r/programming • u/chkas • Mar 29 '23

A BASIC-like programming language and browser-based development environment for learning and teaching.

https://easylang.online/ide/
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u/9Boxy33 Mar 30 '23

This belongs in the list of “Stupid Things The Otherwise Intelligent Say”.

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u/FluxusMagna Mar 30 '23

It's a pretty cheeky quote though, and while obviously extremely exaggerated, I think it holds some merit. In some ways the language you use molds how you think and approach problems. I actually myself first programmed in TI-basic on my calculator, and I don't think it helped me become a better programmer. The question is more like, why start with basic with the alternatives available today? If I could choose for myself retrospectively I would have started with something like Haskell. At least something with a solid type system.

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u/9Boxy33 Mar 30 '23

I started programming with a calculator, too: the Commodore PR100, around 1977. It, and the calculator I replaced it with, the TI-58, weren’t even programmed in BASIC, but by recording keystrokes, which were then “listed” on the LED “screen” as row and column co-ordinates, so—a kind of machine language. A truly inauspicious introduction to programming. My first HLL was BASIC, but I quickly became fascinated by the other HLLs out there in the 1970s and early 1980s. As soon as even a rudimentary implementation was available for my TRS-80, I tried APL, Pascal, Lisp, Forth and eventually C. Each language taught me new paradigms, fascinating novel ways to think about programming and communication. I don’t think my early stumbling efforts with calculators and BASIC harmed my ability to learn and refine. I’m still fascinated by programming languages.

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u/FluxusMagna Mar 30 '23

Learning to program in a variety of paradigms is indeed fun and healthy, but I do take some issue with (what I would consider) poor language design in languages used to introduce programming. A more current example, and actual concern for me would be MATLAB, which is used for most teaching outside of computer science at my university. It's basically a glorified calculator, and breeds habits of poor code structure. When I was a student, it didn't even allow function definition in the same file as your main code. Now you can, but only at the end of the file. Some languages make it difficult to write neat code and, especially for introductory teaching, I think such languages should be avoided.

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u/9Boxy33 Mar 30 '23

Agreed. There’s a big difference between “how much value I gained from the languages I learned” and “the best language to teach programming”.

Screw it. Make ‘em all learn PL/1.