I'm curious about how you all learned to program back in the day before we had the convenience of AI tools and online resources like Stack Overflow. Was your journey more about diving into books, attending classes, or learning from peers? I'd love to hear your experiences and what methods were most effective for you, regardless of the length of your response. Thanks for sharing!
5 Answers
Most of my programming knowledge came from reading documentation for whatever tools I was using, plus a ton of trial and error. Back then, we didn’t have the internet like today, so if you were stuck, it was all about looking up manuals or compiler messages. It taught us a lot about how things worked under the hood!
For sure! Debugging was an art back then. I miss that hands-on learning.
In the early days, you learned from textbooks and fellow programmers, occasionally asking for help on forums. There was a lot of trial and error involved, and it really helped solidify concepts in your brain because you had to work through the problems yourself.
Haha! I love that feeling of accomplishment after a breakthrough.
There were both books and tutorials from magazines. Back then, compilers came with thick manuals, and you had to learn a lot from those. It was less about convenience and more about perseverance, which built a solid understanding.
Wow! That sounds tough but rewarding. I could never imagine doing without today’s resources.
Learning programming was a lot like learning any other subject. Books were my go-to resource, along with classes, lectures, and great teachers. I remember relying heavily on textbooks and any documentation I could get my hands on. It was a different world back then!
Definitely books and a lot of experimentation. Makerspace meetups were crucial too—seeing what other people were doing sparked tons of ideas. It was all about digging in and figuring out how to make things work.
Cool! I wish I could've attended those meetups. I bet they were inspiring.
Yes! The community aspect helped a lot. It’s great when you can ask questions in person.
That makes sense. I also found those manuals super helpful, despite being a bit tedious sometimes.