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Poppy

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Joined: 25/07/2019
Location: Germany
Posts: 486

Posted: 02:46pm 18 Oct 2019

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Anyone around having done it yet?

http://basicengine.org/

based on ESP8266

Quote The BASIC Engine is a very low-cost single-board home computer with advanced 2D color graphics and sound capabilities, roughly comparable to late-1980s or early-1990s computers and video game consoles. It can be built at home without special skills or tools and using readily available components for under 10 Euros in parts, or mass-produced for even less.

Andre ... such a GURU?

Volhout
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Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
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Posted: 07:40pm 18 Oct 2019

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Yeah, saw it.

It is a nice project, the history is interesting. He wants to makes something cheap for the masses.
His first idea was way better, use something people already have to teach something new. The latest single board, how ingenious put Together, needs lots of stuff to become a teaching system. Keyborad, controller, analog tv, power brick. What is this different from a 5 dollar pi zero with retro pi software? The connectors ?

I may be sceptical, but if you really want to pull this off, you may be better served with a good basicinterpreter on a laptop, and a good way to provide gpio. Something like an arduino nano, just as usb powered and controlled gpio, with seemless support in the basic interpreter, as if the arduino was a parallel printer port like the old days.

The laptop or pc is something people could have, the addition costs near to nothing.

Maybe an idea for mmbasic dos version?
Edited 2019-10-19 05:42 by Volhout

PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS

TassyJim

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Joined: 07/08/2011
Location: Australia
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Posted: 12:04am 19 Oct 2019

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Yet another interesting project.

I am very interested in the VS23S010D with integrated video controller.

The more options there are for retro computing the more programmers there will be coding the golden oldies again.

It does spread the users thinly but provided the underlying Basic is similar, code can usually be ported relatively easily.

Which platform works best will be different depending on the use it is put to.
Maximite started of as a retro PC and morphed into an embedded controller.
Then as our eyesight fades, we want bigger and bigger displays.

Jim

VK7JH
MMedit MMBasic Help

Poppy

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Joined: 25/07/2019
Location: Germany
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Posted: 12:49am 19 Oct 2019

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Interesting aspects!

I think that all these "golden oldies" are less Oldies, than more just real general Goldies for getting into coding and electronics easily, Arduinos and C are much more complicated for naive beginners though being cheaper and well-established.

I rather call them classic but still actually updated and "basically" relevant (incl. Maxi-/Micromites, Picaxe etc.)
The chips are (more or less) up-to-date and "C" for example is also an "old language", just a few years younger than BASIC.

Generally I believe as well:

"TassyJim" said The more options there are [...] the more programmers there will be

... and from more options more experiences and therefore further evolution can happen.

As an example for what we really do not need is the new launch of the Commodore 64 (for Germany in December), this really is retro stuff for just nostalgic purpose without any value exceeding a retro-game-console and therefore useless compared to a RetroPi.

Andre ... such a GURU?

Cyber

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Joined: 13/01/2019
Location: Ukraine
Posts: 161

Posted: 05:44am 19 Oct 2019

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Volhout said His first idea was way better, use something people already have to teach something new.

What was his first idea?

Volhout
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Posted: 07:22am 19 Oct 2019

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@cyber: original idea was to make a cartridege for a game console, the famicom. Never popular in Europe, but apparently so in other parts of the world. Give a second purpose to something present already, or, if bought new, it has a second use in case it is not a success, or is outgrown.

Recently checked the picaxe site. Is it all but dead? The site is up, but it feels like nothing is happening anymore. I saw that one of my projects gained an award. A project from 5 years ago or so. No new entries, no new projects. Even the forum actvities are almost none.

An era gone by...

PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS

Volhout
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Posted: 07:23am 19 Oct 2019

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Poppy

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Joined: 25/07/2019
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Posted: 08:03am 19 Oct 2019

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Quote Recently checked the picaxe site. Is it all but dead? The site is up, but it feels like nothing is happening anymore

The Forum is still showing some current activity, "isolatedly bubbling" just like here!

An "era" is usually only depending on its popularity grounded on its "marketing", so it only depends on how much an issue is actively spread (this stupid viral thing).

That is why the Arduino and Pi will be called an era as well, but we can not know what the next generation of users (let�s say in 10 years) will be hooked on.

Particularly the BASIC issue depends on its further active inheritance for being a memetic and therefore having a practical future value.

Simply said it depends an all those who develop these great projects generally from Geoff, through Peter to all ARM, Pi, ESP and whatever things ... and those who go on evolving something from this ... and also those of us who communicate what they are practically doing with it, just giving inspiration.

Coming back to BASIC, I just like it for being a (social) phenomenon, actually if you learned how to code generally it does not really matter in what language, but I still think all things like this give more options to all beginners.

Andre ... such a GURU?

zeitfest
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Joined: 31/07/2019
Location: Australia
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Posted: 12:26pm 19 Oct 2019

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The current newbies are cutting their teeth on the Cloud, things like Typescript and similiar software ecosystems eg Node.js, Angular, Azure, etc, etc, etc.
If you want a more recent embedded language you might try microPython or similar, I think it runs on many STM boards, seems popular. (Havent tried it) Don't know if there is a pic microchip version though.

Poppy

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Joined: 25/07/2019
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Posted: 01:41pm 19 Oct 2019

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Thanks for the information that brings me back to the "the more options" issue ...

I think �Python could be the next easy choice from all other popular languages, quite similarly basic to code ... like BASIC.

... specifically thinking of rookies being overstrained with the current mainstream interests, going a step back to some "older" views would be easier to approach more naively.

Just like general electronics, take some transistors for logic and a NE555 ... just as a first step.

Coming back to the BASIC Engine ... starting to program 2D Games is a great first step before starting 3D, that is why I really like those different projects just for the variety and "multi-optionality".

Andre ... such a GURU?

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