--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Early Apple machines -- don't know how to…" description: "\"Early Apple machines -- don't know how to answer what it was like since there were so few tools. Just had to keep debugging by isolating a problem, loo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/bob-frankston-67478_again-and-again_early-apple-machines-don-t-know-how-to-a_2246154.png" --- # Early Apple machines -- don't know how to answer what it… ![“Early Apple machines -- don't know how to answer what it was like since there were so few tools. Just had to keep debugging by isolating a problem, looking at memory in the limited debugging (weaker than the DOS DEBUG and no symbols) patch and retry and then re-program, download and try again. And…” quote by Bob Frankston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/bob-frankston-67478_again-and-again_early-apple-machines-don-t-know-how-to-a_2246154.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/bob-frankston-67478_again-and-again_early-apple-machines-don-t-know-how-to-a_2246154.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/bob-frankston-67478_again-and-again_early-apple-machines-don-t-know-how-to-a_2246154.png) > “Early Apple machines -- don't know how to answer what it was like since there were so few tools. Just had to keep debugging by isolating a problem, looking at memory in the limited debugging (weaker than the DOS DEBUG and no symbols) patch and retry and then re-program, download and try again. And again...” [Bob Frankston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-frankston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Debugging required isolating issues, manually inspecting memory, patching, and repeatedly reprogramming due to limited tools. **In simple terms:** Early Apple debugging was tedious and manual. Key Takeaway Embrace systematic troubleshooting. Themes technology debugging perseverance Mood reflective determined Type technical historical When to use this quote - software development - hardware repair - learning new tech - teaching debugging Key Concepts systems thinking iteration hardware constraints Questions to Reflect On - How can modern tools reduce such manual cycles? - What lessons from early debugging apply today? A Different Perspective Limited tools made debugging time‑consuming and error‑prone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Again and again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/again-and-again/) [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Apple Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apple-machines-5112803/) [Apples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Debug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debug-594998/) [Debugging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debugging/) [Dos Debug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dos-debug-5112805/) [Downloads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downloads/) [Just Debugging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-debugging-5112804/) [Know how](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-how/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Limited Debugging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limited-debugging-5112806/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Patches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patches/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Symbols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbols/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) [Try again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-again/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [“Everyone knows that debugging is twice as hard as writing a program in the first place. So if you're as clever as you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/everyone-knows-that-debugging-is-twice-as-hard-as-writing-a-program/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [If you're as clever as you can be when you write it, how will you ever debug it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/if-you-re-as-clever-as-you-can-be-when-you-write-it-how-will-you-ever/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/debugging-is-twice-as-hard-as-writing-the-code-in-the-first-place/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [“TFS has an option to publish all the PDB files from your builds to a shared location, which can then act as a Symbol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tfs-has-an-option-to-publish-all-the-pdb-files-from-your-builds-to-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Debug' is '2001' from Hal's perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hewlett/debug-is-2001-from-hal-s-perspective/) [David Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hewlett/) > [“17. The Secret Biome On the main menu, if you hold down shift while looking at other world options you will get the option…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herobrine-books/17-the-secret-biome-on-the-main-menu-if-you-hold-down-shift-while/) [Herobrine Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herobrine-books/) > [People get annoyed when you try to debug them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/people-get-annoyed-when-you-try-to-debug-them/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Real software engineers don't debug programs, they verify correctness. This process doesn't necessarily involve execution of anything on a computer, except perhaps a Correctness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/real-software-engineers-don-t-debug-programs-they-verify-correctness/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Writing software is a very intense, very personal thing. You have to have time to work your way through it, to understand it. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/writing-software-is-a-very-intense-very-personal-thing-you-have-to/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [I do as much debugging as possible on the Mac, but I occasionally must debug problems in the PC world, which is significantly slower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-patterson/i-do-as-much-debugging-as-possible-on-the-mac-but-i-occasionally-must/) [Robert Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-patterson/) > [Would you rather Test-First, or Debug-Later ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cecil-martin/would-you-rather-test-first-or-debug-later/) [Robert Cecil Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cecil-martin/) > [As soon as we started programming, we found to our surprise that it wasn't as easy to get programs right as we had thought.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-wilkes/as-soon-as-we-started-programming-we-found-to-our-surprise-that-it/) [Maurice Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-wilkes/) > [If debugging is the process of removing bugs, then programming must be the one to put them in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshad-feeroz/if-debugging-is-the-process-of-removing-bugs-then-programming-must-be/) [Arshad Feeroz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshad-feeroz/) > [The process of debugging, going an correcting the program and then looking at the behavior, and then correcting it again, and finally iteratively getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-process-of-debugging-going-an-correcting-the-program-and-then/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Building technical systems involves a lot of hard work and specialized knowledge: languages and protocols, coding and debugging, testing and refactoring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-james-garrett/building-technical-systems-involves-a-lot-of-hard-work-and/) [Jesse James Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-james-garrett/) ## More by Bob Frankston > [This is an important part of the Internet Dynamic - providing opportunity and not guarantees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-frankston/this-is-an-important-part-of-the-internet-dynamic-providing/) [Bob Frankston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-frankston/) > [Patents? Disappointed? Don't think of it that way. Software patents weren't feasible then so we chose not to risk $10,000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-frankston/patents-disappointed-don-t-think-of-it-that-way-software-patents/) [Bob Frankston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-frankston/) > [Reusing pieces of code is like picking off sentences from other people's stories and trying to make a magazine article.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-frankston/reusing-pieces-of-code-is-like-picking-off-sentences-from-other/) [Bob Frankston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-frankston/) [Explore all 4 Bob Frankston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-frankston/) ## More Again and again quotes > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. 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So you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/again-and-again-i-tell-god-i-need-help-and-god-says-well-isn-t-that/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [After this happens again and again, we reach a point were there is nothing but satori, which is what nirvikalpa samadhi is like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/after-this-happens-again-and-again-we-reach-a-point-were-there-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Listen, the story of the United States is this: One kid, without anything, walks out of his house, down the road, with nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-bone-burnett/listen-the-story-of-the-united-states-is-this-one-kid-without/) [T Bone Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-bone-burnett/) > [The regular division of the plane into congruent figures evoking an association in the observer with a familiar natural object is one of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-escher/the-regular-division-of-the-plane-into-congruent-figures-evoking-an/) [M. C. Escher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-escher/) > [Don´t be unnecessarily burdened by the past. Go on closing the chapters that you have read; there is no need to go back again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/don-t-be-unnecessarily-burdened-by-the-past-go-on-closing-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The difference between a winner and a loser - they both failed, but the winner gets back up and does it again and again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-plitt/the-difference-between-a-winner-and-a-loser-they-both-failed-but-the/) [Greg Plitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-plitt/) > [Owning the intellectual property is like owning land: You need to keep investing in it again and again to get a payoff; you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/owning-the-intellectual-property-is-like-owning-land-you-need-to-keep/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) > [The key to longevity is to keep doing what you do better than anyone else. We work real hard at that. It's about getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-lauren/the-key-to-longevity-is-to-keep-doing-what-you-do-better-than-anyone/) [Ralph Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-lauren/) > [You are great young people. I have said again and again, we have the finest generation of young people ever in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/you-are-great-young-people-i-have-said-again-and-again-we-have-the/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [If you find that the reader of popular romances--however uneducated a reader, however bad the romances--goes back to his old favourites again and again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/if-you-find-that-the-reader-of-popular-romances-however-uneducated-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [And while I am talking to you mothers and fathers, I give you one more assurance. I have said this before, but I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/and-while-i-am-talking-to-you-mothers-and-fathers-i-give-you-one-more/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [It comes down to risk, again and again. If you risk coming out, if you risk making pictures that aren’t good, you might discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-meyerowitz/it-comes-down-to-risk-again-and-again-if-you-risk-coming-out-if-you/) [Joel Meyerowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-meyerowitz/) [Browse all 445 Again and again quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/again-and-again/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Early Apple machines -- don't know how to answer what it was like since there were so few tools. 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