• FizzyOrange
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        2 days ago

        I did an engineering degree at Cambridge in the 2000s and the computing module had us assemble some assembly for some ancient CPU by hand - looking up opcodes in a table in a book - and then type the opcodes into a microcontroller via a 10 digit keypad. No screen or anything. Insane.

        If that isn’t enough to put anyone off programming then I don’t know what is…

    • prime_number_314159@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Unless you’re analyzing what microcode is doing with it, assembly is just hiding how things really work, too. Good engineers use early 1990s computers so that they can fully understand what’s going on, and never have to trust anyone else to correctly do anything.

      • jet@hackertalks.com
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        2 days ago

        Lots of truth to this, lots of great eastern block engineers came from working with super janky computers that demanded high levels of mastery from their users.

        • bitcrafter
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          2 days ago

          If by “real engineers” you mean the posers who do not work directly with the underlying analog waveforms that approximate digital logic, then I suppose you have a point.