IT as it should be

[Michael Clease]

http://m.digitalspy.co.uk/tech/news/a359521/government-to-tackle-dull-computer-science-classes.html

:yahoo:

[Charles Pegge]

Raspberry Pi

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16424990




http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57780000/jpg/_57780344_pilarge.jpg



Video

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9504208.stm

[Michael Clease]

@Charles I saw information about that a while back and my instant thought was I WANT AT LEAST ONE, I would probably look at home automation.

If you look at the forum people are asking what is the best language to use, basic is not coming out well, this is where John could get generate some interest with scriptbasics cross-platform capability.

[Charles Pegge]

If it comes with Linux then presumably C with the GCC compiler will be the base language. I would imagine Script Basic would be quite easy to implement - compiling from the C source.

I have golden memories of BBC Basic my first exposure to programming - followed by 6502 Assembler, and later ARM assembler on the Archimedes.

I would not be surprised to see a version of Archimedes/BBC Basic emerge. I am sure some of the original developers are still there in Cambridge :)

Charles

[Charles Pegge]

More news of Raspberry Pi

http://www.raspberrypi.org/

[Michael Clease]

I've joined the forum and the shop (ready to buy.....)

Its funny reading the forum just how narrow minded some people are towards BASIC as a programming option, I believe the PI is supposed to be a teaching tool and anything that can make the experience easier for school kids to experiment and make their own minds up as to whether programming is for them is surely a good thing. This is one of reasons I was interested in ScriptBasic as an option (even though I have never used it but I will at some point) but it would have to be all wrapped up in a nice package with and IDE and simple installer or you will probably get resistance from the teachers. The expression is KISS I believe.

Regards

Mike C.

[jcfuller]

I was curious on what language is currently being used for teaching introductory courses, so I did a bit of searching and it appears python is the choice.
The first two I checked were Khan academy:
http://www.khanacademy.org/video/introduction-to-programs-data-types-and-variables?playlist=Computer%20Science
MIT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6U-i4gXkLM

James

[Charles Pegge]

The ubiquity of BASIC interpreters on personal computers was such that textbooks once included simple "Try It In BASIC" exercises that encouraged students to experiment with mathematical and computational concepts on classroom or home computers and computer magazines typically included type-in programs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type-in_program). Futurist and sci-fi writer David Brin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brin) mourned the loss of ubiquitous BASIC in a 2006 Salonarticle[14] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASIC#cite_note-14) as have others who first used computers during this era.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASIC




Or else, hold a big meeting and choose another lingua franca, so long as it can be universal enough to use in texts, the way that BASIC was.
Instead, we are told that “those textbooks are archaic” and that students should be doing “something else.” Only then watch the endless bickering over what that “something else” should be — with the net result that there is no lingua franca at all, no “basic” language so common that textbook publishers can reliably use it as a pedagogical aide.
The textbook writers and publishers aren’t the ones who are obsolete, out-of-touch and wrong. It is people who have yanked the rug out from under teachers and students all across the land.

Why Johnny can't code. (2006) David Brin.

http://www.salon.com/writer/david_brin/

[zak]

i suggest for scriptBasic the Jens' File Editor (jfe) editor as an ide http://home.arcor.de/jensaltmann/JFE/jfe_eng.htm. the bcx Basic contains a version of jfe in its windows distribution, i have tried some examples with this IDE from here http://www.scriptbasic.org/forum/index.php/topic,237.15.html
and it works except the drawing.sb example.
i agree that a complete sb package are neccessary with all examples and setup for any new user who feel confusion what to download . and if the package are too big it can be uploaded to the share sites like rapidshare or http://www.mediafire.com or others. even i suggest to go the bcx successful way ie a yahoo group site which are very active and efficient and can be found by yahoo users who search for basic languages.

here is a detailed instructions to run jfe editor with scriptbasic and apply it strictly so to be compatible with the jfe configuration i have attached:
1-download SB30-win32bin.zip from http://www.scriptbasic.org/forum/index.php/topic,200.0.html
and unpack it to c:\scriptbasic
2-set the path for scriba.exe as C:\scriptbasic\bin , setting path in windows xp explained here: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000549.htm


3-download the iup gui for scriptbasic "iup_win32-b9.zip" from here http://www.scriptbasic.org/forum/index.php/topic,237.15.html
and copy iup.dll to C:\scriptbasic\modules
and copy iup.bas to C:\scriptbasic\include
4- download the IDE jfe from here http://home.arcor.de/jensaltmann/JFE/jfe_eng.htm and put its sole executable jfe_e.exe in the folder c:\scriptbasic\jfe, so we have c:\scriptbasic\jfe\jfe_e.exe
5- this step is the most important for sb , download the configuration file specific for sb : jfe.ini + sb30.bat http://www.mediafire.com/?tf3uxrkwgus6bgg and copy the two files to c:\scriptbasic\jfe so when jfe_e.exe run he will use that two files.
6- run the ide file C:\scriptbasic\jfe\jfe_e.exe and make new file or open one of the few available examples which are copied from http://www.scriptbasic.org/forum/index.php/topic,237.15.html
when you want to run an example just click at the button on the bottom left
http://s7.postimage.org/f88iln863/jfe_sb.jpg

now the problem is with IMPORT iup.bas the program issue an error message
iup.bas(0): error &H44:The file can not be read.
unless we convert the Import in the example to IMPORT "c:\scriptbasic\include\iup.bas"
so there must be some way that scriba.exe know that iup.bas is in include folder without using the detailed path. i am using windows xp/sp3

now to the syntax coloring : what are in the attached jfe.ini is the sytax coloring for c/c++, bcx basic, qb64, perl6, it is a mixture of all that so many sb functions like "goto" will be colored. and to edit or to add color to a function click in the jfe editor Settings ... Syntax Colors ,it will not be available unless you open new or some file.

[zak]

Thanks John, yes it works ,the scriba -k scriba.conf.txt make the file scriba.ini in the c:\windows , and now we don't need a detailed IMPORT "....iup.bas" but just IMPORT iup.bas.
i have edited the jfe.ini at its end from AppExe=C:\sb30\jfe\sb30.bat to AppExe=C:\scriptbasic\jfe\sb30.bat then running the thesaurus.sb example , this is what i got
http://s7.postimage.org/b41zp4k6j/dictionary.jpg

[Charles Pegge]

Raspberry Pi and Fedora

http://www.raspberrypi.org/

video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RbWE6qF7pIM

[kryton9]

I can't wait for these to come out. One thing I am wondering is if the bios will support auto restart after power outage. I would love to run one of these 24 hours a day and be able to log into my home anytime I am out without worrying about the power being interrupted by the frequent outages we have during the Summer thunderstorm season.

[Michael Clease]

Some interesting news for those who want a slice of PI

http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/716 (http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/716)

[kryton9]

Thanks for the heads up Michael!