Try Basic for yourself
If you’re a regular reader of ethosBASIC.com, you’re probably ready to try some programming for yourself. There are plenty of freeware versions out there, but for a great introductory language, we recommend Microsoft Small Basic, launched by Microsoft DevLabs in 2008. This simplified BASIC variant is intended for beginning programmers of any age, and has been tested successfully with middle-school students and older.The download of Small Basic is free. The language does require Windows XP, Vista, or 7 (other languages are available for other operating systems). It’s also necessary to install the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 in order to run Small Basic.Small Basic itself is inspired by BASIC, but is also based on Microsoft’s .Net Framework Platform. Microsoft stands behind its product with a basic introductory curriculum and a full-blown blog with information on technology updates and other cutting-edge information. Taking advantage of wireless internet is one of the best ways to stay connected to this information no matter where you go.As Microsoft itself writes in its Small Basic FAQ, their language is just one of over 230 different dialects. If there’s another one that catches your fancy, give it a shot. After you get some experience, you may want to try a more advanced version, anyway. Small Basic has only 14 keywords. While this is great for beginning developers, and can actually accomplish a number of tasks thanks to the built-in libraries that ship with the software, you’ll have to move on to another dialect if you want to experience the BASIC language’s full possibilities.Games have always been a part of learning BASIC, and Small Basic delivers on this front. Section 4.4 of the Small Basic Curriculum is “Advanced Games.” The PowerPoint presentation helps users to create a basic Tic-Tac-Toe and a simple ball-and-brick-breaking game. While solutions are included for both of these games, going through the previous sections should provide users with enough of a background toWhile being able to play Tic-Tac-Toe on your computer is a great achievement, the real accomplishment that comes with Small Basic is learning that programming can be fun. That’s something that ethosBASIC.com and its readers have always known, and it’s something that we hope can be passed on to future generations. Thanks to helpful beginner languages like Microsoft’s, we feel confident that interested parties will be able to embrace programming and its possibilities well into the future.