Terry how long did it take you to learn machine code, if you don't mind me asking?
0010011100111000
or possibly
FF01
AC16
6000
BBA3
Actually, when I first started it was with ALGOL 60, which is only a step above Machine Code. A few years later, when microprocessors first came out, they were just 4-bit devices, rather like the RISC PICs of today only more primitive. The only way to communicate with them was to blow EPROMS and talk using Machine Code.
Back then, there was only Machine Code. I upgraded to 8086 and Z80 programming eventually, and moved into the current WinTel stuff.