Perhaps 'the basics' (be it Computer Science or Programming) begin with understanding the five basic functions of a CPU, which are: 1. Input/Output (read/write) 2. Program Control (branch, jump, compare) 3. Arithmetic (add, subtract - everything else stems from those two) 4. Data Transfer (load register / store register / move / etc) 5. Logical (boolean operations including bitwise functions like OR/XOR and Shift) Or perhaps understanding the four basic components of a desktop computer: 1. Input devices (mouse/keyboard/barcode scanner/etc) 2. Output devices (printer/monitor/etc) 3. CPU (includes GPU now) 4. Storage Devices (disk/CD/DVD/Thumb Drives/etc) Of course, you could throw in the things I had to learn in college, like Hollerith Code, Wiring boards in IBM Accounting Machines (an early form of "programming"), Bios on Charles Babbage and Alan Turing, etc. But the VERY MOST basic of 'the basics" is this: totally understanding the friggin problem you are trying to solve. Programming is not an end unto itself. And Computer Science is not a science devoted to its own sphere of existence.