I got so excited just looking at the picture. Programming really just boils down to loops, ifs and subroutines. The tricky bit isn't explaining how to construc

I got so excited just looking at the picture. Programming really just boils down to loops, ifs and subroutines. The tricky bit isn't explaining how to construct programs, it's the individual making the leap and working out how to compose it to create new functionality, express abstract concepts etc. Everyone can get the mechanical first bit, not everyone can makes the leap, but it's a great idea to get every young person to at least try. What's needed is the simplest possible platform that allows the expression and execution of programs, coupled with simple and compelling input and output (everyone loves LEDs). No distractions. I started programming on a BBC Micro as a child. You got a BASIC command line by default and a simple text and graphics screen. Nothing else to distract you. Nothing to break, and zero barrier to entry, so you could experiment without fear. I think it was the ideal environment to learn on, and I honestly think that they should still make machines like that. I think was only co-incidence that state-of-the-art was also just-right-for-children (and also sufficiently extensible to to more interesting things), and that's what made the 80s/90s a bit of a golden age (at least in the UK). I'm not sure what I'd do if I had to teach programming to an eight-year-old child today. Probably a LISP / Clojure REPL (and have to deal with the child being teased in the playground for not having mutable state). I've heard people say "everyone has web browser with JavaScript" but that's already too many moving parts and too much to think about when you just want to talk about if statements without distractions. This MicroBit looks absolutely ideal. It's also kind of shaped like an owl, which is a brilliant echo of the BBC Micro logo.