When I learned programming in school, we used QBasic. I still don't think it has been topped for that purpose. It was relatively simple and forgiving. It had a

When I learned programming in school, we used QBasic. I still don't think it has been topped for that purpose. It was relatively simple and forgiving. It had an all-in-one IDE. It had comprehensive built-in help documentation. Most importantly, it had graphics and sound capabilities out-of-the-box. By the end of one semester, we could build a multiscreen, singing Christmas card. A very tangible project.