# Basic programing...Computer



## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Originally put this in Families...sorry, didn't realize there was a computer forum after all this time...

Oldest to (10) wants to learn computer programing, and the library is quite unstocked on books/materials.
Where, from personal experience, is a good website to look for tutorials? I'm often concerned about virus/cyber junk.
Any info appreciated.
Thanks.
Matt


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

What language does he want to learn? Or should I say interface? I stopped with Perl/CGI so I don't know what's popular now; I did HTML, Basic and Dbase before that. (I hated C and never got very far with it.) DS learned Visual Basic in HS years ago; he now does My SQL (last I knew) and probably more. What does he want to do if you know?


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Just plain old BASIC for now. Years ago I was very tecky; basic, HTML, SHTML...the usual, but I've been away for a while...my first computers were an 8088 and an 8086 running DOS.
He just wants to get his feet wet for now. I downloaded Microsoft Small Basic today for tinkering...he spent the better part of 2 hours reading the intro and begginings of the programing, but he got a bit frustrated and took a break. Hour later, he went back and re-read...he is determined.

Matt


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

Roadking said:


> Just plain old BASIC for now. Years ago I was very tecky; basic, HTML, SHTML...the usual, but I've been away for a while...my first computers were an 8088 and an 8086 running DOS.
> He just wants to get his feet wet for now. I downloaded Microsoft Small Basic today for tinkering...he spent the better part of 2 hours reading the intro and begginings of the programing, but he got a bit frustrated and took a break. Hour later, he went back and re-read...*he is determined*.
> 
> Matt


Good for him. Basic is a good start IMO; it teaches you quite a bit or did me. I began with a Commodore 64; I wrote a full accounting package on it in their quirky code and very odd file system. I learned loops and how to keep code tight. Today that doesn't matter but I still write (when I do) really tiny which makes debugging very simple.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

I would recommend html 5. There are plenty of good tutorials on youtube. 

HTML will lead him to CSS and then Javascript and then mysql and php. HTML is easy enough where he should get the hang of it pretty easily.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Skimmed though the tutorial to check it out. I notice it has a paddle game at the bottom of it, so that was a good choice for you. The command set is severely limited so I don't see a way to print or access files and such, which limits it to on-screen display. Probably appropriate for someone of that age.

For an idea for a game he could build on his own, he could do a "control the turtle" where one player had the qwe keys (to control up down right) and the other the iop keys (to control up down left) to force the turtle into end zones like football or soccer.

Once the primary game was made, he could add obstacles and mines to make it more interesting. Then he could have the turtle shoot lines out, and ...


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

I don't know any good websites since we start higher level than that in college so I only know good java and javascript sites but I can tell you some languages to google. Basic is skipped in most colleges anymore. We don't even cover C and go straight to java and .net languages after an intro class using pseudocode. Pseudocode is a good place to start for concepts but not a functioning language and then I would go to some version of C before object oriented programming like java. Also look in to html followed by php and javascript in case his interest lies in webpages more than coding. I actually switched majors after javascript from the programming major to the web technologies because I enjoyed it so much more.

My husband says to look at cprogramming.com for good tutorials.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Learning a Microsoft language you need to remember 1 thing. They change them every couple years to get you to have to buy their latest product. Its how they make their billion$


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## jefferson (Nov 11, 2004)

KISS, start as simple as you can. I once learned "pilot" 28 commands in the whole thing; ran on CPM. Start him off in basic and if the interest is still there, he will know where to go next.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

While basic does give you some way to learn programming logic, now a days its a dinosour of languages. Not included with windows, but small basic can be downloaded from Microsoft.


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## floyd242 (Jun 11, 2012)

I would say visual basic and HTML 5/CSS would be good starting points. 

Microsoft has a website for kids to start them off:

Development for Beginners | Kid's Corner | MSDN

Here is my favorite tutorial site, I always go here first if I'm trying to learn something new fast:

Photoshop Tutorials, Flash Tutorials and More! P2L Tutorial Search


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## Goose (May 10, 2002)

Might try Basic-256 from http://basic256.org


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

I still overly use DOS :clap:

Microsoft Small Basic

Happy Nerds - Programming Links for Kids

Greenfoot

Turtle Logo (programming language) for Kids - Home

Scratch | Home | imagine, program, share

Squeak Smalltalk

Alice.org

The last three are in a good order, learn Squeak then Scratch and move on to Alice.


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