To paraphrase Barbie, "Linux is hard". Present a child with a Linux powered Pi of whichever flavour you like and you will spend a lot more time trying to explain why they have to do things a certain way instead of letting them create on their own. The OberonStation was released at the same time as the Pi Zero we have heard about but it has a significant difference. It uses a descendent of the Pascal programming language, which some readers may remember for both the OS and the programs which will run on the OberonStation. This simplifies things greatly and while it will limit what the device can do compared to a Pi it also means it is a better teaching tool for young programmers who won't have to learn the odd and twisted world of Linux … or at least not yet.
The Register compares it to learning on a ZX Spectrum or Amiga 600, simple enough to grasp but yet useful enough to give you a solid foundation in programming practices and functions. This will make it more interesting and accessible for youth you want to corrupt with thoughts of a future in programming and electronics. It is unfortunately sold out, if you are still interested in turning your kids or young relatives to the dark side consider one of the littleBits kits available at MAKE such as the Deluxe Kit, it is a great way to introduce them to electronics and to get some nifty devices out of the deal as well!
"Two tiny, inexpensive, single-board educational computers just shipped. One has had lots of coverage already, but the odds are you've never heard of the other machine. However, the idea behind the obscure one is more important."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Asustek Computer to reorganize system business group @ DigiTimes
- Windows 10 lags 7, 8 … and even Vista in the channel race @ The Register
- Exchange email bounces back as Microsoft resolves Office 365 issues @ The Inquirer
- Google Updates: Chrome 47, Cloud Vision API and no SpyKids please, we're Google @ The Inquirer
- Popular 3G/4G data dongles are desperately vulnerable, say hackers @ The Register
- PHP 7 Ready For Release @ Slashdot
- Tech ARP 2015 Mega Giveaway #8 : Dell Portable HDD Giveaway
$140 for an FPGA on a board?
$140 for an FPGA on a board?
If you’re going to teach someone to program something meaningful, I’d stick to a Raspberry Pi B+ for $25.
Just more dumbing down of the
Just more dumbing down of the kids for the future! Linux is not hard, it’s just that people are becoming relatively more computer illiterate. I say start them off with BASIC, and flow charting, with the programming logic flow-charted/pseudo coded before the first line of actual language code is written. Part of programming should be learning how much the programming done in any programming language is dependent on the computer’s OS, compilers, linkers/loaders, other Software systems like APIs, with students eventually learning just what OS/other software is needed for interpreted/compiled languages to run on any PC.
The BASIC(Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) programming language(Not visual Basic) along with a good introduction to computers class where beginners learn the basic hardware on a computer CPUs/SOCs(label the functional blocks on the CPU/SOC: ALU, FP UNIT, Caches, Instruction pointer, etc.), GPU, BIOS/UEFI, Hard Drive/SSD, RAM/ROM, CRT/LCD, I/O PORTS(USB, VGA, Ethernet, Other), Data BUS/Address BUS, BOOT up(from POST, UEFI/BOIS initiation, Boot Sector load of the OS loader, to the hand off to the OS).
Students should be allowed to program in BASIC, and experience just what spaghetti code results from using the goto/other branching instructions improperly, before learning gosub/other and the proper structuring of code to make for better readability and error free code logic, as well checking for errors in syntax. Those logical errors/runtime errors are the hard ones to track down and FIX.
This may be a great little device for teaching electronics, but not for programming on a full PC with a FULL OS! Sure that FPGA running a rudimentary higher level language interpreter at boot up may be fine for learning to assemble electronics components and testing/operating them with high level language code, but its not going to teach real computer programming under a real OS, or teach about how programming languages are ordered under the OS and other OS level APIs, and how compilers/linkers/loaders and other software assemblies enable the user to interact and create real life applications on real life computing systems from PCs to phones.
Real Computer Science learning requires Assembly Language programming classes in addition to the High level language classes. Assembly Language if just to learn how the CPU works on a basic level, and to know just what your high level code is going to be transformed into before it executes on the processor. Even High level language code can generate assembly language code dumps, and HEX dumps, if it just so happens that your code/code logic is correct but there is a BUG in the OS/compiler/API/Assembly, and how are you to even know to call on the system programmer’s help if you can’t read the error codes or system assembly language code dumps/HEX dumps that occur even for high level language application programmers.
Those run-time, and logic errors involve a lot of single stepping through code in the SDK’s debug mode, with the high level instructions having their resulting assembly level instructions listed below(indented) from each line of high level language code, on a one line of high level code to many lines of assembly language code basis, even for intermediate language compiled languages like Java/android Dalvik IL/ART IL, .net managed code, etc!
The Raspberry Pi B+/other Pis for $25 is a full OS based PC, and is much better for real life learning from basic to advanced, as the Pi can even be fashioned into a computing cluster running a real Linux based HPC/supercomputing OS to link up many Pis for learning on the college level about HPC/supercomputing software design and system software implementation.
Seems a bit extreme for 8-10
Seems a bit extreme for 8-10 year olds, no?
“rudimentary higher level
“rudimentary higher level language interpreter” ??? Where did you get that idea from ???
I recommend you read the detailed Project Oberon design documentation before you make wild ill-informed guesses as to what has actually been implemented here:
http://www.projectoberon.com
Here’s an interesting way to
Here’s an interesting way to introduce young ‘uns to programming:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/375820/
Linux was based on Minix
Linux was based on Minix which was based on Unix which is poorly designed crap.
Oberon was designed by the Swiss genius Wirth.
You can work with a poorly designed pile of crap, or a Swiss-engineered masterpiece.
Your choice.