I'm not convinced a thread is anyone's property, but I do appreciate your understanding. Perhaps I could impose on you with a more specific question. I want to learn more about 70s microcomputers, especially pre-Apple/RadioShack/Commodore and S100 machines. I like technical books and I like non-technical books. Any book suggestions to help me, specifically, learn more about that topic? I just started reading Adam Osborne's "Introduction to Microcomputers". https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Microcomputers-Adam-Osborne/dp/B000KJXHM... But I have edition three (by dumb luck - I can't even remember how I got it) and am thinking I might perhaps be happier with the first edition from 1975 (at least in context of my above question). Thanks either way! -Adam On 9/14/2020 11:33 PM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
I understand why you would choose not to participate
Adam, I'm *already participating*, because I gave you a response - just not the one you expected.
And: you *have* answered many of my questions. I won't go into detail. But thanks for being honest about what you are looking for, and modest about your results, and how others may benefit. Simply put: I wouldn't go about it in the way you are. And I can't give you the responses you are looking for, because I disagree with your assumptions and process. But: we come from different places, so that happens.
I made my case, and it's your thread. If I continue, I'm hijacking your thread. So I'm out. Sorry I can't help you in your endeavor.
Regards, Herb Johnson
On 9/14/2020 7:16 PM, Adam Michlin wrote:
Hi Herb,
I'm afraid I do not have good answers to your good questions.
My day job is as a teacher, so I spend most of my time trying to decide how to introduce subjects to students who, by definition, lack experience in the subject. What I've learned in decades of teaching is that there really is no perfect way to introduce a subject and my way of successfully introducing a subject might be very different that another teacher's method.
Such it is with any lists of books. There will never be a perfect list, but maybe I can develop at least one so-so list. To me, the best way to create such a list is to get recommendations from a wide variety of sources and have a back and forth conversation, at least to some extent, about why each person has selected their particular book and how it might introduce a subject to someone new to vintage computing and what our theoretical average person without experience might be interested in learning. Quite selfishly, I also get recommendations for books for my own personal education, but I can live with that because so does everyone else reading this list.
Alas, I well appreciate that no hobby will ever agree on one single list. My list will be rudimentry and flawed, but will at least be an attempt, ever so imperfectly, to answer the question of "OK, I'm interested in vintage computing, whan can I read that will help me decide what I want to learn more about?".
Guilty as charged for the sin of being vague and not only do I understand why you would choose not to participate, I think absolutely nothing less of you for doing so.
Best wishes,
-Adam