Are you a programmer? Are you learning how to be one? Come to think of it, how do you even learn how to think like a programmer?

Real Pixels? One of the main limits with most Z80 based computers is their lack of any video output. Most video output comes in the form of ASCII text sent to a serial console.

Sure, I could just use my PC for this, but I like the idea of having a dedicated machine that I can install a development environment in, use and later completely wipe if I need to.

Or, how to optimise your code so it runs better… Intro A while back I started learning Z80 assembly language and decided to create a version of Conway’s Life.

I set out to make a simple game using sprites for my BBC Micro. It turned into an unexpected learning opportunity for me. My day job During the day I teach kids computer science, and when we get to the tricky parts I often tell them to keep persevering and that they’ll eventually figure it out.

Now I’ve gained an understanding of assembly programming, let’s look at how they tried to teach us computer science in the 1980s… Intro I’m a programmer and the computer itself has always been a black box that I was insulated against, writing my code in a higher level language like C.

After the fun of writing the Zombies game in Z80, I had a go at writing a version of Conway’s Life in Z80. Grab the code!

I decided to improve my Z80 assembly skills by writing a game entirely from nothing. It’s based on a BASIC type-in game I found in an old book.

Watch as I turn a two line Python code into two screens of Z80 assembler, with the added fun that after making it work there’s no way to save the program!

I’m a programmer, the CPU is a mystic black box that gets fed instructions. I’m trying to learn and work out what the CPU really does.