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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.
By David Brin

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  • Wednesday, September 13, 2006 07:22 PM

    BASIC??? Python!!!

    Python fills this niche quite handily, allowing you to enter programs a line at a time and use introspection to see what's going on. BASIC has fallen by the wayside becauase it lacks many of the modern features that are now the staple of program design (built-in data structures, exception handling, native code interfaces, object s, etc). I would bet that Python is easier to learn, as well, as it is more consistent, has a small syntax "footprint", and has more current documentation, books, etc.

    —No Name Given

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