Katie Fenn

A-Level Computing students using BBC Micros to learn computer programming

20th February 2013

An interesting report on BBC News on A-Level Computing students using BBC Micros to learn computer programming.

I think BBC Micros made excellent computers to learn to program on because learning to program was always a central function of the product. The relative simplicity of contemporary computer game software and a well-documented BASIC interpreter were also important features.

It is these qualities that remind me of Google Android, Appleā€™s IOS and the Web. These devices seem to carry on the tradition of the bedroom coder; to go beyond owning a product and to begin learning how it works and how to write your own software. These devices are often fondly remembered by their owners and leave an important legacy. The BBC Micro was that device for me.