[cheponis]

My first computer ran at 87 kHz (!) - an IBM 1401. I wrote a compiler for a Python-like language for it, as well as an Operating System.

You kids today are spoiled with multi-GHz machines.

[stcredzero]

You can go through the exercise of building your own hardware, operating system, OO language, and writing programs on the resulting platform.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtXvUoPx4Qs

Everything is virtualized. The software is Open Source, and much of the courseware is available free. The book you still have to pay for, but it's very cool nonetheless.