Typing BASIC from a magazine taught me more than any modern tutorial ever could (fight me).

My first foray into code involved typing out BASIC programs from a magazine, with each syntax mistake requiring a full page re-read (no backspace, just patience). Contrast that with today's interactive tutorials that correct you instantly, and I can't help but feel we're losing the iterative learning that breeds resilience (and actual comprehension). Has the removal of friction in learning made us better programmers, or just faster to give up when things get genuinely hard?

3 comments

3 Comments

derek_hayes577d ago

In 1985, I spent hours typing in a game called GORILLA.BAS from Compute's Gazette. Every typo meant scanning line by line with the magazine propped open, learning to read code backwards almost. That brutal process forced me to understand what each line did, because I had to debug it myself. Now when I see auto-correct in tutorials, I wonder if the frustration I endured built a deeper intuition. Maybe that's why I still prefer writing config files by hand instead of using generators. The friction taught patience that's hard to replicate with instant feedback.

karenlee7d ago

Wait, you actually typed programs from a magazine with no backspace? That's wild. I can't even handle a typo without Ctrl+Z. The patience you guys had is unbelievable.

lilyhenderson4d ago

I read an article saying that the slow process of typing code by hand actually builds neural pathways for patience. The writer compared it to learning a musical instrument without sheet music, where every mistake is a lesson. But do we lose that deep learning when everything autocorrects? Maybe the best tutorials today should force a few old-school typing exercises to build real skill.