must be) Who have felt the weight of too much liberty, Should find brief solace there, as I have found.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52299/nuns-fret-not-a...

Re: Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

#32

Post by fao_ »

dangwu wrote: post #28
lacampbell wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's your point? Most kids back then would have cried and begged for their comics back, or for the television to be switched back on.

I'm disagreeing with OP's suggestion that giving computer manuals to kids is a "fairly effective way to create world-changing computer engineers."

You could give computer manuals, but you have to:

a) praise achievement not intelligence

and

b) Create an interest first. Maybe make it seem like magic or show something that you can do with it.

Re: Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

#33

Post by jhayward »

commandlinefan wrote: post #4

I learned to program on a 6502 when I was younger - it's a little depressing that computers went and got so fast that there's no real justification for doing this sort of thing any more in almost any domain (except, I guess, if you manage to land a position developing embedded I2C drivers).

Join the ultra-low-power crowd! There are lots of fun things to make while trying to squeeze it in a couple of KB and a few kHz.

Re: Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

#34

Post by lacampbell »

dangwu wrote: post #28
lacampbell wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's your point? Most kids back then would have cried and begged for their comics back, or for the television to be switched back on.

I'm disagreeing with OP's suggestion that giving computer manuals to kids is a "fairly effective way to create world-changing computer engineers."

And I think it depends on the kid, and the fact that smart phones exists now makes little difference.

Re: Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

#35

Post by kart23 »

dangwu wrote: post #16
dekhn wrote: post #3

I don't think many people realize that Woz's dad was an electrical engineer at Lockheed who would bring home computer manuals that Woz would read as a kid. This seems to be a fairly effective way to create world-changing computer engineers.

If you gave computer manuals to kids today, they'd cry and beg for their phones back

Dont give them a phone in the first place

Re: Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

#36

Post by scarface74 »

redis_mlc wrote: post #10

Woz was scary good at both hw and sw (author of Apple BASIC.) If you have time, go through his various Apple documents online. I believe he was never the same after his small plane crashed. (Back then, wealthy people used small planes like ATVs, and had about the same safety record.) I worked with another hw engineer of similar ability back in the 80s. Mind-blowing watching him just pick up a pen and draw out a compl…

Woz didn’t create “Apple Basic”. He created the first version of BASIC on the Apple // - Integer Basic. But Microsoft wrote the next version AppleSoft Basic.

Re: Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

#37

Post by Gibbon1 »

jeremyjh wrote: post #29
schmookeeg wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A 50-hour pilot in a Bonanza A36TC is insane, I had no idea Woz landed off-airport. I do checkouts in Bonanzas, and the more typical A36TC/TN pilot has 500 hours' experience or more. (Some of us still use small planes like ATVs -- but if the description of Woz' experience in the incident is accurate, this is like taking a Lamborghini out with a fresh driving permit) [1] https://www.cultofmac.com/465778/today-in-apple…

> With Woz, who had only flown for 50 hours at the time, at the controls, the plane climbed too abruptly. Then the aircraft stalled and careened through two fences into the car park of a skating rink. Woz later said he thought Candi might have accidentally leaned on the controls. How could leaning on the yoke (or any other control) cause a stall? She'd have to pull back on it to force a climb like that. I'm kind of a…

I read a description why aircraft like the Bonanza A36TC are more unforgiving. I think he said because because of higher power, higher speeds, and airfoils to match these aircraft can rapidly leave the stable flight envelop. It takes fast reflexes and knowing what you are doing to get them back. And because they are fast they'll fall out of the sky very quickly in a stall.

Fast reflexes comes from being young or being older and using reflexes you picked up when you were young. Knowing what you are doing comes from knuckling under to someone that does. It's why these aircraft regularly kill middle aged doctors. They have neither the reflexes or the tendency to obey.

There is a reason the air force trains 20 year old's to fly jet fighters.

Re: Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

#38

Post by ryandoom »

jeremyjh wrote: post #29
schmookeeg wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A 50-hour pilot in a Bonanza A36TC is insane, I had no idea Woz landed off-airport. I do checkouts in Bonanzas, and the more typical A36TC/TN pilot has 500 hours' experience or more. (Some of us still use small planes like ATVs -- but if the description of Woz' experience in the incident is accurate, this is like taking a Lamborghini out with a fresh driving permit) [1] https://www.cultofmac.com/465778/today-in-apple…

> With Woz, who had only flown for 50 hours at the time, at the controls, the plane climbed too abruptly. Then the aircraft stalled and careened through two fences into the car park of a skating rink. Woz later said he thought Candi might have accidentally leaned on the controls. How could leaning on the yoke (or any other control) cause a stall? She'd have to pull back on it to force a climb like that. I'm kind of a…

Minimum flight time to get your cert is 40 hours. You train in a fixed gear plane, wheels don’t come up.

To fly this he would need a complex sign off to fly the retractable gear/variable pitch prop and high performance sign off for having over 200hp engine.

It’s a lot of airplane for that much experience but only takes 5 hours or so to get those sign offs from your instructor. Bonanzas have a reputation -now- that keep people away from them until they are very comfortable with flying a complex and fast airplane.

Re: Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

#39

Post by na85 »

dangwu wrote: post #16
dekhn wrote: post #3

I don't think many people realize that Woz's dad was an electrical engineer at Lockheed who would bring home computer manuals that Woz would read as a kid. This seems to be a fairly effective way to create world-changing computer engineers.

If you gave computer manuals to kids today, they'd cry and beg for their phones back

Yes, those lazy milennials with their instant grahams and their books of faces

Re: Steve Wozniak's floating point routines for the 6502

#40

Post by bigred100 »

redis_mlc wrote: post #10

Woz was scary good at both hw and sw (author of Apple BASIC.) If you have time, go through his various Apple documents online. I believe he was never the same after his small plane crashed. (Back then, wealthy people used small planes like ATVs, and had about the same safety record.) I worked with another hw engineer of similar ability back in the 80s. Mind-blowing watching him just pick up a pen and draw out a compl…

I wonder why rich people have such a high urge to fly small airplanes. It seems to expose you to a lot of risk, which you could easily avoid (I’ve lived a considerable number of years without facing a single situation where I was likely to fly an airplane).
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