Kevin Driscoll wrote: > The loss of an easily accessible programming environment on every PC > is truly sad. However, I found Brin's swipe at the Media Lab unfair. > The oft-derided OLPC project proposes a platform designed for > exploration and experimentation; a far cry from the Dell PCs in my > classroom - seemingly designed for little more than > "content-delivery." >
I can't understand this mourning "lack of programming language" meme. What has changed radically from the 'golden oldie' early days of BASIC on C64, RadioShack Model 100 etc is the advent of the Internet. A rich univers of great free programming languages, examples, people and help. Plus monthly magazines full of complete distros, tools, examples and how-to. But what I do not yet see alas are very CHEAP concise books [booklets] to encourage kids to take up programmming >> a sort of omnibus Python, REBOL, PHP, Processing, picBASIC etc An non-partisan intro cookbook, with CD. Perhaps sold for under $10. Would include an overview of each, a series of over the shoulder screencasts [in flash] on the disc showing how set-by-step how to install and get going, Some useful interesting programs.. Plus some screencasts perhaps offering some direct comparisons about what each language does and its characteristics, links to examples of real-world uses [Python >> Google + Google Earth] [PHP >> most web sites] REBOL >> tiny internet applications Processing >> Art and experiemntal picBASIC >> Industrial controls [actually *show* a few eaxmples of where it is used. For example take the lid off a talking robot in a toystore, ditto the washing machine, the telephone, the subay/bus/credit cared reader] and Experimental Arts [dorkbots/artbots/ robots/toys] [Maybe a liitle dsktop GUI to select a set of images and upload them to a website as an album page ?] [insert your preferred tasks here] ------------------ CP4E EDITIONS "presents Toolkit Book One" An embarassment of riches we have today Jason _______________________________________________ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
