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Could be because I'm old and it's what I started with, but I can't see how BASIC isn't a great beginner language -- especially with regard to going from "0 to w

by jrm4 6y ago

Could be because I'm old and it's what I started with, but I can't see how BASIC isn't a great beginner language -- especially with regard to going from "0 to working code." 10 PRINT "John is awesome" 20 GOTO 10 ..and now you've shown a child the power of complete control as well as the concept of infinity. I have not seen a remotely comparable demonstration for getting someone excited about programming in any other language.

earthboundkid 6y ago
I started in BASIC in the 80s. The olden days sucked! - No good manuals! I lived in the sticks and had little access to the library. All I could do was flip through the GW-BASIC reference book. It sucked! - Teaches bad habits. It took me years before I realized I was a bad programmer and was doing everything wrong! - Not as powerful as a modern system. Modern stuff lets you easily sprites on the screen. That's 99.9% of what kids want to do! You can do a lot more, a lot more quickly with modern educational languages. There are still big issues with distribution, but all things equal, it's way better to be a kid learning a modern language today than a kid learning BASIC in the 80s.
- srivastm 6y ago
  I worked on gwbasic in early 90s and I turned lack of Docs/resources to my advantage. I used to spend time thinking about different ways to solve a problem. Basic does teach some bad habits, but it also teaches basic control structures, debugging skills and problem solving. Later, when I switched to C/Java/C++, the old programming habits changed quickly. In modern times, I would recommend Python as a beginner’s language.
srivastm 6y ago
I agree. I had access to no other language in early 90s. I made tons of graphics games in gwbasic back then. I recently wrote a game in PuffinBASIC as well to relive old days: https://github.com/mayuropensource/PuffinBASIC/blob/master/samples/puffingame/flypuffinfly.bas https://github.com/mayuropensource/PuffinBASIC/blob/master/s... In modern languages, python is an excellent beginner’s language.

by jrm4 6y ago

earthboundkid 6y ago

I started in BASIC in the 80s. The olden days sucked! - No good manuals! I lived in the sticks and had little access to the library. All I could do was flip through the GW-BASIC reference book. It sucked! - Teaches bad habits. It took me years before I realized I was a bad programmer and was doing everything wrong! - Not as powerful as a modern system. Modern stuff lets you easily sprites on the screen. That's 99.9% of what kids want to do! You can do a lot more, a lot more quickly with modern educational languages. There are still big issues with distribution, but all things equal, it's way better to be a kid learning a modern language today than a kid learning BASIC in the 80s.

srivastm 6y ago
I worked on gwbasic in early 90s and I turned lack of Docs/resources to my advantage. I used to spend time thinking about different ways to solve a problem. Basic does teach some bad habits, but it also teaches basic control structures, debugging skills and problem solving. Later, when I switched to C/Java/C++, the old programming habits changed quickly. In modern times, I would recommend Python as a beginner’s language.

srivastm 6y ago

I agree. I had access to no other language in early 90s. I made tons of graphics games in gwbasic back then. I recently wrote a game in PuffinBASIC as well to relive old days: https://github.com/mayuropensource/PuffinBASIC/blob/master/samples/puffingame/flypuffinfly.bas https://github.com/mayuropensource/PuffinBASIC/blob/master/s... In modern languages, python is an excellent beginner’s language.