It was an IBM machine, archaic now but gaudy then. The university owned it, in effect, and it lay inside a room that none but the machine's professional caretakers could enter during the day. But Alsing found out that a student could just walk into that room at night and play with the computer. Alsing didn't drink much and he never took any other drugs. "I was a midnight programmer," he confessed.
In "The Soul of a New Machine," Tracy Kidder describes an era when computers were still relatively new and often owned by institutions like universities. One such computer, an IBM machine considered obsolete by today's standards, was kept under strict access control. Only trained professionals were allowed to enter its designated room during daytime, emphasizing the care and reverence surrounding computing technology of that time.
However, Alsing discovered that students could access the machine at night, leading him to embrace the opportunity to explore programming during those hours. He identified as a "midnight programmer," showcasing his passion for technology and innovation, even as he abstained from alcohol and drugs, prioritizing his creative engagement with the computer.
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