DOS for Dummies

What Hacker News says

1. drewzero1Dec 2022
   I still love that joke. Read it first in DOS for Dummies which came with an old computer I picked up at a rummage sale in the late 90s. I studied that book inside and out; never realized it was the very first "For Dummies" book.
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2. tstrimpleSep 2022
   This was my first computer too! But I didn't get my until '95 (I was 12) as a hand-me-down from an uncle. It's the computer that I learned how to learn on. I learned DOS by myself from a DOS For Dummies book which let me figure out how to install and play games on the computer. I also picked up Basic which started my adventures in computer programming. This single opportunity set me down the path of learning and making a living from technology for the rest of my life. I've no idea what I would be doing today if I never received that computer.
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3. jamesgeck0Jun 2019
   You can compute like a PC user in the 1980s. There are various word processors, database utilities, and programming languages available. There are even old school networking tools for newsreading, IRC, telnet, and gopher.

   I remember "DOS for Dummies" (the seminal Dummies book) being helpful when I was starting out; you can probably find a used copy for the cost of shipping at this point.

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4. bananaflagFeb 2026
   I remember first finding out about Edlin in 2003 while reading DOS for Dummies by Dan Gookin. Experienced a lot of anemoia that day. That short section about Edlin was the most touching part of the entire book (probably because it took place before the DOS 5-6 / Win 3.x era which already felt old).
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5. ccwonderlinMay 2019
   I had forsberg in my class at Western Miltary in alton. forsberg wrote dos for Dummies and put a yellow and black cover on it. forsberg invented the dummies books. more latter. ccwonderlin
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6. rangibabyJun 2016
   Time for some HN-worthy pedantry. I distinctly remember reading in DOS for Dummies that VGA stood for Video Graphics Array. Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system.
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