CCS Conference Porting Abstact

We present one type of analysis of a very short and very interesting program that runs on the Commodore 64, a one-line BASIC program that generates maze patterns by repeatedly randomly outputting a character representing one of two diagonal lines:

We present one type of analysis of a very short and very interesting program that runs on the Commodore 64, a one-line BASIC program that generates maze patterns by repeatedly randomly outputting a character representing one of two diagonal lines:

This program is a gateway to explaining important concepts in computation, creative and recreational computing, programming languages in general and BASIC particularly, home computing, and the relationship of computing to text, typography, and visual art. It uses randomness and creates a two-dimensional pattern from a repeating, one-dimensional process. It employs character graphics, elements meant to be fitted together like a mosaic which were implemented on top of an essentially typographical system. While the program is compelling, it does not easily fit into any standard category ("video game," "productivity software," "educational exercise") that we know of today.

This program is a gateway to explaining important concepts in computation, creative and recreational computing, programming languages in general and BASIC particularly, home computing, and the relationship of computing to text, typography, and visual art. It uses randomness and creates a two-dimensional pattern from a repeating, one-dimensional process. It employs character graphics, elements meant to be fitted together like a mosaic which were implemented on top of an essentially typographical system. While the program is compelling, it does not easily fit into any standard category ("video game," "productivity software," "educational exercise") that we know of today.