In 1982, the learning curve was steep. There were no YouTube tutorials. You learned from a thick paper manual. However, the payoff was massive.
AutoCAD 1982 was not a polished product, but it established core principles that persist today: autocad 1982
The late 1970s saw the rise of the microcomputer, but CAD remained locked in the mainframe domain. Mike Riddle, a co-founder of Autodesk, had previously written a CAD program called Interact CAD for the MicroAngelo graphics board. When this product failed commercially, Riddle partnered with John Walker, a programmer and entrepreneur. They assembled a group of investors and founded Autodesk in April 1982. Their strategy was radical: create a general-purpose, scriptable CAD tool that ran on a $5,000–$10,000 microcomputer instead of a $125,000 dedicated workstation. In 1982, the learning curve was steep