Why Teach Programming With BASIC?

chromatic writes "To answer the perennial question 'How can we teach kids how to program?', we created a web-based programming environment. As we began to write lessons and examples, we surprised ourselves. Modern languages may be powerful and useful for writing real programs, but BASIC and Logo are great languages for demonstrating the joy of programming."

Can't get there from here

[icebike]

There is still the theory that once you teach someone basic it becomes impossible to teach them programming. /running and ducking...

Re:BASIC

[plover]

10 print "hello"
20 goto 10

This is why we can't have nice things.

BASIC Programmers Never Die...

[Blackwulf]

...They GOSUB and don't RETURN.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Can't get there from here

[Anonymous Coward]

section .text
        global _start

_start:

        mov edx,len
        mov ecx,msg
        mov ebx,1
        mov eax,4
        int 0x80

        mov eax,1
        int 0x80

section .data

msg db 'Teach them in assembly, you insensitive clod!',0xa
len equ $ - msg

Re:BASIC Programmers Never Die...

[RoverDaddy]

Hooray! My sig is finally on-topic.

Re:Slashvertizement

[outsider007]

I came for infotainment but was disappointed to find an edutizement

Re:Use C#

[Sam36]

Java VM is written in C idiot

Re:Can't get there from here

[syousef]

Basic is fine if you're just wanting to quickly introduce it, but anything beyond that is just going to convince them to go to arts college.

10 REM ARTS COLLEGE
20 PRINT "HELLO WORLD"
30 GOTO 10

Re:BASIC

[Abstrackt]

This reminds me of the joke about the programmer who died in the shower: "the shampoo bottle said lather, rinse, repeat".

Re:yeah but

[camperdave]

You aren't allowed to use peanut butter as an example in schools anymore. Too many kids are allergic.

Re:Can't get there from here

[c0lo]

I still find multi-threading and C/C++ easier than Basic.
...
Computer's just manipulate math, one problem at a time. Crazy easy.

I wonder what did you understand from multi-threading?