What is programming?

The only language that computer actually understands is a binary code, like this: Do you speak English? ? Fastgraphics graphsize 1000,1000 color white x=0 y=0 loop: color black: rect 0,0,graphwidth, graphheight gosub shooter if mouseb=1 then x=mousex: y=mousey color red: circle x,y,5 y=y-10 refresh clg goto loop shooter: color blue rect mousex-50, mousey-5, 100, 10 rect mousex-5, mousey-15, 10, 20 return PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES TRANSLATING SOFTWARE Learning to program is a bit like learning a foreign language There are high-level languages (the ones that use more English-like commands). Most popular of would be: C, C++, Java, PHP… There are low-level languages(used more for programming machines), like Assembler Most of the languages share A LOT in common. Once you’ve learnt one, it’s quite easy to switch to another one Basic 256 is a high-level language(very English-like) that has been SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to learn how to program

Why programming?

Programming facts A programming language is basically a language that allows a human being to communicate with a computer The first computer programmer was a female, named Ada Lovelace The first high-level (very close to real English that we use to communicate) programming language was Fortran. invented in 1954 by IBM’s John Backus. The first game was created in 1961 The first virus was created in 1983 Computer programming is one of the fastest growing occupations currently Majors related to computer programming are among the highest paying in colleges and universities The lifestyle we live today with our tablets, and mobile phones wouldn’t be possible without computer programming

Open the Basic256 application

This is where you write a series of commands called a “program” This is where your program displays text (can be extended) This is where your program displays graphics (can be extended to fullscreen)