My first computer was a VIC-20. I wanted a Commodore 64, but now I know I was better off because I had friends who had '64s who spent more time playing games than programming (the games for the 64 were so very, very much better).
As it turns out it mattered more that I had a computer of my own than the "quality" of the computer. I had access to better machines, but I had unlimited access to my VIC-20, and being able to sit up all night with it, to start coding minutes after waking from dreaming in BASIC, resulted in getting so much more done than if I had access to a CRAY-II but I had to go to the library to use it.
My first computer was a VIC-20. I wanted a Commodore 64, but now I know I was better off because I had friends who had '64s who spent more time playing games than programming (the games for the 64 were so very, very much better).
As it turns out it mattered more that I had a computer of my own than the "quality" of the computer. I had access to better machines, but I had unlimited access to my VIC-20, and being able to sit up all night with it, to start coding minutes after waking from dreaming in BASIC, resulted in getting so much more done than if I had access to a CRAY-II but I had to go to the library to use it.