Meeting Visual Basic 6 on the Whiteboard

As I progressed through my ‘Computer for Kids’ programs, I was introduced to various operating systems like MS DOS, Windows 95, and Windows 98, along with desktop applications such as Lotus 123, and eventually, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I also learned about basic computer hardware, sketching diagrams of computer parts in my notes. Of all these, Lotus 123 captured my attention with its ability to effortlessly handle mathematics. Though it lacked the entertainment value of PowerPoint animations, Lotus 123 revealed to me the mathematical prowess of computers in practice.

Moving from Lotus 123 to Excel felt like a significant visual leap. Learning to write functions was challenging, but I enjoyed the process. It was only at a later stage that I was introduced to Visual Basic 6. This introduction, limited to whiteboard explanations without any hands-on experience, captivated my imagination. As a schoolboy, I had thought that writing formulas in Lotus 123 or Excel was the pinnacle of computing power. Discovering that one could write their own computer programs shifted my goals and aspirations to an entirely new level.

I recall the first real opportunity to try Visual Basic came a year or so later. However, the most crucial milestone was that whiteboard session. It broadened my horizon, igniting an aspiration within me to create my own computer programs. That single session on Visual Basic 6 was a turning point, profoundly shaping my future in computing.