I started off with a Spectrum 48K, had a +2 for a while. I think I got an ST in '88. A mate had one and I was pretty blown away by the lack of colour clash, the mouse and the real keyboard. Games wise it didn't take much to impress me at first. Megaroids and the PD game 'Ripcord' were enough to do that. Games like Falcon and Xenon were just a bonus
I did a lot of GFA back then. I never did much programming on the Spectrum, except GOTO spaghetti. The ST felt like a 'real' computer and set me off on the programming path. Nothing particularly exciting - but I've been a bizdev since 1997. Three years of COBOL (I still have a soft spot for it) on UNIX, followed by four years of C. Since then C# on Windows.
I spend a fair amount of time gaming, old and modern - mostly retro though on the ST, Jaguar and 2600. I'm currently playing Jag Doom and Droid on the ST. I'm also quite fond of Nintendo and the old Speccy.
I start a lot of projects - don't finish many. I code a LOT. C is my current spare-time weapon of choice - nice to get back into it after so many years. I've finally got around to learning Python. It's OK - needs a decent 'for' loop. I also like assembler. I've done a bit of Z80 in the past but I've currently got 6502 on the 2600 and ST 68K on the go.
This is one little project I did finish: https://vd-view.azurewebsites.net/
I'm 'handy' with a soldering iron. Well, I've only destroyed two Spectrum PCBs so far. I've spent a big chunk of my spare time over the last 12 months getting into FPGA/Verilog. That's on hiatus as it's a PITA. Just couldn't de-glitch the Spectrum UART I was coding.
Maybe I should stick to software. Beware of programmers carrying screwdrivers.
Turned into a bit of an essay
Simon
