David H. Ahl
Encyclopedia
David H. Ahl is the founder of Creative Computing
magazine. He is also the author of many how-to
book
s, including BASIC Computer Games
, the first million-selling computer
book.
After earning degrees in electrical engineering and business administration, while finishing up his Ph.D. in educational psychology
, Digital Equipment Corporation
hired Ahl as a marketing consultant in 1969, to develop its educational products line. He edited EDU, DEC's newsletter on educational uses of computers, that regularly published instructions for playing computer games on minicomputer
s. During the 1973 recession, DEC cut back on educational product development and Ahl was fired. He was rehired into a DEC division dedicated to developing new hardware, and his group became caught up in building a computer that was smaller than any yet built, intending to bring the new product into new markets such as schools. Ahl talked DEC into publishing a book he had put together, BASIC Computer Games. Viewing the computer as an individual educational tool, games seemed a natural part of the package. The new computer was built into a DEC terminal
no larger than a TV set. Ahl presented his plan for marketing personal computers at a meeting of DEC's Operations Committee. He argued that children learning about computers should be able to get their hands on the real machines, not just terminals connected to a time-sharing
system. As Ahl later recalled, the engineers seemed interested but the board was not enthusiastic. Frustrated, Ahl left DEC in 1974, the same year he started Creative Computing.
David came out of retirement in 2010 to help re-publish his classic programming book for Microsoft Small Basic
, so a whole new generation of kids could learn how to program computers the old fashion way, one line at a time.
Creative Computing
Creative Computing was one of the earliest magazines covering the microcomputer revolution. Published from 1974 until December 1985, Creative Computing covered the whole spectrum of hobbyist/home/personal computing in a more accessible format than the rather technically-oriented BYTE. The magazine...
magazine. He is also the author of many how-to
How-to
A how-to or a how to is an informal, often short, description of how to accomplish some specific task. A how-to is usually meant to help non-experts, may leave out details that are only important to experts, and may also be greatly simplified from an overall discussion of the topic...
book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s, including BASIC Computer Games
BASIC Computer Games
BASIC Computer Games is a compilation of type-in computer games in the BASIC programming language collected by David H. Ahl. Some of the games were written or modified by Ahl as well...
, the first million-selling computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
book.
After earning degrees in electrical engineering and business administration, while finishing up his Ph.D. in educational psychology
Educational psychology
Educational psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. Educational psychology is concerned with how students learn and develop, often focusing...
, Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
hired Ahl as a marketing consultant in 1969, to develop its educational products line. He edited EDU, DEC's newsletter on educational uses of computers, that regularly published instructions for playing computer games on minicomputer
Minicomputer
A minicomputer is a class of multi-user computers that lies in the middle range of the computing spectrum, in between the largest multi-user systems and the smallest single-user systems...
s. During the 1973 recession, DEC cut back on educational product development and Ahl was fired. He was rehired into a DEC division dedicated to developing new hardware, and his group became caught up in building a computer that was smaller than any yet built, intending to bring the new product into new markets such as schools. Ahl talked DEC into publishing a book he had put together, BASIC Computer Games. Viewing the computer as an individual educational tool, games seemed a natural part of the package. The new computer was built into a DEC terminal
Computer terminal
A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that is used for entering data into, and displaying data from, a computer or a computing system...
no larger than a TV set. Ahl presented his plan for marketing personal computers at a meeting of DEC's Operations Committee. He argued that children learning about computers should be able to get their hands on the real machines, not just terminals connected to a time-sharing
Time-sharing
Time-sharing is the sharing of a computing resource among many users by means of multiprogramming and multi-tasking. Its introduction in the 1960s, and emergence as the prominent model of computing in the 1970s, represents a major technological shift in the history of computing.By allowing a large...
system. As Ahl later recalled, the engineers seemed interested but the board was not enthusiastic. Frustrated, Ahl left DEC in 1974, the same year he started Creative Computing.
David came out of retirement in 2010 to help re-publish his classic programming book for Microsoft Small Basic
Microsoft Small Basic
Microsoft Small Basic is a simplified variant of the BASIC programming language introduced by Microsoft in October 2008. With a bare minimum of concepts, Microsoft accredits this as an easy programming language for beginners to grasp. The language itself has only 14 keywords, and the environment...
, so a whole new generation of kids could learn how to program computers the old fashion way, one line at a time.
External links
- Basic Computer Games: Microsoft Small Basic Edition 2010 Edited by David H. Ahl
- David Ahl's Small Basic Computer Adventures 2010 by David H. Ahl & Philip Conrod
- David H. Ahl Biography from Who's Who In America at David Ahl's personal site
- Basic Computer Games by David Ahl
- More Basic Computer Games by David Ahl
- Big Computer Games by David Ahl