Assembly vs BASIC
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There are many ways to program a computer. This is true in the general sense--that is, when setting out to work creatively with computers, a wide range of options are available. But it is also true in a more specific way: given a particular computer and a particular idea, there are often many different ways to accomplish a goal computationally. | There are many ways to program a computer. This is true in the general sense--that is, when setting out to work creatively with computers, a wide range of options are available. But it is also true in a more specific way: given a particular computer and a particular idea, there are often many different ways to accomplish a goal computationally. | ||
| − | In many cases, a computer platform will inspire certain kinds of creativity based on its abilities. For example, early microcomputers came with BASIC interpreters built into ROM, so that once the computer booted up, a user could immediately begin writing programs in that language. Unlike later generations, the manufacturers of these computers intended them to be programmed, and the operating manuals that came with the hardware offered instructions and ideas for new computer owners to write their own software. Such was the case with the Commodore 64, of course, with 10 Print among the suggested programs listed in the manual. | + | In many cases, a computer platform will inspire certain kinds of creativity based on its abilities. For example, early microcomputers came with BASIC interpreters built into ROM, so that once the computer booted up, a user could immediately begin writing programs in that language. Unlike later generations, the manufacturers of these computers intended them to be programmed by their users, right out of the box. The operating manuals that came with the hardware offered instructions and ideas for new computer owners to write their own software. Such was the case with the Commodore 64, of course, with 10 Print among the suggested programs listed in the manual. |
But in most cases, a particular platform offers multiple ways to accomplish a given program. Today's computing systems make such a fact obvious: if one wanted to produce a computer generated maze similar to 10 Print on a contemporary Mac, for example, a whole range of possibilites are available in which to program: a UNIX command line script like BASH or Perl; a MacOS-native environment like Cocoa; a cross-platform graphics rendering library like SDL, which is often programmed in C++; a cross-platform scripting environment like Python; an object-oriented graphics sketching tool like Processing; a multimedia authoring tool like Flash, a web-based environment like Javascript and the HTML5 Canvas, and many more. | But in most cases, a particular platform offers multiple ways to accomplish a given program. Today's computing systems make such a fact obvious: if one wanted to produce a computer generated maze similar to 10 Print on a contemporary Mac, for example, a whole range of possibilites are available in which to program: a UNIX command line script like BASH or Perl; a MacOS-native environment like Cocoa; a cross-platform graphics rendering library like SDL, which is often programmed in C++; a cross-platform scripting environment like Python; an object-oriented graphics sketching tool like Processing; a multimedia authoring tool like Flash, a web-based environment like Javascript and the HTML5 Canvas, and many more. | ||
