paulh

For just a few dollars more than the cost of adding a separate hard drive to an existing computer you could buy the Kaypro 10.

I'm hearing that I'm Hank's voice.

Fantastic description!

Z-80 was much the same: djnz uses C as the loop counter (like the 8086 LOOP used CX iirc), H and L combine to make a 16-bit pointer...

I found that the simpler, early BASIC dialects were a good primer for assembly language. You had to create all the structure from jumps to numeric values. Goto and gosub mapped on to jump and call instructions.

Using labels in assembly was a step up from line numbers!

This has reminded me that I had a special "floppy disk pen". It was just a regular felt-tip but with a weak breakaway end, so that it would give way before damaging a disk if you pressed too hard.

I think it may have been free with a magazine. I hope I didn't actually pay money for it.

Well yes, but... the whole thread is about sending messages!