OT: BBC wants a new generation of 'coders'

[Gary from OPA]

BBC is trying to reinvent the success they had with BBC Micro, and do it again with today's age of 'coders' using the BBC Micro-Bit, I know this is a TI99 section, but alot of us here remember the original BBC Micro and alot of us became young little coders on it or later on with the TI99, so just thinking of what you think of this new attempt will it work, or fail faster then a lead ballon due to the fact the new generation are a bunch of happy commerical gadget users and not hardcore inventors or willing to get their hands dirty with bits and bytes of tiny code.

 

BBC launches flagship initiative nationwide to inspire a new generation of coders.

 

More than one million microcomputers will be given to every Year-7 student in the UK from August this year, as part of a major nationwide initiative to inspire a new generation of coders.

 

Us old-timers like myself, will remember the story of the Micro-Men in jolly old england, when USA was busy building Atari and Pong and arcades, they were busying building the empire up of 'home computers' and simple computer software, as two rivals Sinclair and his ex-employee built tons of cheap computers all because of BBC and their push to have a 'home computer' in the every school and household, and it worked and there was tons of software all loading in by tape and tons of programmers writing simple games in BASIC for everyone to enjoy, until the whole world got flooded both USA and UK and it came crashing down in '83.

 

But it seems BBC wants to re-create the event that launched the 'home computer' back then, and build up a whole new generation of homebrew coders and they are planning on shipping out millions of the 'Micro-bit' to every 7th year student to learn how to code.

 

The small, wearable microcomputer--nicknamed the Micro Bit--is said to be a "standalone, entry-level coding device that allows children to pick it up, plug it into a computer and start creating with it immediately."

 

In a bid to recapture the success of the BBC Micro computer, which was released to schools in the '80s and helped cultivate a generation of coders, the Micro Bit device will teach students aged 11-12 the fundamentals of coding.

 

This flagship initiative, spearheaded by the BBC, comes amid fears that the UK is facing a skills shortage as it enters into the digital age. According to a 2014 report from the creative media council Skillset, more than 1.4 million digital professionals will be required in the UK for employment over the next five years.

 

It is hoped that giving children devices to code with will help inspire them onto the path of a programming career, which could theoretically close the skill gap within a decade.

 

The Micro Bit's specs were not disclosed, and the BBC said the name is not final.

 

Meanwhile, as part of the wider "Make It Digital" initiative, a trainee scheme is expected to provide opportunities for up to 5,000 young unemployed people. Companies already signed up to the trainee scheme include ARM, Barclays, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung.

 

Finally, the broadcasting arm of the BBC is bringing together a season of programmes that it hopes will help arouse interest in coding. As part of this, the broadcaster will air a BBC Two drama based on Grand Theft Auto, as well as a documentary on Bletchley Park, where the enigma code was cracked during World War 2.

 

"This is exactly what the BBC is all about - bringing the industry together on an unprecedented scale and making a difference to millions," said BBC director general Tony Hall.

 

"Just as we did with the BBC Micro in the 1980s, we want to inspire the digital visionaries of the future. Only the BBC can bring partners together to attempt something this ambitious, this important to Britain's future on the world stage.

 

"BBC Make it Digital could help digital creativity become as familiar and fundamental as writing, and I'm truly excited by what Britain, and future great Britons, can achieve."

For those that don't remember their, history you should take time out to watch the story of the Micro-Men again, and afterwards what do you think will this work in 2010's like it work in 1980's and spawn a whole new generation of cheap hardware and tons of software and coders and spawn a new new industry or has times changed so much that its no longer possible to teach the Twitter/Facebook youth.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hco_Av2DJ8o

NEWS SOURCE #1: Every Year-7 Student in UK to be Given Coding Device (via) GameSpot

NEWS SOURCE #2: Every Year-7 Student in UK to be Given Coding Device (via) MaxConsole

Edited March 14, 2015 by Gary from OPA

[Opry99er]

Cool stuff there Gary. Thanks for posting!

[matthew180]

I'd like to know the specs and default programming environment they will be pushing.

 

@Owen: It's nice to see you posting again.

[Opry99er]

Im curious about the language too.

 

@matthew: Good to be posting again.

[Gary from OPA]

Looks like it will support 3 languages to code in:

 

Meet the Micro Bit

 

The BBC does not see Micro Bit as a rival to similar computing devices such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Galileo and Kano, but rather hopes it will act as a "springboard" to these more complex machines.

 

The tiny programmable machine is still a prototype and the BBC is working with several partners, including chip-designer Arm, Microsoft and Samsung, to get the end product right.

 

When it launches in September it will be compatible with three coding languages - Touch Develop, Python and C++.

 

The device is tiny - fitting easily into the palm of a hand. Children will be able to create text via a series of LED lights and they will also be able to use it to create basic games.

 

The final version will have a Bluetooth link enabling it to be hooked up to other devices such as a Raspberry Pi.

 

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is helping to develop learning resources for it and the BBC is being careful not to repeat the mistakes of the BBC Microcomputer launch, which angered rivals such as Sinclair.

 

BBC Learning's Gareth Stockdale, who is developing the device, said: "The BBC's role is to bring focus to the issue, and then we will withdraw from the market."

 

After the first million Micro Bits go out to schools, there will be no more.

 

One day they might become a museum piece like the BBC Micro, which is now housed at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley.

NEWS SOURCE: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31834927

[+Vorticon]

What a great idea! I am really jealous of the investment the UK has made and continues to make in the education of its citizens...

[UKRetrogamer]

It wasn't always like this.

 

Yes, the BBC and the government made a good start with their efforts in 1982 but as soon as PCs became the norm in school IT labs, things fell into a long-term lull. "Computing" and "Information Technology" education quickly degraded into teaching youngsters how to use Microsoft Word and Publisher. Our primary/secondary school teaching staff lost their ability to keep up and our promising lead in the Information Technology field was lost quickly.

 

I remember when I first started working in IT in the late 80's, being worried about the potential of competition from "educated professionals". I needn't have worried. Once PCs took over in schools, it had the effect of "dumbing down" the UK's formerly-groundbreaking IT-centric educational role. Students were no longer taught programming. instead they were introduced to "Office Skills" (Word processing, an intro to databases and desktop publishing) and things stagnated quickly.

 

With the [comparatively recent] rising interest in the Maker:Community and the Introduction of boards like the Raspberry Pi and Arduino, our government and [by proxy] educators have been forced by a fashionable trend to wake up to what we'd lost and the BBC has been reminded of its previous role in IT education and awareness.

 

It's only really in the last 12-18 months there has been an effort to push this agenda again.

Let's hope this continues.

[am1933]

Hopefully they will make this one as easy and straightforward to code for as the original BBC.

 

Try Assembler using the TI Editor Assembler then try using the BBC "built in" Assembler and you will see what I mean.

[matthew180]

@UKRetrogamer: your description of events pretty much sums it up on this side of the pond as well.

 

After I posted I did find an article that specified the languages: Touch Develop, Python and C++. I had to look up Touch Develop and it is yet another development environment from Microsoft that is supposed to allow you to make cross-device/platform "apps" by just "touching". Ugh. That sounds too much like:

 

"write apps without programming! Just $9.95 plus shipping and handling. But wait, if you *touch* now you will received..."

 

I thought the idea was to have kids learn to *code*! That's what everyone keeps hyping, yet the environments suggested or put forward are focused on getting graphics on the screen and being able to push them around with your finger.

 

Python... I don't like the language much so I can't say unbiased things about it. However, when kids are learning to code the last thing they give a crap about is code indentation. To have your program not run because you forgot to hit tab is going to frustrate more kids and turn them off to programming, IMO. I really wanted to like Python, it has some nice features, but making the formatting part of the language is a critical flaw, again IMO.

 

C++. Hmm, there's a brick wall for you. You really need to know assembly *before* using C/C++, otherwise you have no idea how close to the hardware it is bringing you, let along what pointers *are*, how the data is stored, etc.

 

I think what the BBC is doing is great, but IMO the technical execution is just more of the same thing that is already available. Home computers of the 80's were perfect because they removed all the barriers to just sitting down an writing code. Turn on the computer, and within a few keystrokes you were programming.

 

Ah well, I have too many opinions on this topic so I'll stop now. It will be interesting to see what happens though, and I hope I'm proven to be wrong.

[UKRetrogamer]

After I posted I did find an article that specified the languages: Touch Develop, Python and C++.

I'm guessing with its inherent lack of structure, BASIC would be thought of as archaic in any modern sense. I've not even looked into the "touch" option.

Being based on an Atmel AVR, the C++ option will likely be barebones Arduino programming, uploaded via AVRdude like every other Arduino compatible. This may be a little advanced for the average year 7 student.

Python has its place though, being the language which contributed to the Raspberry Pi's name and (at very least) being relevant in the modern programmer's tool-chest but due to the limited RAM available to the device, I can either imagine it'll be a "sub-set" of Python, or there'll be some type of Python to AVR assembler/cross-compiler made available to download.

I can understand why they're doing this with an AVR-based board. They're cheap enough to be given away/discarded.

Not *every* child will receive one and actually go on to do something constructive with their MicroBit though. I imagine most will either be programmed just *once* (maybe in a brief tutorial/introduction in school or online) and then taken home by the student to gather dust until discarded. Giving away a Raspberry Pi would be too expensive for the BBC to contemplate. With the current price of AVRs, this would seem a cost-effective/throwaway method of giving each child a creative toy which - with a little investment of time - could lead them into the world of electronics and wearables.

Becky Stern of Adafruit is a wearables ambassador and she's made wearables "Cool". Adafruit sell similar tiny, Atmel AVR-based devices for those interested in making wearable electronics. The MicroBit looks to be a miniature Arduino with a LOL Shield attached. (LOL = Lots Of LEDs). Blinky things seem to attract kids so all this makes sense, I suppose.

I was sitting at home one afternoon a few years ago, typing some BASIC graphic demos from an Oric Atmos user's manual and my [then 14 year old] daughter became intrigued I could instruct this "old" computer and make it draw coloured circles on-screen while making beeping noises.

She asked if she could try. Her "interest" lasted all of 10 minutes before she received a FaceBook notification and this distraction alone, was enough for her to lose concentration and go back to her iPhone.

Oh, well. Back in the box, then.

Kids need to WANT to learn this stuff. That's why the device has to be cheap enough to mass-produce for pennies.

I don't think the average child would want to invest time in learning AVR C but Python stands a chance. It's a pity it won't run Scratch.

Credit where it's due though, flashing LEDS on a board might be enough to get a few hundred creatively-minded kids interested in electronics and programming. If it does this, all the better but as I said, I imagine most of these devices will go on to become less of a gateway to electronics and more like landfill.

It only takes a spark to light a flame. Let's hope this device - which probably costs as much to produce as a box of lighter-flints - can create enough sparks to kickstart a new generation of potential future coders.

[+Vorticon]

Frankly I never fully understood the general disdain for plain BASIC out there. I think it's a wonderfully easy language to get into, and as Matthew180 said all you had to do was turn on your computer to get started within a few seconds. Why does it really have to be C for microcontroller programming anyway? Look at the Basic Stamp for example.

[Omega-TI]

Frankly I never fully understood the general disdain for plain BASIC out there.

 

Some observations, based only on personal experience over the years...

 

1) The "it's too darn slow & assembly is faster, therefore better" types..

2) The overly judgmental types that think the language that 'they are personally proficient in' is superior to all others, so make fun of others they deem less worthy in an attempt to raise their own self-importance or bolster their own fragile ego's.

3) The 'BASIC is for children' types, so never even tried it.

 

I am so glad we do not seem have these types of people here on Atari Age. It's toxic and serves no productive ends.

[UKRetrogamer]

Why does it really have to be C for microcontroller programming anyway? Look at the Basic Stamp for example.

 

Based on Atmel AVRs, their subset of C++ is really the only way to go, other than writing direct to the firmware. That said, the FIGnition is based on Atmel hardware (ATMega328) and has a pretty good implementation of FIGForth. Unfortunately it lacks a proper keyboard and relies on 8 microswitches and an obscure Nokia-like text-entry system. Only recently, there has been a PS/2 keyboard adaptor made for it. Too little, too late IMO.

 

as Matthew180 said all you had to do was turn on your computer to get started within a few seconds.

Instant power-on and instant access to the programming environment would be ideal. There exist a few pared-down images which work with the Raspberry Pi which attempt this. I've seen a C64 emulator which is coded "bare metal" and boots in much less time than the vanilla Raspbian image.

 

Also, the guys behind RISCOS have released a bare-metal version of BBC BASIC which also boots in no time. In both cases, not quite instant on but certainly better than waiting for a complete linux-based OS to boot.

 

RISC OS Pico is available here: https://www.riscosopen.org/content/sales/risc-os-pico

Edited March 15, 2015 by UKRetrogamer

[+Vorticon]

 

 

Also, the guys behind RISCOS have released a bare-metal version of BBC BASIC which also boots in no time. In both cases, not quite instant on but certainly better than waiting for a complete linux-based OS to boot.

 

RISC OS Pico is available here: https://www.riscosopen.org/content/sales/risc-os-pico

 

I'm going to try that one for sure! Neat idea! And the fact that you can access the GPIO ports from within the Basic environment is fantastic, not to mention that BBC Basic is generally considered considered one of the best Basic around.

[Algus]

Well there are some kids that just aren't going to want to sit in front of a compiler all day and are going to have other interests. That's fine, not everyone needs be good at everything but even if a project like this has a really low return on investment (i.e. cost of providing equipment to everyone only generates a small pool of people who might not otherwise have become interested in the topic) it is still cool to see an organization, country, etc. do this.

 

We've got to expose our kids to as much as we can. We don't know what will stick but man when they do take off with something, what an awesome thing.

[matthew180]

I think BASIC would be a great choice instead of Python. The age of a language has nothing to do with how good or bad it is. The *real* design of BASIC was on par with any compiled language (and it was originally a compiled language), did not have line numbers, and did have other constructs that are missing from the ROM BASIC most of us a familiar with. It was the 80's home computer that introduced line numbers and stripped away other BASIC language features when it was turned into an interpreter and stuck into a ROM. There are tons of BASIC dialects out there now and they are all just as fast and powerful as Python, Java, ECMAscript, Ruby, etc.

 

The biggest problem with almost every programming language is the complete lack of built-in support for sound and graphics. If you want to do either you have to go find an add-on library of some sort. With an 80's home computer I could design a graphic and get it on the screen in a few instructions. I could play sounds with a simple instruction. When you have to use a library to extend a language you now have to have a more complex understanding of the language on top of understanding the new library. If I pick a graphics library that is different from the one you chose, now we can't exchange and share code which is critical to get more kids interested.

 

The device needs to be complete and self contained, IMO. The BBC is also taking a shot-gun approach, which means the individual unit has to be cheap. These are toys and kids will treat them as such. When mom or dad brought home the BBC-MICRO in 1981, it was a big deal and the computer was treated as expensive and special. It was intriguing, something to be explored. With the BBC-bit you get it into the hands of more kids, the ones who are truly interested have a minimal system that they will become frustrated with or quickly want to move away from. Instead, why not *ask* the kids if they would be interested? Fewer, yet better, units in the hands of kids who express interest seems a better trade-off to trying to get every single student interested.

[+OLD CS1]

Ugh. I could not imagine Scapy in BASIC

[+Lee Stewart]

Basic was nowhere in sight when I learned to program an IBM 1620 with Fortran 2B (1963). Early on, the principal reason I learned any computer language was expediency. My main interest in computing was analysis of data, so I learned what I needed to learn to get the job done—that's a long list of computer languages! It certainly includes many dialects of Basic. I'll have to agree that Basic was probably the easiest language to get a program up and running. Until Forth, that is!

 

...lee

[Omega-TI]

Computer languages are as varied and with as many sub groups as any religion. There are so many versions or BASIC that one can hardly keep track of them all. The names are as cryptic as many of the languages themselves...

 

PL/1, Fortran, Forth, Cobol, Lisp, LOGO, Java, Pilot, USCD Pascal, C (and variants), and at least 100 or more I cannot remember or have probably never even heard of!

Some languages have ended up in the trash heap of history, others live on. The most 'friendly' sounding computer language in my opinion is SNOBOL (which sounds like snow ball), but some people called SPITBOL.... why I have no idea.

 

I wonder how many active languages still exist on just hobby or home computers alone?

[UKRetrogamer]

Well there are some kids that just aren't going to want to sit in front of a compiler all day and are going to have other interests. That's fine, not everyone needs be good at everything but even if a project like this has a really low return on investment (i.e. cost of providing equipment to everyone only generates a small pool of people who might not otherwise have become interested in the topic) it is still cool to see an organization, country, etc. do this.

 

We've got to expose our kids to as much as we can. We don't know what will stick but man when they do take off with something, what an awesome thing.

Oh, I applaud the BBC for doing this and I agree that despite *every* child getting one of these, only a (comparative) handful will actively continue using them beyond day one. Those who *do* stick with it, will potentially have a bright outlook in the field of electronics and programming.

 

Just look at the original 1982 push. Despite IT becoming a permanent addition to the school curriculum because of the BBC's fantastic efforts, I still meet people my age and younger who are baffled (or even afraid of) anything more complicated than a basic calculator.

 

I've seen 20 year old Electrical (not electronic) Engineers complain their wireless mouse wouldn't work, only to walk up and remove the transceiver from underneath the mouse and plug it into a USB port FOR them. You'd think a 20 year old would've had enough exposure to PCs and peripherals in school or at home to instinctively KNOW a wireless mouse usually comes with an accompanying dongle but no, the educational system had failed him. The guy was attending courses to gain honours in Electrical Engineering but didn't even realise there needed to be some way of passing data to and from his PC. Instead, he flailed the mouse around on his desk for 5 minutes before turning to me for help. I [sort of] expect elders to be mystified by these "modern" computers but there's no excuse for 20-somethings to be afraid of tech.

 

As I said earlier, I always anticipated the UK job-market being swamped with IT engineers and to the best of my knowledge, this never happened. I think you must need the correct gene to want to be interested in this stuff. Creative types certainly show interest. Curious types too.

 

There must be something which made all of us here on AtariAge interested in computers initially and got us completely hooked for the last 30 years. If the BBC can figure what this something is, they could use this data to ensure they only give these devices to those who will take them and run, rather than throw tens of thousands of them against a wall just to see which stick!

Edited March 15, 2015 by UKRetrogamer

[Omega-TI]

... rather than throw tens of thousands of them against a wall just to see which stick!

 

I'm thinking Ebay will have a lot of these show up after the novelty wears off. If there are enough of them floating around the hobbyist types might a get a few good deals.

[Opry99er]

Small micro boards are cool. Not too thrilled about the language/compilation/extension libraries bit... Would be cool to see BASIC on it.

 

BASIC, as stated above, is extremely powerful. Many view it as slow because of our double interpreted TI BASIC, but that makes about as much sense as saying "all cars are slow" just because you drive a 4 cylinder Hyundai.

 

Anyway, I applaud the effort... Just hope it does get kids into programming.

 

As for my 6 year old son, he thinks FACEMAKER is the coolest thing in the world and loves "programming" his faces to smile, raise eyebrows, etc. If that gets him interested in code, then I am a fan.

 

He likes it because in a few keystrokes, he can make the TI "do something" at his command. That's what motivates kids. That's why I love my BASIC programming.

[+Vorticon]

Hey! My first car was a 4 cylinder Hyundai hatchback. It was certainly fast enough unless I had the air conditioning on . I remember hitting 100 mph with it on a road trip: quite the hair raising experience for sure... One small bump and I'm sure it would have gone airborne!

[Opry99er]

LOL... I was gonna say "Yugo" but I didnt want my silver and black to be in any way shape or form compared (directly or indirectly) with a Yugo.