I am 48, heading to 49 in March.  Have yet to program a PIC, but I am
working on a solar powered lawn mower that will run autonomously with a
17C44 as the controller.

As some others have mentioned "the golden days of the 70's", I started off
with an 1802 ELF built via a Popular Electronics series.  Programming was
done via 8 toggle switches that you entered op codes by.  I was really
uptown when I added a hex keypad - it was easier to use than the toggle
switches.  Ran that computer for several years.  Then got my big break when,
as electronic technician for a reference lab, I built a data collection box
that cost about $6K less than what they were buying a used unit of older
technology for.  I got my first 1802 assembler then, and thought "gee - this
thing slows me down!"  I knew the op codes well enough that I could write
code faster than writing assembler and compiling the source.  Eventually I
did switch.  I stayed with the 1800's series through my last design job.

Most all of my prototypes were done with a Vector wire wrap pencil that uses
a #36 wire with a special insulation.  You wire the board, and then solder
the connections.  The insulation evaporates a 750 degrees, leaving bare
copper that soldered nicely.  They quite marketing this after a few years,
but I bought enough wire to last me a while!

David V. Fansler
 Network Administrator
 AutoCyte, Inc.
 800-426-2176 Ext. 261
 dfansler@autocyte.com <mailto:dfansler@autocyte.com>
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Opinions Expressed Within Are Mine And May Not Reflect Those Of My Employer