No discussion of the basics of bytes is complete
without mention of the classic functions
PEEK and POKE.
These functions are not arithmetic, but they were staples of early BASIC language systems on the classic personal computers like the Apple ][ and the IBM PC.
When computers shipped with 4KB of RAM – that's
4,096 bytes – every byte mattered.
PEEK(37) on an Apple ][
returns the vertical postion of the cursor,
a number between \( 1 \) and \( 24 \).
POKE(82,128) puts the Apple ][ in
a state where it will auto-run a
program from a cassette tape when the tape
is loaded.
Computers used to be very personal. Users had access to every single byte.