Want to have some fun programming? Pick up Basic 256, a BASIC interpreter that runs on your system.
Programming is fun, but introducing someone to programming can be difficult. Even a simple program requires a lot of background knowledge, and it takes a long time to write something useful. Most new programming languages require a great deal of understanding: a simple line like 'import string' in Python is devilishly confusing to a child. Most programming books today aren't fun anymore, and that is a real pity. Programming can be as enjoyable as playing with Lego, except that you never run out of bricks and no laws of Physics limit your structures.
So I was very pleased when I recently tried out Basic 256, which is a Basic language interpreter that runs on Linux, Windows and Mac. The default window shows an editor on one side and text and graphical output on the other side. You can start right way, asking the computer to speak out "Hi there" which is this program:
say "Hi There"
That's all there to it: a child could do that. It has support for drawing graphics, accepting mouse input, synthesizing music, and more. The best part is that it is accessible: someone with no programming background could sit down and have a good time modifying programs they find online.
In addition to being an excellent environment to program in, there are two things that make Basic256 a superb resource:
Programming is fun, but introducing someone to programming can be difficult. Even a simple program requires a lot of background knowledge, and it takes a long time to write something useful. Most new programming languages require a great deal of understanding: a simple line like 'import string' in Python is devilishly confusing to a child. Most programming books today aren't fun anymore, and that is a real pity. Programming can be as enjoyable as playing with Lego, except that you never run out of bricks and no laws of Physics limit your structures.
So I was very pleased when I recently tried out Basic 256, which is a Basic language interpreter that runs on Linux, Windows and Mac. The default window shows an editor on one side and text and graphical output on the other side. You can start right way, asking the computer to speak out "Hi there" which is this program:
say "Hi There"
That's all there to it: a child could do that. It has support for drawing graphics, accepting mouse input, synthesizing music, and more. The best part is that it is accessible: someone with no programming background could sit down and have a good time modifying programs they find online.
In addition to being an excellent environment to program in, there are two things that make Basic256 a superb resource:
- An excellent book: So you want to learn how to program? by James Reneau. The book is available free online, as an inexpensive PDF online, and also as a paper copy. I have read through a few chapters: it does a great job at introducing programming in bite-sized chunks of fun.
- A collection of copy-and-paste examples. This is a great collection of simple programs that do something concrete. Complete code samples like this are a great way to see how something works end-to-end and learn by taking things apart and modifying them.