>> barely higher-level BASIC for all intents and purposes, was considered a high level language when I learned it. From what I remember, BASIC kinda had a sim

>> barely higher-level BASIC for all intents and purposes, was considered a high level language when I learned it. From what I remember, BASIC kinda had a similar reputation as PHP does today (probably unfair) in that it wasn't generally taken very seriously as a programming language. You didn't use BASIC to make real programs on an Apple ][. For that, you'd do it in assembly or machine language. That bias is still stuck in my head even after 3 decades.