From BASIC to Ruby: Life lessons from first programming languages on Command Line Heroes

By Matthew Broberg (Red Hat) Feed

Find out more about why BASIC is a beloved first language and how the next generation will learn to code.

This episode taught me that BASIC was a huge leap in the democratization of computer comprehension. It's hard for me to imagine a time when computers were scarce, but that not-so-distant past was when BASIC changed the world. As Saron Yitbarek mentions, "In the early days of programming, you pretty much needed a Ph.D. to do anything." BASIC was such a monumental leap with its focus on usability (beginner-friendly commands) and resource sharing (timesharing of a single computer). It helped programming get beyond the "computer jocks" of the time (I love that phrase from the episode) and helped a new generation of people participate. The barrier of entry dropped.

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