QBASIC as an introductory language?

[Cheraphy]

I'm taking a low level introductory comp sci course and all the programming is done in QBASIC. The instructor and I had a laugh about how horrible BASIC's syntax looks after spending years programming in C syntax like languages almost exclusively. I asked if he knew why they chose QBASIC as the entry class language, especially when they used to use python for the first required course and everyone in the department is familiar with it AND when the first required course for the degree currently uses Java, but he didn't give an answer. He seemed to disagree with it though. But anyways, I was surprised it was used at all. Honestly I thought that QBASIC, not all BASIC dialects but just QBASIC, but QBASIC was more or less a dead language. So I guess it lead me to wonder if any of those who are recently graduated or currently in college level comp sci courses have encountered this language as a tool used in class?


edit: Bear in mind that the purpose of this class is to teach the basics of programming (control flow) and various aspects of computer hardware/networking.

[3hM2Nwbp]

The only places that I've seen (visual) basic used in practice was making quick hacky front-ends because the deadline is today.

the purpose of this class is to teach the basics of programming (control flow) and various aspects of computer hardware/networking.

Wow. That's a lot of (loosely related) material to be cramming into one class...programming, hardware, and networking are broad enough topics to merit a class, if not multiple classes for each. It sounds like the curriculums are being designed by a suit rather than the ones that know what they're doing. I feel sorry for the students.

[naraku9333]

Sounds like more of an intro to computing class meant for students with very little computer experience. You should be able to get out of taking the class if you talk to the department head.

[Santosh Reddy]

So I guess it lead me to wonder if any of those who are recently graduated or currently in college level comp sci courses have encountered this language as a tool used in class?
Not sure of the current college courses, but QBASIC is very good for a beginner (no programming experience at all) to pickup programming concepts quickly.

[3qX21hU5]

Is QBASIC even used anymore though? There are plenty of other languages that are beginner friendly and are actually used on a regular basis

[Cheraphy]

You should be able to get out of taking the class if you talk to the department head.

Oh I didn't need to take it. I took it as an easy A. See I've been simply throwing away my chance at a degree for 3 years and have had enough of my self. My GPA is abysmal because I spent so long without getting my shit together, sooo easy courses to transfer as random elective credits.

[ResidentBiscuit]

Wow. That's a lot of (loosely related) material to be cramming into one class...programming, hardware, and networking are broad enough topics to merit a class, if not multiple classes for each.

No kidding. We take two classes on hardware, and two on networks. And those are just the required. There are multiple electives you can take for each of those.

[helios]

I used QuickBasic in high school. Probably partly because before they upgraded to P4s, the computers (286s or 386s, some of which didn't even have disks and you had to boot from a rescue floppy) could only run either that or Pascal.
It's not really terrible, but it's definitely a serious step down from Python in every way.
Since the core language was rather limited (I think you could load DLLs, but as a newbie, I had not idea about anything), if you wanted to do anything, you had to do it from scratch, which has good things and bad things. I remember one time I figured out how to display color BMP files in screen mode 13 (it uses an 8-bit palette) by converting RGB values to HSV. That was cool, but I think it created an NIH habit on me that I took a while to unlearn.

[Oria]

I find that odd a bit. Although QBASIC is easy to learn. It is no longer used and it will be a syntax you will forget... as you will never use it again. I personally think they should use a more modern language to start with.

Also I don't think complexity should be that much of an issue. You might as well learn on harder languages sooner IMO, so you understand them sooner.

[3qX21hU5]

It all depends on the the persons learning style. Some people learn better when they gradually dive in to the harder languages after they take a few "easier" languages and get the concept of programming down. Where as some learn better by tackling the one of the hardest languages first. A friend of my couldn't get his head around C++ for the life of him and was trying to learn for a year but couldn't get it. So eventually he started to try java and in 3 months he was a amazing java programmer and learned C++ very easily.

Anyways usually most university's will gradually introduce harder concepts and languages to the students instead of jumping right into C++ and asm. It might not be the best way to teach but that is how most do it. But hey most of them are still stuck in the old C days also and refuse to teach anything about the standard library and even punish students that use it when it wasn't in the assignment. I still find it amazing that some university's still use the old bloodshed Dev C++