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Poll: How old were you when you started programming?

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Re: Poll: How old were you when you started programming?

#84
Wow, reading some of the responses makes me feel YOUNG.

I started programming some 3 or 4 years ago (at the young age of 14) in C. I wrote various simple tools that did cool things. For example, in mid 2008, I wrote a short program that interfaced with a wiimote (using one of the various libraries) to control xmms2. xmms2 was controlled by means of system(3).

Re: Poll: How old were you when you started programming?

#86
I don't recall the exact age. Dad brought home a VT100 and an acoustic coupler (actually, it might first have been a 52). Sometime after, he created a separate account for me on his employer's PDP -- or had they upgraded to the VAX by then?

Props to the employer for (sort of silently) permitting this.

Separately: Email, shemail. Via TALK, I was IM-ing before most people knew what email was. ;-)

Also, turning in school papers processed through runoff greatly impressed some teachers -- deservedly or not.

Finally: I still miss the DEC manuals and the like. Back when documentation was DOCUMENTATION.

Re: Poll: How old were you when you started programming?

#87

When I was 7 or 8 I used to enjoy typing BASIC programs into the TI-994A my parents had bought. One day I accidentally wrote a simple program that did what I expected, and I was thrilled. My only regret is that I never had proper books for the version of basic I was using (TI, Apple, etc.). This was b/c it was never an intention of my parents that I learn to program. I just found it more fun than video games, even th…

I did the same with our C64 around the same age. I never call that "beginning programming", though, because it took very little problem solving on my part, and doesn't come close to what it takes to make something usable nowadays.

Re: Poll: How old were you when you started programming?

#88
One of the things I have noticed between most of my friends that are really good programmers is that they started very early.

I was quite a late starter, around 15/16 year at school I did a project for computing class to clone "cdbaby or cdnow.com" in cold fusion and javascript, I wasnt even particularly certain about going to uni to do computer science.

Couldnt feel more lucky that I did

Re: Poll: How old were you when you started programming?

#89
I started at around 23, when I took a 2 year programming diploma course at a local school. I'd bounced around university/college for a few years without knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I liked computers, and figured I'd give it a shot. It's been a good career ever since I graduated, and I'm still liking the challenge.

Re: Poll: How old were you when you started programming?

#90
post #87

When I was 7 or 8 I used to enjoy typing BASIC programs into the TI-994A my parents had bought. One day I accidentally wrote a simple program that did what I expected, and I was thrilled. My only regret is that I never had proper books for the version of basic I was using (TI, Apple, etc.). This was b/c it was never an intention of my parents that I learn to program. I just found it more fun than video games, even th…

I did the same with our C64 around the same age. I never call that "beginning programming", though, because it took very little problem solving on my part, and doesn't come close to what it takes to make something usable nowadays.

That was how it began. Eventually (in a year or two) I got a book on 6502 assembler and learned more
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