I have a Raspberry Pi. For the uninitiated, this is a really cheap computer, designed to encourage the re-introduction of programming into schools. I say cheap, but by the time you add a keyboard and mouse, a case and a monitor, it is not as cheap as it appears. However it is an encouragement for me to learn coding again.
I have very fond memories of a similar initiative, the BBC Micro, which was introduced decades ago, and was an introduction to the world of computing for hundreds of thousands of school children and their teachers. In those days, computer studies involved a knowledge of how programs work and many students would write sophisticated software, using BBC Basic, or the really smart ones would go the extra mile and write in what was called Machine code. The computer room was always full of students clacking away at keyboards and I too was caught up in the tide of logic and became the proud owner of several machines. I learned how to program and would spend hours inventing routines and even simple games. At first loading and saving code was achieved via cassette tapes, it could take several minutes to load a big program and both processes were tedious and unreliable. Then we progressed to disc storage and the school bought a 30Mb hard drive. This stood as the server for the whole network and each student could store their data on it. I bought a floppy disc drive and could store my creations on those old flimsies so much more efficiently. Programs loaded quickly and far more reliably, removing the anxiety that often accompanied loading and saving.
My Pi has a memory card that holds 16Gb of data and yet it seems no faster in operation than did my BBC machines. It uses a language called Python, though I am told that it can handle others too, and this is very different to the Basic that I was so familiar with. To begin with there are no line numbers, so commands like GOTO no longer apply. I realise that I must erase my memory of Basic and to start completely from scratch, though my brain is far less capable than it was, and while I have my Mac sitting alongside it, the Pi offers little motivation in creating practical applications.
It is early days, and the learning curve is steep, but I will give it a try and hope that I can stay ahead of my grandchildren for a while.
I have very fond memories of a similar initiative, the BBC Micro, which was introduced decades ago, and was an introduction to the world of computing for hundreds of thousands of school children and their teachers. In those days, computer studies involved a knowledge of how programs work and many students would write sophisticated software, using BBC Basic, or the really smart ones would go the extra mile and write in what was called Machine code. The computer room was always full of students clacking away at keyboards and I too was caught up in the tide of logic and became the proud owner of several machines. I learned how to program and would spend hours inventing routines and even simple games. At first loading and saving code was achieved via cassette tapes, it could take several minutes to load a big program and both processes were tedious and unreliable. Then we progressed to disc storage and the school bought a 30Mb hard drive. This stood as the server for the whole network and each student could store their data on it. I bought a floppy disc drive and could store my creations on those old flimsies so much more efficiently. Programs loaded quickly and far more reliably, removing the anxiety that often accompanied loading and saving.
My Pi has a memory card that holds 16Gb of data and yet it seems no faster in operation than did my BBC machines. It uses a language called Python, though I am told that it can handle others too, and this is very different to the Basic that I was so familiar with. To begin with there are no line numbers, so commands like GOTO no longer apply. I realise that I must erase my memory of Basic and to start completely from scratch, though my brain is far less capable than it was, and while I have my Mac sitting alongside it, the Pi offers little motivation in creating practical applications.
It is early days, and the learning curve is steep, but I will give it a try and hope that I can stay ahead of my grandchildren for a while.
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