LCDs & C++ & Linux = Beginner-Friendly?
Intro There are many reasons to choose a programming language and environment for your projects and products. C++ has gotten a reputation for being old, outdated, difficult to learn and full of dangers. Python is often proposed as a simpler alternative, especially for people new to programming. These statements all have merit, but I would like to propose an alternate way of thinking about it. Background I started programming in 1979. At that time there were very few choices of programming language and very little access to documentation. The home computer vendors chose to provide a BASIC language interpreter on their machines and include a book with some introductory lessons and examples. When you turned on the computer, it couldn't do anything except interpret your hand-typed BASIC programs. There were no built-in 'apps' or anything functional. This was enough to get me hooked on computers - the only limit to what you could do was your imagination. The programming world m...