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Eora Duck Hunt - Small Basic Featured Game

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New game in Jibba Jabba's words:

 

It only runs locally, NOT in the browser. You can import using id  XCC705-1

Or here's the browser link for a quick look, but it won't run in the browser:  http://smallbasic.com/program/?XCC705-1

It's called Eora Duck Hunt because that's the Australian Aboriginal language group I belong to. It also shares an important part of our Lore in regard to hunting. The game gui also has 3 circles drawn it. This is a sacred map that belongs to me, my family and the "Dreamers" and some elders. The map can only be understood by a few people this is because you can only gain access to this knowledge by traditional rites of passage, i.e. boys to men. To speak of these things would be the equivalent  of doing a child's homework for them and depriving them of their rite to an independent and unindoctrinated adult life. They have to do it themselves.

The red line represents the Great Snake.

I hope to post future games I write on indigenous websites whereby the games communicate important traditional knowledge to kids that it maybe relevant and vital to. The songlines were and still are our internet. But this is something new.

Here's a link to what I'm talking about: http://www.turtleisland.org/culture/computersports.htm  

Thanks for the opportunity to share

 

===========================

 

And thank you, Jibba Jabba, for this fantastic game!

   - Ninja Ed


You could be September's Small Basic Guru!

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You could be September's TechNet Guru! Turbo charge your CV with awards and interviews! Get noticed!                                 

 

Show us your forum solutions or drop us some nifty snippets and become MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY GURU OF THE MONTH!

This is an official Microsoft TechNet recognition, where people such as yourselves can truly get noticed!

 

If you spend any amount of time crafting an awesome answer to a forum question, or just learnt something new, then why not get the most back for your efforts, by posting it to TechNet Wiki.

 

1) Please copy over any solutions and revelations to TechNet Wiki.

2) Add a link to it on THIS WIKI PAGE, so we know you've contributed

3) Every month, we will highlight your contributions, and select a "Guru of the Month" in each technology.

 

If you win, we will sing your praises, similar to the weekly contributor awards, however once "on our radar" and making your mark, you will probably be interviewed for your greatness, and eventually even invited into other TechNet/MSDN circles!

 

Either way, winning this award in your favoured technology can only be very good for your career! ;)

 

Feel free to ask any questions below or in this forum thread:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/4bee17ef-aeeb-48ff-b05c-35c0ad537109/you-could-be-septembers-technet-guru-turbo-charge-your-cv-with-awards-and-interviews-get-noticed 

 

Thanks!

   - Ninja Ed

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Small Basic Challenges of the Month - September 2013

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These challenges are intended for people who are learning to program for the first time or for those returning to programming who want to start using Small Basic.  Some will be easy, some will be hard - but they will all make you think, and more importantly be GREAT FUN!

Please post your solutions / partial solutions / questions / feedback etc. into this thread that will remain 'sticky' for the month.  The only rule is that your solution must use standard SmallBasic methods (no extensions).

It would be good if people could post their problems with these challenges so that a discussion can start so that everyone can learn from each other.

Also post feedback on the kind of challenges that you want to see more of in the future.

Curriculum Challenge 2.3

  1. Draw a face using ellipses.
  2. Animate the face to move on the screen.
  3. Make a collage picture using all of the shapes (line, rectangle, ellipse, image, text and triangle) added at random positions, with random opacity, color, rotation and zoom.  Consider using the Timer to create the shapes.
  4. Use the pen width and colour to create a gray car wheel with a black tire.
  5. Make an animated scrolling text program.  If you want a harder challenge, move the text in a curve.

Basic Challenges

  1. Write a program to calculate triangular numbers (1,3,6,10...)
  2. Write a program to read data in from the GraphicsWindow.  You should have a TextBox and Button to get the entry.  Save the entered data in an array which you can save to a file or output to a multi-line textbox.
  3. Write a program to read some text and replace all capital letters with a * character.
  4. Write a program to convert currencies, graphical or text based.  Perhaps use a file to store current exchange rates.

Physics Challenge

Make a pendulum that swings as accurately as possible.

Game Challenge

Write a Atari missile command game.


Stack Challenge

Write a simple TextWindow based calculator using the stack using the ideas below.

Add (push) input to a stack.

If the stack has 3 entries then

  1. Get (pop) the 3 entries.
  2. Assume the 1st and 3rd are numbers and the 2nd is an operator (+ - * /).
  3. Do the sum and write some output.
  4. Put the result on the stack (push) and wait for more entry.

You could add some error checking for step 2.

 

Community Suggestion 1 (8 Bit Pony & Jibba Jabba)

Create a basic webpage with the shapes commands.

  1.     Create a form that allows users to post feedback on the website.
  2.     Create a log of hits on the site and log what they clicked on, then generate a summary of activity
  3.     Create an online database of member details, a mini address book. (arrays practice)
  4.     Create an online mini diary/journal that signed up visitors can use (secure w/password)
  5.     Write the diary entries to file and maybe create a lookup form

Community Suggestion 2 (By Nonki)

  1. Make a subroutine to write text with format such as "#,##0.0".  This subroutine has two parameters a format (i.e. "##" ) and a number (i.e. 9).  And it write a formatted number (i.e. " 9") to TextWindow screen.
  2. Make a GUI for a cue of billiard.  You may use mouse click, mouse drag or something else.

 

You can participate in the challenge in this forum thread: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/3d5ba392-4e7c-4bc2-8180-034b258eea5b/challenge-of-the-month-september-2013

 

 

Thanks!

   - Ninja Ed

A Missile Commander Game - Small Basic Featured Program

Small Basic Guru in August - Nonki's "Small Basic: Parser Generator"

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Congrats to Nonki for winning the Small Basic Guru gold medal for August:

 

Guru Award Small Basic Technical Guru - August 2013  

Gold Award Winner

 

Nonki TakahashiSmall Basic: Parser GeneratorPeter Laker: "There can only be one...!"
Ed Price: "Wow. Those diagrams leave me speechless. One article, and it's amazing! Fantastic job!"
RZ: "It's very nicely done. Beautiful diagram. It is really helpful for new comers to programming."

Nuff said in the comments I think! Thank you Nonki for supporting this category for August!

 

What's a Parser?

Parser is a program which analyzes program language syntax and does something. That will be a compiler, an interpreter, a program formatter, a program converter, or etc.

For example, calculator accepts expressions for it's input.  The expression will be analyzed as follows.  That is parsing. 

Read the full article here:

Small Basic: Parser Generator

 

Thanks to Nonki for contributing the great article!

- Ninja Ed

Swinging Pendulum - Small Basic Physics Challenge

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Today's featured program is a missile commander game from NaochanON

Here's the game:  FWR293-1

This was one of the September Small Basic Challenges...

                    

Physics Challenge

Make a pendulum that swings as accurately as possible

 

Using your mouse, click and hold the yellow circle, move it, release it.   * Acceleration arrow image is added.

 

What do you think? Did you try it? The string doesn't stay on for me.

Thanks to NaochanON for this cool physics program! 

   - Ninja Ed

 

Small Basic FAQ - Featured Article

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Find the latest and complete article here: Small Basic FAQ

The original content comes from the Small Basic founder, Vijaye.

 

Read these frequently asked questions (FAQ) to learn more about Small Basic and if it's the right program for you!

 

What is Small Basic?

Small Basic is a project that is focused at making programming accessible and easy for beginners. It consists of three distinct pieces:

  • The Language
  • The Programming Environment
  • Libraries

The Language draws its inspiration from an early variant of BASIC but is based on the modern .NET Framework platform. The Environment is simple but rich in features, offering beginners several of the benefits that professional programmers have come to expect. A rich set of Libraries help beginners learn by writing compelling and interesting programs.

Who is Small Basic for?

Small Basic is intended for beginners that want to learn programming. In our internal trials we've had success with kids between the ages of 10 and 16. However, it's not limited to just kids; even adults that had an inclination to programming have found Small Basic very helpful in taking that first step.

What are the system requirements?

To install Small Basic, you have to be running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7.

You also need to be sure that you have Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installed on your computer.

How do I learn Small Basic?

Download and install the Small Basic software. You can then use the friendly Getting Started Guide to help you get started with Small Basic. We also provide a free teaching curriculum that you can use in class or on your own to learn Small Basic.

What about the other "Small Basic?"

We noticed there’s another version of "Small Basic " out there. Other than the naming coincidence, our version of Small Basic doesn't have anything to do with this other version.

How is it different from QBASIC?

  • Unlike QBASIC, Small Basic is based on .Net and can consume (not produce) "Objects".
  • It supports distinct Operations, Properties and Events.
  • It doesn't have GOSUB :)

How is it different from VB.NET?

  • Small Basic is small - much smaller than VB and supports just a subset of what VB.NET supports.
  • Small Basic is a tool for learning to program. VB.NET is a professional development tool that you can for commercial software development projects.

What are the unique features of the Small Basic language?

  • Imperative
    Just like the early variants of BASIC, Small Basic is imperative and doesn't use or expose beginners to concepts like scopes, types, object orientation, and more.
  • Size
    The Small Basic language consists of just 14 keywords.
  • Type System
    There actually isn't one. You can create string and numeric constants and assign them to variables. Operations performed on these variables will be interpreted according to the content.
  • Variables
    All variables are global and are always initialized. They can be used before they're assigned.
  • Events
    You can create a sub-routine and assign it to an event. This will wire the it up to an the event.
  • Libraries
    The libraries provide static "Objects" that group operations, properties and events. New libraries can be created using other .Net Languages and added to the Small Basic runtime.

What about KPL?

KPL (now known as Phrogram) was a great concept that used to focus purely on beginners (and hence the name, Kids Programming Language). In the last couple years, it seems to have now extended its vision to support intermediate and advanced users too. Small Basic focus purely on the beginners; there are tons of other options for the intermediate and advanced users.

What are the limitations of Small Basic?

We wanted to keep Small Basic as small and intuitive as possible. We felt that it's okay to limit Small Basic from being the language of choice for solving every conceivable problem. For example, while it's theoretically possible to write a Small Basic compiler using Small Basic, it's probably not a good idea.

What is the extensibility story?

The Small Basic compiler and the environment allow 3rd party Small Basic libraries to be plugged in to extend the possibilities of what you can do from within Small Basic. We'll post more on how to achieve this on the Small Basic Blog . See the Small Basic Extensions Gallery .

What is the strategy for the language?

One of the most important visions of this project is to focus on the beginner persona. This is very important for us and we've so far successfully avoided the temptation to add any feature that doesn't cater to this persona. For example, Small Basic isn't going to start supporting Generics any time soon. :)

 

 

Find the latest and complete article here: Small Basic FAQ 

Thanks for reading!

   - Ninja Ed

 

October 2013 - Small Basic Community Challenges!!!

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Go share your results in this forum thread from LitDev:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/ad1e68b2-6b36-467f-b6c3-20671b0fd8e9/challenge-of-the-month-october-2013

 

 

These challenges are intended for people who are learning to program for the first time or for those returning to programming who want to start using SmallBasic.  Some will be easy, some will be hard - but they will all make you think, and more importantly be GREAT FUN!

Please post your solutions / partial solutions / questions / feedback etc. into this thread that will remain 'sticky' for the month.  The only rule is that your solution must use standard SmallBasic methods (no extensions).

It would be good if people could post their problems with these challenges so that a discussion can start so that everyone can learn from each other.

Also post feedback on the kind of challenges that you want to see more of in the future.

Curriculum Challenges 2.4

  1. Play 'Jingle Bells' with the Sound object (Sound object)
  2. Read and Save a set of musical notes to a file that can be played (Program and File objects).
  3. Save the notes in a format of your choice that can be modified outside Small Basic (Text object).  The program must be able to read this format and convert to variables that can be played using the Sound object.

 

Maths Challenges

  1. (Easier) Write a program to calculate the mean, mode and median of a set of integers.  Try to make it as efficient as possible.
  2. (Harder) I have 12 steps, and I can go down them in steps of 1 or 2.  How many different ways could I go down the steps.  For example I could take 12 single steps (1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1) , 6 double steps (2-2-2-2-2-2), 1-2-2-1-2-1-1-2 or any other combination.

 

Graphics Challenges

  1. Draw a pizza with lots of toppings - you could let the user select and add their choice of topping.
  2. Make a fancy graphical 'progress bar' that updates using the Timer.

 

Text Challenges

  1. (Easier) Write a program to read the day, month and year from a user and write it out to the TextWindow, formatted in nice colours.
  2. (Harder) Write an email verification program.

 

The email address must:

• Start with a string of alphanumeric characters
• followed by the @ symbol
• another string of alphanumeric characters
• followed by a “ . ”
• then a string of alphanumeric characters.

a@b.c and ab23@f45.d3 are both valid
but @bc.d and 123.c@cvb are not valid

Physics Challenge

Write a program that realistically floats a cube on some water if the user enters the density of the cube.  Assume the water has density 1000 kg/m3.  If you want it harder, do it also for a sphere (Hint).

Game Challenges

  1. (Easier) Write a 'estimate the time interval' game.  When the user presses a START button the program will display a time in seconds (5 to 15 seconds).  The user then must estimate when the time is up and press a STOP button.  If they are within 1 second they get a point.
  2. (Harder) Make a 'Puzzle Bobble' game.

 

Community Suggestions (by Papa Lapup)

Some tougher challenges for you to work on - perhaps contribute discussions on these challenges to help each other.

For TextWIndow (TW)

1. Show a simple graph for a simple function (with value table) in TW with eg. '*' or '.' Regular coord system can be 90° rotated. (perhaps more easy). Ymin and Ymax should fit in width of TW then (within choosable limits Xmin and Xmax). eg TWGraph.exe "f(x)" Xmin Xmax

2. Write a simple Month Calendar in TW (Sample Img in vbs but should also be possible in SB)

TWCalendar

For GraphicsWindow (GW)

1. Once saw a fascinating and surprising animation of an 'useless mechanical chain reaction' in a kind of alchemy laboratory or witch kitchen background, which should be possible in SB (for advanced users) I think with simpler objects (domino, seesaw, coil spring, inclined plane, pendulum, free fall, etc). Why do something the simple way if it's also possible complicated and tedious?

Rube Goldberg machine (Rube Goldberg machine or Rube Goldberg)

2. Write a flat-directory viewer for selectable folder (e.g. Subs in IE-Cache in LocAppData\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5) and show only 'SubDirName\File.ext' in MultiLineTextBox line by line. Unfortunately no Ext allowed, but can later be replaced with eg. LDListBox to select file and perform action on it.

Do you have an idea for a future challenge? Please post it in this forum thread:

 http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/ad1e68b2-6b36-467f-b6c3-20671b0fd8e9/challenge-of-the-month-october-2013

 

 

Go community, go!

   - Ninja Ed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Dirtbike Game from Zock77 - Small Basic Featured Program

Beginning Small Basic - Review by Anne from Upstate Ramblings

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It's time for a guest blogger!

 

Today's guest blogger is Anne from Upstate Ramblings! Her 13-year-old son taught himself with the curriculum. In Anne's words...

 

Computer programming is a skill that is great for everyone to learn.  Not everyone is meant to be a programmer, but computers are so important today that I think everyone should have some appreciation of how they work.  So I was glad to have my thirteen year old son try out a product from Computer Science for Kids

 photo ComputerScienceForKidsProgrammingTutorialsLogo_zps071e1e50.jpg Now computer programming is something my family has a fair bit of experience with.  My husband and I both have degrees in computer engineering, and my mother was a computer programmer way back in the late 1950s!  When my mom programmed she used machine language with ‘1’s and ‘0’s, but luckily there are much easier ways to program now.  My son got to try out programming in Basic, with the Beginning Microsoft Small Basic curriculum.  This is designed for children ages 10+ as an introduction to a simple, yet powerful programming language.

 

 photo Beginning-Microsoft-Small-Basic-1937161196-By-Philip-Conrod-and-Lou-Tylee-Cover-Small_zpsb94fb127.jpgThis guide consists of 11 chapters, which consist of over 500 pages, explaining how to build Small Basic applications. Some of the programs that kids will create include a savings calculator, a number guessing game, a card game and simple drawing programs.

My son had programmed in Visual Basic, which is a similar language, before.  So he found parts of the program easy, especially at the beginning.  He finished 8 of the 11 sections during the review period.  The designers of the curriculum say you should allow 3-6 hours per chapter, and my son was able to complete them in about 1-2 hours each. But one of the nice things about this program is that it is self-paced, so you can take as long as you need to work through the examples and create the programs.

He enjoyed using the program and found it very user friendly. We chose not to print out the guide, since it is over 500 pages long. Instead he read through the pdf in one window and ran the programs in another window.  I like the fact that the curriculum covers more than just simple concepts.  It introduces arrays and looping, which are crucial for more complicated programs.  It also covers graphics, which of course is fun for the kids.  Here is a screen shot from the war card game program.

sb1

This program requires some relatively complicated data structures to store the card values and shuffle the cards.  Understanding how to use variables in arrays is probably one of the harder concepts to learn in beginning programing, so it is nice to see it covered here.  Right now this program only goes through the deck one time, and my son wants to modify it so that it reshuffles like a real war game would.  There are lots of suggestions in the book for ways to extend the programs, which are perfect for a child who is motivated.

I didn’t have to do much to help my son with this course, although there were a few times where he asked for help understanding the error messages he was getting.  We both thought this curriculum provides an excellent introduction to computer programming that isn’t overly difficult for a beginner, but still provides plenty of challenge.

 

 

Thanks to Phil Conrod and to Anne from Upstate Ramblings!

   - Ninja Ed

Small Basic Monthly Challenges for November 2013

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Thanks to LitDev for hosting the monthly challenges!

These challenges are intended for people who are learning to program for the first time or for those returning to programming who want to start using SmallBasic.  Some will be easy, some will be hard - but they will all make you think, and more importantly be GREAT FUN!

Please post your solutions / partial solutions / questions / feedback etc. into this thread that will remain 'sticky' for the month.  The only rule is that your solution must use standard SmallBasic methods (no extensions).

It would be good if people could post their problems with these challenges in this forum thread so that a discussion can start so that everyone can learn from each other.

Also post feedback on the kind of challenges that you want to see more of in the future.

Curriculum Challenges 2.5

  1. Use the Clock to time user response times when a box is flashed up on the GraphicsWindow.
  2. Use the Clock properties say good morning, afternoon, even or night in the TextWindow
  3. Use the Dictionary to say if a user entered word can be used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective etc.

Maths Challenges

  1. Write a program to rationalize any fraction, for example 35/70 is 7/10.

Graphics Challenges

  1. Write a graphical program to count your calories by selecting foods and portion sizes.
  2. Write a program to show a face that can be modified by selecting properties and styles (a bit like a Wii Mii).

Text Challenges

  1. Reverse the characters in a text string.
  2. Change the first letter of each word in a string to a capital letter.
  3. Validate a password has at least 6 characters, has upper and lower case letters and at least one number

Physics Challenges

  1. Write a program to simulate a ball rolling on a table that can be tilted by the user.

Game Challenges

  1. Write a clone of the Connect 4 game for 2 players (or harder using AI to play against the PC).

Community Suggestions (by Nonki)

  1. Write truth tables about Not, And, Or, and Xor.
  2. Draw a picture of the Olympic flag.
  3. Simulate a kaleidoscope.

 

Community Suggestions (by 8Bit Pony)

  1. Make a program that counts how many times a button on the Graphics window has been clicked.  For an extra challenge, make the program count how many times the button was clicked in One minute.

 

Do you have an idea for a future challenge? Please post it in this forum thread!


 

Thank you to the community. Now go have fun! We already have a few responses!

   - Ninja Ed

November on MSDN: Calling All Small Basic Gurus - Enlighten Us!

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"An influential teacher, or popular expert"

 

Only YOU can show us... the TRUE WAY to code!

 

Win the love and adoration of generations to come, by giving something back to those less awesome.

Show your technical prowess, and divine knowledge of your craft.

Teach us good code from bad.

Show us the way (or the work-around)

We can offer you the very best platform that you need to preach these good words.

Join us and lead this technical community in a whole new way, into a brighter future!

 

Become a TechNet Guru and you may find your own life also significantly enriched!

Win awards, interviews, invites, reviews, medals, friends, recognition points, high fives, hugs, smiles, and so much more!

 

All you have to do is add an article to TechNet Wiki from your own specialist field. Something that fits into one of the categories listed on the submissions page. Copy in your own blog posts, a forum solution, a white paper, or just something you had to solve for your own day's work today.

 

Drop us some nifty knowledge, or superb snippets, and become MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY GURU OF THE MONTH!

This is an official Microsoft TechNet recognition, where people such as yourselves can truly get noticed!

 

HOW TO WIN

 

1) Please copy over your Microsoft technical solutions and revelations to TechNet Wiki.

2) Add a link to it on THIS WIKI COMPETITION PAGE (so we know you've contributed)

3) Every month, we will highlight your contributions, and select a "Guru of the Month" in each technology.

 

If you win, we will sing your praises in blogs and forums, similar to the weekly contributor awards. Once "on our radar" and making your mark, you will probably be interviewed for your greatness, and maybe eventually even invited into other inner TechNet/MSDN circles!

 

Winning this award in your favoured technology at least once is fast becoming a MUST HAVE!

 

Thank you for your participation!

   - Ninja Ed

Small Basic Gurus - Winners for October 2013

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Guru Award Small Basic Technical Guru - October 2013  

Gold Award Winner

 

Nonki TakahashiSmall Basic: How to Rotate a Shape Not from the CenterRZ: "This is a very nicely done example showcasing the capabilities of GraphicsWindow"
Ed Price: "Nonki scores again, with another fantastic article! This one goes in depth in rotating objects, including great diagrams to explain the concepts clearly!"

Silver Award Winner

 

litdevSmall Basic: Grammar BasicsEd Price: "All three articles this month have fantastic formatting! LitDev's article digs into the core language elements. Jibba Jabba says in the comments: "It's good to know the language of programmers because every book you read on programming uses these terms. ""
RZ: "Good introduction. Well organized."

Bronze Award Winner

 

Florian AuerSmall Basic: Read and Write CSV FilesEd Price: "Florian's first article features flawless formatting and a great scenario! Jibba Jabba wrote in the comments: "Excellent article. Really helpful stuff." "
RZ: "Very good examples, with nice comments to go with code."

Three Small Basic warriors, three great articles! Thanks and congratulations!

 

More about the TechNet Guru Awards:

Why Small Basic is a great programming language for kids and beginners - By Joe Dwyer

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From Joe Dwyer:

"Small Basic is a very simple, fully functional, programming language, created as an offshoot of the BASIC programming language which has been around for decades. The simplicity of it makes it a great choice for kids and beginners to learn how to program a computer.

"Small Basic has all the tools needed to create useful programs, but not much more. As a beginner learning to code, you can focus on the core concepts and not worry about all the extras that professional level programming languages contain. Small Basic has capabilities to handle user input, drawing, mathematics, file I/O, etc. It also forces the user to program using statements and terminology that are similar to enterprise level languages. As a beginning programmer this is important because it allows the student to understand the terminology, but focus on learning to program and the core concepts involved."

 

You can read the rest on his blog here:

Why Small Basic is a great programming language for kids and beginners

 

 

And see if you're interested in Joe's book...

 

Principles of Programming is available on Amazon.com. It uses Small Basic to teach basic concepts of programming for kids and beginners.

 

Enjoy!

   - Ninja Ed

YAMP (Yet Another Maze Program) - Small Basic Featured Game

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It doesn't run in the Web Browser, so you'll need to import it to run it locally (ID RKF190).

It's a simple maze generator (game!!!) which he created simply as an exercise to try out Small Basic.

You can see it load and get the code here: http://smallbasic.com/smallbasic.com/program/?RKF190

 

Thanks to Kensig (who is retired) for learning Small Basic and creating this maze!

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/profile/kensig/

Kensig's avatar

About Kensig: As I am old (really, really old) There just in not enough space to put my history into here. However, if I tell you I started out in computers hand coding onto punch tape the code for the 4004/4040 ( 4 bit CPU) you might have some idea of my history. ;) Having been adrift from programming for quite some years, I'm easing myself back into it by seeing what I can do with Small Basic.

 

Well thank you to Kensig for giving Small Basic a try as you ease back into programming!

   - Ninja Ed 

 


What was your first programming language? - Poll by Joe Dwyer

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My first programming language was BASIC. I took a class at Fullerton College. All I knew at that point was that I wanted to make games and software. So I was learning everything I could. I started with BASIC, but I wish Small Basic was around back then. I would have taught myself (saved some money) and had a blast in the process!

So what was your first programming language?

 

Take Joe's poll here:

 

http://www.onewaylogic.com/blogs/news/10157469-what-was-your-first-programming-language

 

 

If you learned using Small Basic, I'd still check the BASIC box, but it's up to you. =^)

 

You might want to check out Joe's Principles of Programming, which is available on Amazon.com. It uses Small Basic to teach basic concepts of programming for kids and beginners.

Connecting Four Circles - Small Basic Featured Game

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This came from the November challenges:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/eb13e8a4-4826-4709-8b49-3767ea9df415/challenge-of-the-month-november-2013?forum=smallbasic

Game Challenge

  1. Write a clone of the Connect 4 game for 2 players (or harder using AI to play against the PC).

 

Nonki Takahashi went to work on it (final game: LSM678-6). Here is the story of his progression...

 

Thursday, November 07, 2013 12:45 PM

Nonki started the game challenge: LSM678.

Screen shot of a program Connect Four 0.1a

 

Sunday, November 10, 2013 12:18 PM

Next came a demo version of game challenge: LSM678-0.

Nonki made a png file with GIMP 2 from a screen shot of the previous version of this program.

Screen shot of a program Connect Four 0.2a

 

Monday, November 11, 2013 6:13 AM

Next, Nonki added a check routine for four straightly connected same color disks: LSM678-1.

But you can not play a game with this program yet...

Screen shot of a program Connect Four 0.3a

 

Monday, November 11, 2013 9:17 AM

Nonki rewrote the game AI (very weak) for a vs human mode: LSM678-3.

Screen shot of a program Connect Four 0.5b

Nonki wrote the logic for Draw, but there is a bug...

 

Great job, Nonki! The AI is a little easy, but it's still very addicting!

Nonki responded in the comments with the latest version of this game:

http://smallbasic.com/program/?LSM678-6

 

Great improvements! The UI is much more of a challenge now! 

    - Ninja Ed

Small Basic December 2013 Challenges!!!

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These challenges are intended for people who are learning to program for the first time or for those returning to programming who want to start using SmallBasic.  Some will be easy, some will be hard - but they will all make you think, and more importantly be GREAT FUN!

Please post your solutions / partial solutions / questions / feedback etc. into this thread that will remain 'sticky' for the month.  The only rule is that your solution must use standard SmallBasic methods (no extensions).

It would be good if people could post their problems with these challenges so that a discussion can start so that everyone can learn from each other.

Also post feedback on the kind of challenges that you want to see more of in the future.

Curriculum Challenges 2.6

  1. Write a program to display 9 Flickr images in a 3 by 3 grid scaled to fit in a grid within the GraphicsWindow.
  2. Load the 9 Flickr images into an array of ImageList objects and then show one of the images to fill the GraphicsWindow when the user clicks one of the 9 images.
  3. Make a program that continuously scrolls Flickr images from left to right continuously downloading images - make it as smooth as possible.

 

Text Challenges

  1. Draw a face in the TextWindow.  Consider using colours (TextWIndow.ForegroundColor and TextWindow.BackgroundColor), suitable characters (Text.GetCharacter) and careful positioning (TextWindow.CursorLeft and TextWindow.CursorRight).

 

 

Graphical Challenges

  1. Write a program that show a reflection of a picture you draw.
  2. Draw a snowflake with 6 sided symmetry.

 

 

Maths Challenges

  1. Write a program to calculate the largest number of prime numbers in 1 minute.

 

 

Physics Challenges

  1. Write a program to simulate a hot air balloon.  Perhaps include a burner. 
  • The balloon goes up when the total displaced mass of air is greater than the mass of the balloon+basket (Buoyancy).  See here, here or here for some ideas.
  • The mass of air in the balloon goes down when it is heated (Thermal expansion).
  • The air in the balloon slowly cools with time (Conduction, Convection).
  • As we go higher the air thins and the mass of air displaced goes down (The balloon has an altitude limit).

 

 

Game Challenge

  1. Write a clone of the Simon game.

 

Community Suggestions (by Anthony Yarrell)

  1. Implement the ROT-13 substitution cypher using Small Basic. For those who are interested, check out the Wikipedia page for ROT-13 which gives lots of details for how it works.

 

Community Suggestions (by Nonki)

  1. Calculate the frequency of other pitches while pitch A is 440.00Hz.
  2. Create a control called "Radio Button".
  3. Develop an operation between colors.

 

Community Suggestions (by Jibba Jabba)

  1. Build an extensible drop-down menu

 

Do you have an idea for a future challenge? Please post it in the forum thread!

 

Thanks to LitDev for hosting another great set of challenges!

   - Ninja Ed

 

Small Basic Featured Article - How to Rotate a Shape Not from the Center

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Today's featured article is the Small Basic Guru gold medal winner for October!

 

Small Basic: How to Rotate a Shape Not from the Center

By Nonki Takahashi
December 8, 2013

This article shows how to rotate a shape not from it's center in Small Basic programming language.  Because Shapes.Rotate() rotates a shape from the center of the shape. This is a simple analog stop watch which have a second hand.  This second hand is a rectangle. This rectangle is rotated not from it's center. In line 24, this rectangle is rotated.  But after that...

Excerpt:

So, the most important part is from which point you should move the rectangle.  The following picture shows the rectangle before rotation.

If you'd like to rotate this rectangle from the rotation center (the red point), you should move this rectangle as following, using the green arrow.

 

Read the rest here:

 

Small Basic: How to Rotate a Shape Not from the Center

 

Special thanks to Nonki and for this great contribution!

   - Ninja Ed

December 2013 Small Basic Guru - Give the Gift of Knowledge

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It's that time of the year again!

It's Giving time!

A time to think of those less awesome than you.

A time to give something back to the community.

Think of those happy faces you will make, as they open that article!

Remember, "A TechNet Wiki article is not just for Christmas, it's for eternity"!!!

A TechNet article is the gift that keeps on giving!

If you have some spare over this upcoming festive month, please give the gift of code.

So please wrap up some code with plenty of explanation and pop it under our TechNet tree!

 

 

All you have to do is add an article to TechNet Wiki about Small Basic. Copy in your own blog posts, a forum solution, a white paper, or just something you had to solve for your own day's work today.

 

Drop us some nifty knowledge, or superb snippets, and become the SMALL BASIC GURU OF THE MONTH!

This is an official Microsoft TechNet recognition, where people such as yourselves can truly get noticed!

 

HOW TO WIN

1) Please copy over your Microsoft technical solutions and revelations to TechNet Wiki.

2) Add a link to it on THIS WIKI COMPETITION PAGE (so we know you've contributed)

3) Every month, we will highlight your contributions, and select a "Guru of the Month" in each technology.

 

If you win, we will sing your praises in blogs and forums, similar to the weekly contributor awards. Once "on our radar" and making your mark, you will probably be interviewed for your greatness, and maybe eventually even invited into other inner TechNet/MSDN circles!

 

Winning this award in your favoured technology will help us learn the active members in each community.

 

More about TechNet Guru Awards

 

Have fun with it!

   - Ninja Ed

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