BASIC vs Python

[Steve Holden]

Adam DePrince wrote:

> On Thu, 2004-12-16 at 13:36, abisofile wrote:
> 
>>hi 
>>
>>I'm new to programming.I've try a little BASIC so I want ask since 
>>Python is also interpreted lang if it's similar to BASIC.
> 
> 
> Nobody is answering this question because they are shuddering in fear
> and revulsion. 
> 
> During the 1980's BASIC was the language to embedd into the ROM's of the
> computers of the day.   This was in a misguided effort to make computers
> understandable to their target audience.  The goal of the day was to
> build a system that a manager would want to buy; it was believed that
> the only way for a manager to see the value of a system was to make the
> language understandable to said manager.  The expectation, of course,
> that the manager would sit down and play with the computer instead of
> delegating the tasks to somebody more qualified is somewhat misguided in
> hindsight.  To do that, a language that closely resembled the process of
> micromanaging an untrained worker was employed.
>
But that language was COBOL, not BASIC. BASIC is actually an acronym for 
"Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code", which the initial 
implementations at Dartmouth weren't, really. The big innovation was the 
use of line-numbering to allow interactive editing and testing of a program.

regards
  Steve
-- 
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