CESIL, was an assembly like programming language...
The very first programming language I ever learned was taught to me when I was going to Tulse Hill Secondary School in London...; during our Maths class...I believe, the teachers name was: Mr. Das Gupta.
The programming language was called: CESIL/Computer Education in Schools Instructional Language. This programming language was 'assembly' like...; and, used such instructions as:
JUMP
JINEG (Jump If Negative)
-etc.
When I had left Secondary School...at just age, 14; -(which was far too early...normally, people stayed on until at least 16-18...in order to take/pass their exams)-; I didn't remember very much of it, anymore...as there was no real opportunity to, actually, practice using the code...; nevertheless, I did keep the instruction book at home.
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We never actually saw what a computer looked like in Secondary School...
NOTE: Way back in those days, there were no computers in school; -(so, we only saw what a computer looked like by seeing photographs inside of books)-; instead, what used to happen was...
The maths teacher would hand out to each pupil a cardboard punch card...which we would then proceed to mark up using a pencil; then, at the end of the lesson, the teacher would collect up our series of punchcards.
We would not see our computer program results until next week...; (the teacher would go off to wherever the computer was -which we ourselves never ever saw-; feed in the series of punch cards into the computer; then, get the computer program results...which was output onto reams of perforated tear off sheets of 'green coloured graph lined' paper)
Next week, the teacher would return back to class...; and, hand out to each pupil what was their program end result.
Learning BASIC programming through the use of library books...
My next experience of learning how to use a programming language was when I was living in Stockwell, London, UK...where there was a local library called: Jeffery's Library on Jeffery's Road, Stockwell, London, UK; this road was just opposite where we were living in a high rise council flat; and, I used to go in there/sit down -(extremely curious to go find out more about how to use the computing equipment I saw in TV adverts)- and, read books on the BASIC/Beginner's All-purpose Symbollic Instruction Code programming language. Rather surprisingly, I found I understood exactly what the books was saying very well.
My first computer...
Eventually, I brought my first home based games computer which was called:
Tandy Radio Shack Colour Computer II (actually, my mother brought it as a surprise gift for my birthday...I must have been aged around 23, maybe/compared to my current age of, 58. I recall it didn't come with any games cartridge, however. What it did come with was Microsoft BASIC built-in...; plus, a teach yourself how to program book. So, I went and learned rudimentary programming techniques by following that book; typing out the computer codes contained inside of the book...; then, practicing reading/writing/modifying/running the codes. I made a few 'beginner' games...guess the number/hangman/noughts & crosses/-etc.; though, mostly all were 'text-based'...as opposed to 'graphics based'.
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Playing at learning the many different BASIC programming language dialects...
Through my having studied how to write BASIC computer programs...; later on, I went and studied using multiple other BASIC dialects, including...
APL/A Programming Language (used on PSION hand held computers: PSION XPII/Series 3a...very BASIC-like in syntax)
BASIC with line numbers (line numbers is the 'old' way to program/more 'modern day' BASIC versions did away with using line numbers)
BASICA (IBM work machine/Share Community, Battersea, London, UK. Government based, YTA/Young people's Training Course scheme)
COMMADORE 64 BASIC (line numbers/Home based computer machine)
FASTBASIC/STOS BASCI (no line numbers/Atari 520 ST FM home based computer machine)
RM NIMBUS BASIC (line numbers/Lambeth College, West Norwood Centre, West Norwood, London, UK)
QBASIC (no line numbers/Home based PC/Windows 95/Window 98/-etc.)
VBScript (Visual BASIC Script/Home based PC...; which I, later on, discovered it's possible to write web pages with.)
Visual BASIC 6 (OOP/Object Oriented Programming using 'drag and drop' UI/User Interface/Home based PC/too, Westminister Kingsway College, Victoria, London, UK)
ZX81 BASIC (line numbers/Vauxhall College, Vauxhall, London, UK)
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A few clear advantages I had when learning computer programming...
As a 'student' computer programmer way back in the 80's... I remember being blessed with having 2 major advantages...
- My mum had sent me to go and study learning 'touch typing' at around age 14...using a mechanical typewriter; -(I also owned a mechanical typewriter at home which I used to practice learning with)-; she had an African lady friend who was a secretary...and, my mum would pay her weekly to give me lessons on how to 'touch type'. Touch typing, means you don't need to, continually, keep looking down at the keyboard in order to know where the keys are...; instead, you just practice placing your fingers on the 'home row': asdf jkl; and, learn to instinctively know where all the rest of the keyboard keys are from there. By not looking down at the keyboard...this allows one to type much 'faster'...than, say a 'hunt and peck' 1 finger typist...that, always, need to look down. My typing speed, eventually, reached 60+ w.p.m.
- In college classes, it proved to be a very highly fortuitous thing that I already went and learned BASIC programming so young...; because, way back in those days: 80's, many people were entirely computer illiterate; quite unlike what the situation is, now-a-days...where nearly every single school/home/tablet/laptop/mobile phone/watch has computers...; thus, there are, quite literally, millions of computer programmers available out there; and, this situation meant that when I did go to college to attend, admittedly, 'beginner' classes...I was, usually, 'top of the class'...when compared to other pupils who were just learning entire anew 'how to' to program.
It's impossible to learn 'all' programming languages...
After having learned how to use the BASIC family of programming languages...; quite naturally, I was interested in learning how other computer programming languages worked, as well...the C family/Pascal family/Web page programming family: HTML/CSS/Javascript; -etc.; so, I later on went to go and study learning very many of these...; in fact, the truth is, I wanted to go and study learning them 'all'...; but, very quickly, discovered that achieving doing such a thing just isn't possible...
There are far too many programming languages out there to go and learn...we are talking not just merely 1 or 10 or 100...; but, quite literally, hundreds and hundreds...with 'new' programming languages being released every day/week.
My own memory is rather poor...; and, therefore, I do find myself being considerably handicapped...meaning, if I don't keep on practicing all that I have learned, and, for each and every single day...; then, I'm afraid, I tend to completely forget...?! Each separate programming language has, at least, somewhere between: 100-500 commands; and, there is no way my mind can get to remember all of that...; as a consequence I have to frequently refer back to books/manuals/online resources...just in order to remember what was/is the correct syntax...?!
Links...
Page created: Mon 27 Sep 2021 20:38 PM GMT
Last updated: Mon 27 Sep 2021 22:27 PM GMT