Why does Small Basic exist?
We've spoken to college students about Small Basic in the past and I've heard Small Basic explained and presented. That led me to realize that we need a short and concise explanation for the existence of Small Basic...
Small Basic exists to help students as young as age eight learn the foundations of computer programming and then graduate to Visual Basic via the free software, Visual Studio Express, where they can continue to build on the foundation by learning Visual C#, VB.NET, and Visual C++.
And here is a more feature-oriented explanation from the Small Basic founder, Vijaye...
What is Small Basic?
Small Basic is a project that is focused at making programming accessible and easy for beginners. It consists of three distinct pieces:
- The Language
- The Programming Environment
- Libraries
The Language draws its inspiration from an early variant of BASIC but is based on the modern .Net Framework Platform. The Environment is simple but rich in features, offering beginners several of the benefits that professional programmers have come to expect of a worthy IDE. A rich set of Libraries help beginners learn by writing compelling and interesting programs.
Who is Small Basic for?
Small Basic is intended for beginners that want to learn programming. In our internal trials we've had success with kids between the ages of 10 and 16. However, it's not limited to just kids; even adults that had an inclination to programming have found Small Basic very helpful in taking that first step.