languages for learning programming

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computing: software: programming: languages: for learning

Overview

There is a need for a programming language and environment that is suitable for teaching beginners – including children – to program.

Some key features:

• (Ideally) Available pre-installed on all popular OSs; next-best would be availability for free on the internet, in versions pre-compiled for all popular OSs
• BASIC-like in certain ways:
  • must have an "interactive" mode, where you type a line and the computer immediately executes your instructions
  • must have simple graphics ability readily available (where "readily" can be defined as "you can plot a pixel in a single line of code, where lines which include external libraries count as additional lines of code")

This need has been brought up in different contexts and discussed a fair amount; for now, I'm just going to post some links. --Woozle 21:27, 14 September 2006 (EDT)

Links

• 2006-09-14 Why Johnny can't code by David Brin
  • discussion: |slashdot| |Contrary Brin|: the latter includes a suggestion to use Python in a particular configuration; perhaps this configuration could be preconfigured and packaged?
• Kid's Programming Language: free, but requires Microsoft Windows
• Commodore 64 emulator (eventually, create Commodore 64 emulators page and link with emulators)