Today it is easier than ever to learn how to program a computer. Everyone has one (and probably has several) and there are tons of resources available. You can even program entirely in your web browser and avoid having to install programming languages and other arcane software. But it wasnât always like this. In the sixties and seventies, you usually learned to program on computers that didnât exist. I was recently musing about those computers that were never real and wondering if we are better off now with a computer at every neophyteâs fingertips or if somehow these fictional computing devices were useful in the education process.