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Small factoid. Microsoft's first foray into hardware was the Z80 Softcard for Apple ][, which was a plug in card that introduced Z80 and 6502 functionality. This was in 1980 and cost $365. A premium version also added 16k of RAM to the Apple ][ line.

https://www.versionmuseum.com/history-of/discontinued-micros...

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I've used that, a few years later, and really enjoyed it. At the time I've used it Turbo Pascal for CP/M was also available and it was pure magic, practically instantaneous compared to anything else. Even then, that environment allowed me to write the program in the editor, compile it and run all in RAM, even if the RAM was smaller than 64 KB. I'd write something new, press just a few keys, and it either runs and writes the output or it brings me back to the editor and the line with an error, without any additional steps. The last time I've checked, not even the latest IDEs did the last step so smoothly -- I'd have to click around in the output window before.

This is getting a bit off-track now, but I did use Turbo Pascal in the mid eighties (on an Amstrad CPC464) too. That sure was an impressive tool, but it seems to get more impressive as more time passes (and progress in IDEs trails, perhaps inflated, expectations).

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