I learned programming in BASIC. One nice thing about BASIC is that it allowed for a mechanistic model of what the computer was doing at each line. Being able to

I learned programming in BASIC. One nice thing about BASIC is that it allowed for a mechanistic model of what the computer was doing at each line. Being able to work through a program on paper was especially useful when lack of access to a physical computer for more than a few minutes a day discouraged trial-and-error programming. I think the idea of learning one bad thing and being ruined for life is a misconception about learning.