Just yesterday, we published a post about a a couple of new options from Microsoft which present some easy options to get started with Web development: the Web Platform Installer and Web Application Installer.
That eagerness to continue to offer new ways to teach individuals how to program for the Web and the desktop continues today with the introduction of MSDN DevLabs and one of the first featured projects: SmallBasic. According to the site, SmallBasic is:
“…a project that’s aimed at bringing "fun" back to programming. By providing a small and easy to learn programming language in a friendly and inviting development environment, Small Basic makes programming a breeze. Ideal for kids and adults alike, Small Basic helps beginners take the first step into the wonderful world of programming.”
Despite the amateur-looking interface of the development tool, when they say it’s “aimed for kids and adults alike,” they really mean it. The 62-page introduction guide provides more than a few examples of quick-and-easy applications that can be created: anything from an application where you control a turtle that responds to your commands and subsequently draws a picture on your screen all the way to an application that generates random Flickr images.
These are simple examples, yes, but, from what I’m seeing, it’s a great way to learn the fundamentals of programming.
I personally feel as though Microsoft’s willingness to provide free and powerful tools to aspiring developers has been both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing in that they’ve got more and more programmers developing applications specifically designed for the Windows environment… which, in turn, enhances the operating system’s usefulness; thereby ensuring its future. It’s a curse in that they’ve got more and more lazy programmers developing applications specifically designed for the Windows environment… which, in turn, can cause the OS to perform slowly and, in many cases, crash.
Either way, I’ve had a strong itch to start developing for the Windows platform (I’m most anxious to start with the Windows Mobile platform) so I’m personally rather appreciative of these new tools.
Be sure to check out the other new tools available at DevLabs.
Source: Somasegar’s Weblog
