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Thursday, September 14, 2006 12:00 AM

Why Johnny can't code

BASIC used to be on every computer a child touched -- but today there's no easy way for kids to get hooked on programming.

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  • Thursday, September 14, 2006 04:55 PM

    Web browsers are the new BASIC

    I also grew up with BASIC but bringing it back would be a mistake. People no longer write code that runs line-by-line; they work with objects, functions, subroutines, data structures, and so on. BASIC programmers eventually have to unlearn everything they know, and shed themselves of GOTOs and line numbers. It just doesn't make sense anymore.

    How about an alternative: Every computer comes with a web browser and a text editor, allowing anyone to write some simple HTML and Javascript. Why not use the web browser? Javascript is a fairly full-featured language that even allows you to do math and display results, and its syntax is enough like C, C++ and Perl to be a good enough language for beginners.

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