We had a Z80Â -based computer in our house in the early 80s. This is the model, the Ithaca Intersystems DPS-1:
To boot, you’d click up the two rightmost switches in sequence after turning the key.
I used it for simple programming in a language called MUMPS.
My first e-learning experience came unexpectedly. Accused by my 7th grade teacher at Our Lady of Jasna Gora of a crime I didn’t commit, I was sentenced to write the Preamble of the Constitution out 25 times as a punishment.
“Can it be typed?” I asked.
“I don’t see why not,” said the teacher.
“Can I do it on my computer?” I asked.
“You can do it on whatever you want,” he said.
It was 1981. He didn’t know any better.
I went home, turned the key and flicked the big orange switches. One MUMPS loop later, I leaned back in my chair, swaddled in the comforting screech of the dot matrix printer, pumping out my assignment.
E-learning was cool.