http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5140FI20090205?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews See how easy it is. Its free: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=302828886&mt=8 arn
Amazing.... When I was 8 all I had to work on was DOS Imagine if we could go back to when we were that age with the tools we have now!
according to the article the dad is also an app developer so the 9 year old kid is clearly not alone on this one.
What's interesting is the app description says it was developed on an Apple ][ GS emulator. Which makes it on a par to working in DOS (although with a lot better sound and a nice built in disassembler).
It's actually a really good system to learn to program on. (it used to be the mainstream computer for schools through the 80s and well into the 90s, that's why so many people remember Oregon Trail in the US ). AppleSoft Basic was very easy to learn the basics of programming on (although Integer Basic was faster for games ) and it had a built in disassembler if you wanted to get into machine code (hardcore machine code too, you could directly edit hex). Because it wasn't over the top graphically, it was pretty easy to get stuff on screen, although Woz's sneaky trick to save them a few resistors gives you whacky memory addresses for the screen. That teaches you all about doing look up tables for speed though The GS was even better for schools, more everything and an Ensoniq sound chip with 80 channels I believe.
I agree. I learned to program on an Apple //c and Apple //gs. It was very accessible. It seems much harder to just pick up and learn these days. it's far more abstracted. arn
Wow cool thx zwilnik. My neighbor growing up had an old apple II that we would play (Number munchers) But I never got into the programing side of things...
I didn't read this thread before, but just saw this article and was going to post it here. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7874291.stm Then I remembered seeing the thread title and figures it was the same thing. I'm always a little iffy about stories like this. I'm sure the kid is smart, no doubt, but they say he was using a computer at age two. The smartest man in the world was probably eating worms in his backyard at age two, unless his parents wanted him to be a creepy overachiever.
LoL, I fell down onto a piano and hit my head on the keys when I was 2, doesn't mean I played piano since I was 2 /S
Well, "using a computer" can mean a lot of things. My 2-year-old daughter can pick up my iPhone, turn it on, swipe the screens to find her kid-games, select the game she wants, and begin playing. She can also "send happy faces to Daddy" using instant messaging on my computer. Some might call that "using a computer"...
It is possible, I no an 11 year old (I will not mention who) who is learning simple obj-c programming. He is working hard and I think he'll do ok. I am not joking with yah. Robert
Anything's possible with time and motivation (and usually money ). Most of us don't have much of either, though.
I'm not a dreamer, I don't belive it. I'm sure this kid is smart, but his dad is smarter and know how to make people talk about him. It's just a marketing strategy (all the world talk about them now) and using your kid for this stuff is quite sad (but smart, of course). There are about 21 people in the world (called SAVANT) that have amazing skills and are actually genius, but none of them could do something incredible like this at the age of 9. I bet they'll release a cool game soon, but not for free. This is just my racional opinion and I might be wrong. dani.
