I don't know why, but I always like to code big projects in introductory programming languages, just to see if it's possible.

In Turing, for instance, I coded quite a few games, chatrooms, and some other p2p-type programs. Currently I'm working on a browser, which is actually a bit easier so far than I expected. At the moment only the IP can be entered, and it connects to the server. Now I just need to find the easiest way to grab the HTML for the current page, parse it, and display it. After that, I need to find a way to connect to ICANN and grab the server IP based on the domain name entered [so that I could type in http://vforums.co.uk rather than having to find the IP and use that.

How about you guys; do you like pushing the limits of simple languages? If so, what things have you done/plan on doing?

Embarrassingly enough, I don't actually know any 'introductory' languages, depending on how 'introductory' is defined...

I started off with Python, and added from there...

~Artemis

Posted By Paddy on 16th Feb 08 at 11:16pm

 

Embarrassingly enough, I don't actually know any 'introductory' languages, depending on how 'introductory' is defined...

I started off with Python, and added from there...

~Artemis

I personally find that having learned an introductory language helped me quite a bit when getting into more powerful languages like VB, & now C++. It gives you a feel for the programming environment, and allows you to create programs without having to worry about loads of memorization, etc.

When I first tried to learn VB, I didn't know where to start. But then, after having learned Turing, I found VB quite easy to learn, and caught on quite quickly. C++ seems to be coming along fairly similarly. It's taking me a bit longer to get the hang of, as Turing & VB are fairly similar, whereas C++ has quite different syntax.

But these things are all about personal preference; if you find Python easiest to work with, then go for it.

I never really used an introductory language. I started with html/css, then php and mysql

Posted By Dylan on 17th Feb 08 at 3:30pm

 

I never really used an introductory language. I started with html/css, then php and mysql

I'm referring to actual programming languages; ones that create standalone software.

Posted By Marc on 17th Feb 08 at 6:22am

 

Posted By Paddy on 16th Feb 08 at 11:16pm

 

Embarrassingly enough, I don't actually know any 'introductory' languages, depending on how 'introductory' is defined...

I started off with Python, and added from there...

~Artemis

I personally find that having learned an introductory language helped me quite a bit when getting into more powerful languages like VB, & now C++. It gives you a feel for the programming environment, and allows you to create programs without having to worry about loads of memorization, etc.

When I first tried to learn VB, I didn't know where to start. But then, after having learned Turing, I found VB quite easy to learn, and caught on quite quickly. C++ seems to be coming along fairly similarly. It's taking me a bit longer to get the hang of, as Turing & VB are fairly similar, whereas C++ has quite different syntax.

But these things are all about personal preference; if you find Python easiest to work with, then go for it.

What is used to write Turing? A program in itself with compiler or what?

Also, how hard is it ... example syntax?

Posted By Michael on 17th Feb 08 at 4:21pm

 

Posted By Marc on 17th Feb 08 at 6:22am

 

Posted By Paddy on 16th Feb 08 at 11:16pm

 

Embarrassingly enough, I don't actually know any 'introductory' languages, depending on how 'introductory' is defined...

I started off with Python, and added from there...

~Artemis

I personally find that having learned an introductory language helped me quite a bit when getting into more powerful languages like VB, & now C++. It gives you a feel for the programming environment, and allows you to create programs without having to worry about loads of memorization, etc.

When I first tried to learn VB, I didn't know where to start. But then, after having learned Turing, I found VB quite easy to learn, and caught on quite quickly. C++ seems to be coming along fairly similarly. It's taking me a bit longer to get the hang of, as Turing & VB are fairly similar, whereas C++ has quite different syntax.

But these things are all about personal preference; if you find Python easiest to work with, then go for it.

What is used to write Turing? A program in itself with compiler or what?

Also, how hard is it ... example syntax?

The Turing compiler is built-in to the editor.

Here's some example code that will draw a red ball and let you move it around the screen using the arrow keys:

/* Set screen to graphics mode
Maximize Window
Create external buffer for animation */
View.Set ("graphics:max,max;offscreenonly");

% Set variables for ball's x & y position
var ballX, ballY : int := 50

% Create array of all characters
var move : array char of boolean

% Create loop
loop

    % Check for keyboard input
    Input.KeyDown (move)

    % Check for keys pressed
    if move (KEY_DOWN_ARROW) then
        ballY -= 3
    elsif move (KEY_UP_ARROW) then
        ballY += 3
    elsif move (KEY_LEFT_ARROW) then
        ballX -= 3
    elsif move (KEY_RIGHT_ARROW) then
        ballX += 3
    end if

    % Draw Ball In New Position
    Draw.FillOval (ballX, ballY, 10, 10, red)

    % Update Screen Content [prevents animation flickering]
    View.Update

end loop

And this creates standalone programs?

Posted By Michael on 17th Feb 08 at 5:52pm

 

And this creates standalone programs?

Yep.

Also, I edited the syntax I posted to include the syntax highlighting. Another good thing about Turing is that it automatically does syntax highlighting, has a built-in debugger, and pressing F2 automatically spaces all the code out.