[ajuc]

I was 14 years old, only ever programmed in Commodore Basic by typing in programs from the manual (in German) without understanding them, didn't understood English much.

I got pirated Turbo Pascal 7 and Turbo Basic with included manuals and I've learned programming from them (in a foreign language, with no internet).

That's how good they were.

[elvis70]

Similar story but I bought the original box of TP7 in 1993. The manuals structured in an exemplary way with so many technical details and even with part of the Turbo Vision source code. It made me a better programmer for sure. I even sent them a registration card. I still have the confirmation letter from my product registration giving me access to the support hotline and BBS.

[robflynn]

I remember being maybe 13 years old or so and asking my parents for Turbo Pascal for Christmas haha. I think it was Turbo Pascal 3? I eventually upgraded to the nicer one with the windowed system. Good times!