[vcf-midatlantic] Not quite so linked lists (of books)

[Adam Michlin]

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/B000KJXHM4

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 
>