Show HN: A small programming course for everyone

https://easylang.online/apps/tutorial_beginner.html

by chkas • 7 years ago

28 12 7 years ago

Looks a bit like BASIC and python were walking down the road, triped over and fell inside a blender... Not bad, but having learnt to program in BASIC in my childhood, and having moved on to python over the years (plus a few in betweeners), I have mixed feelings.

BASIC was easy (and I see that in the drawing commands included in this course), but it limited you in ways you didn't know (. A lot of that "easiness" can come from something as simple as:

    from easy_operations import *

...(going full python here, I know) and then you work out introducing how those operations are performed on more advanced courses.

Still, a good experiment on teaching how to program.

chkas3• 7 years ago

I also grew up with BASIC. I don't know if I would develop the same enthusiasm for computers nowadays. Yes - it's a lot of BASIC in this language.

dugluak2• 7 years ago

yeah looks a lot like BASIC, Python and Assembly

chkas3• 7 years ago

Assembly? The "move" commands are for positioning the pen.

mac_was• 7 years ago

Looks like IT classes I had in Poland 20 years ago. We used a programming language called Logo where we programmed movinng a turtle across a canvas. I absolutely detested those classes and never understood the purpose... I started liking programming when seen a real world problem like make an ajax request... but there were guys who liked it this way. I suppose everything have it’s audience. And well done yo the creator for taking his own time to write it!

abakus• 7 years ago

I am looking for a starting programming language for my kids. I don't really like these lego-like drag-and-drop visual programming "languages" though. This definitely looks like in the right direction. Thanks for sharing!

chkas3• 7 years ago

That's what it is made for. I would be pleased if your kids could use this language to learn programming.

gwarn• 7 years ago

Great work.. I liked. And i want to and going to learn program language.

webwanderings2• 7 years ago

It's good.

This is how Dr.Racket and Khan Academy pretty much teaches programming. But note that for a brain which is not naturally inclined towards programming (and numbers), the examples increasingly get very complicated and fast. I say this as a non-programmer who has spent a lot of time trying to learn programming on the side. I have eventually concluded that all these "teaching beginners programming efforts" lack the real world middle-ware modules, where one learns to practically program with database etc, for useful applications.

In any case, the methods presented here, are good, but not necessarily pedagogically perfect.

begemotz• 7 years ago

Im curious to know what you think has worked best for you? I'm in a similar boat - and the resources I have tried seem to progress like this:(mindlessly) easy / easy / im lost.

webwanderings2• 7 years ago

None of the teaching methods for programming has worked for me if I were to look at it from a fresh perspective (I'm in computers but programming is not my day to day work). After learning the basics (easy/easy/lost) of pretty much several languages, I have ultimately realized that learning to program takes consistent discipline and daily practice.

However, it still takes a certain mindset (brain chemistry perhaps) which makes certain people leapfrog others. May be it has something to do with how a brain sees logic and numbers (I see logic and numbers but not necessarily in proficient manner).

My ultimate conclusion is that if programming doesn't come naturally to you, then you are looking at a whole lot of discipline and consistent practice. The chances of you giving up here is very high. But if programming comes naturally to you, then you can become a programmer irrespective of the kind of teaching pedagogy you follow.

Show HN: A small programming course for everyone

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