Curious...
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VB6
VB6 rules!
Haters are going to Hate!
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If today, you had a computer like C64, would you love it to start with BASIC or there is an other language you would prefer for the prompt?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
I had a C64 back in the 80's and there was actually a BASIC language compiler available for it, by Abacus. It generates machine language from Basic and has extensions beyond the built in Basic. Having been using Basic since then in many variations over the years, the language of choice for me would be Basic, but a BASIC compiler with a modern command set. I also worked with machine code on the C64. I wrote my own compiler, which had a subset of basic but was designed for maximum speed, and I wrote it in compile Basic and it generated direct to machine language. I used my own compiler to write a family friendly video game which was published in the Compute Gazette magazine (October 1987). I still write in Basic today using PowerBasic for Windows using the WIN32 API. So Basic is a good language to use, but it needs to be a fast compiler, support inline assembler and have direct access to either the hardware directly or the operating system.
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If today, you had a computer like C64, would you love it to start with BASIC or there is an other language you would prefer for the prompt?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
I never had a C64, but did get a TI 99-4/a when I was around 15/16 and quickly learned BASIC, writing little programs that solved math/geometry homework problems. All that I REMember about it now was that it required line numbers. I still have that system in it's original box, but it hasn't been plugged in for well over 20 years now. Even if I did, I doubt I'd be able to find an adapter for the TV. :laugh: Good times! :)
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse "Hope is contagious"
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If today, you had a computer like C64, would you love it to start with BASIC or there is an other language you would prefer for the prompt?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
PowerShell
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I never had a C64, but did get a TI 99-4/a when I was around 15/16 and quickly learned BASIC, writing little programs that solved math/geometry homework problems. All that I REMember about it now was that it required line numbers. I still have that system in it's original box, but it hasn't been plugged in for well over 20 years now. Even if I did, I doubt I'd be able to find an adapter for the TV. :laugh: Good times! :)
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse "Hope is contagious"
That's the same computer I started on back in 1983 which was responsible for my current career path. I learned BASIC, Extended BASIC and finally assembly.
Kelly Herald Software Developer
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Basic, basic, basic all the way! Or should that be BASIC? I learnt on Algol, then moved to Fortran, then I worked for HP in the glory days of Bill, Dave and John Young on the HP98 series of boxes in - would your believe - BASIC! I can still type error-free basic in almost any dialect as fast as I can write English. :-\ Squirley brackets? Who needs 'em? :laugh:
I started with RGB-II on the IBM mainframes back in 1974. I eventually did COBOL and CICS but was quite happy when I moved to the PC and learned BASIC as my first language. Then I moved onto Turbo Pascal for several years, which I completely enjoyed...
Steve Naidamast Sr. Software Engineer Black Falcon Software, Inc. blackfalconsoftware@outlook.com
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If today, you had a computer like C64, would you love it to start with BASIC or there is an other language you would prefer for the prompt?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
REXX
Cheers, Mike Fidler "I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright "I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright "I'm addicted to placebos. I could quit, but it wouldn't matter." Steven Wright yet again.
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That's the same computer I started on back in 1983 which was responsible for my current career path. I learned BASIC, Extended BASIC and finally assembly.
Kelly Herald Software Developer
I had enough interest in it to spend my allowance on the Extended BASIC cartridge. It was about that time that the cassette interface crapped out...loading worked, saving didn't so not being able to save put an end to that. It was still good for playing games...I spent a lot of late hours working through the (I think it was Scott Adams) adventure games. When I started my CS degree a few years later, BASIC was the first class...it was like finding an old friend. :)
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse "Hope is contagious"
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If today, you had a computer like C64, would you love it to start with BASIC or there is an other language you would prefer for the prompt?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
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Of course, not. But I think the generation that started without the luxury of IDEs gained something the youngers have not. The fact that you had only assembly for serious use and BASIC for playing around forced you to learn (and not event internet :sigh:)... So if you had the same experience today (as being beginner) would BASIC do it or maybe another language we have today would work better?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
For a person new to programming, I would recommend a simple basic. If they want to mature as a (paid) programmer, then learning languages with more rules (C, C++, C#, Java, etc.) should be next. If they only want to play around, then stay with basic. Also, some of the scripting languages seem to be going backwards and becoming less professional. It seems that Javascript and python have less rules than C and C++ and programmers are being paid to write in those languages. And, even "no code" environments are becoming popular and may be how people create their own applications.
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Basic, basic, basic all the way! Or should that be BASIC? I learnt on Algol, then moved to Fortran, then I worked for HP in the glory days of Bill, Dave and John Young on the HP98 series of boxes in - would your believe - BASIC! I can still type error-free basic in almost any dialect as fast as I can write English. :-\ Squirley brackets? Who needs 'em? :laugh:
HP-BASIC on the 9845 sucked big time, except for an add-on wheel (IIRC) that let you change a variable value run time; very cool for plotting graphs of transfer functions and tweaking them onscreen. I much preferred the 9825 running hpl, which let my program change its own code at run time. It drove the QA types crazy when they tried to validate my code. :-D
Will Rogers never met me.
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If today, you had a computer like C64, would you love it to start with BASIC or there is an other language you would prefer for the prompt?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
If I had them? 1 Atari 400 2 Atari 600 XL 1 Atari 800 XL 2 Atari 1040 STE 1 Atari TT 2 C64 1 Sinclair ZX81 And not to forget the old Elf and its little brother Zwölf. I used assembly on all of them (and still do), and slowly began using C on the 16 bit Ataris. What do I need BASIC for?
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats. His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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If today, you had a computer like C64, would you love it to start with BASIC or there is an other language you would prefer for the prompt?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
Well, I had a BBC Model B, so it started in a very good Basic with structured programming components, i.e. procedures and functions. Plus it had a built in assembler, so one could learn assembly language very easily. It was ideal imho.
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If today, you had a computer like C64, would you love it to start with BASIC or there is an other language you would prefer for the prompt?
"The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon, 1928 - 2012
BASIC was a hoot back in the day, it would likely drive me crazy now without being able to build sub procedures to breakup the code a bit. Quickbasic on 286 had some nice features added at the time. but I'd likely drop down to C to get the full benefits of the C64. Things were so much fun back then, and challenging.
