On 1/11/2017 7:47 PM, Tony Bogan via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
Forgive my long windedness. I'm sure you guys are used to it by now!!
On some of the Apple II lists that I am on, it appears that the majority of the list members are more interested in the software (really games) than anything else. Unquestionably.
I guess I'm kind of in a unique position to comment on this problem, since I have a over 100 teenagers who come in to my room full of vintage computers each day. Two things get them interested. 1. Games. 2. Being able to program them. Application software is just.. well.. dull. Unless you need it to solve a problem, which they don't. And, of course, I leave out being able to control outside things (i.e. robotics and the like) because I just don't have the space to safely do that. That's always a crowd-pleaser. I also am from the generation that remembers getting to play Choplifter, or Oregon Trail, or California Games when you were done with your work in "computer" class. Classical conditioning at its best. So I don't blame my particular generation for being more nostalgic about the games than Apple LOGO on a IIe and typing class with AppleWorks on a IIc (neither of which I was fond of even back in the day!). So my machines currently run Apple IIe: Oregon Trail, Apple IIc: Choplifter, Apple IIgs: variety of games but Arkanoid II currently. With that said, when they get to my more advanced classes, they learn 6502 assembly. And most figure out enough Apple BASIC to play with the Apple II+ that sits around with the ] prompt. Then the really cool stuff happens. So it doesn't dishearten me when people want first and foremost to play games. What else would they want to do? Especially if they aren't programmers? I know the first thing my old self would do if I had terminal access to an IBM/370 mainframe like I (sort of - long story) did as a child would be to play Adventure again in style! On the other hand, to bring this back to the original subject matter, as a card carrying UNIX nerd, I absolutely love playing with any kind of weird UNIX on any kind of weird hardware, games be damned! Best wishes, -Adam