I saw this posted in a couple of places, and thought it would be fun to give my own responses.
How old were you when you first started programming?
I was 8 in 4th grade.
How did you get started in programming?
My 4th grade year was the year when my teachers finally recognized some academic ability in me. My math teacher that year sponsored an after-school computer programming club on his own computers, and that’s where I first came in contact with them.
What was your first language?
My first programming language was BASIC, since I was writing code on a Timex Sinclair 1000, and that was its default mode.
What was the first real program you wrote?
I wrote a few programs back in computer club, including one that made an animated E.T. (a very popular movie at the time) appear on the screen. I’ve written more serious programs since then, including a C compiler in 6th grade.
What languages have you used since you started programming?
Plenty. 6502 machine code, C, C++, Pascal, Visual Basic, Delphi, Perl, PHP, Python…
What was your first professional programming gig?
Professional meaning “paid for work performed”, I wrote a small program for the county bail office that printed labels correctly on their label printer. Worked pretty good, too. I think I made $20 from that. I think I was maybe 9 or 10.
If you knew then what you know now, would you have started programming?
I’m trying to get my kids into it now… I don’t know if they’ll like it as much as I did.
If there is one thing you learned along the way that you would tell new developers, what would it be?
Stay humble and network. You don’t know everything, and there are people out there who know can fill in those gaps.
What’s the most fun you ever had programming?
Natural language parsers are a hobby of mine. I wrote a text adventure in college that included many of the people I knew and some of our group’s in-jokes. It was fun to write and fun to watch my friends play.
What’s the most fun you’ve ever had… programming?
No, probably not. I find programming fulfilling, but I doubt it comes close to some of the traveling I’ve done, games I’ve played, or activities I’ve participated in. It’s an easy, constant high.
