What can a 1980s BASIC programming textbook teach us today?

TL;DR

This paper revisits the 1982 BASIC programming textbook 'Elementary Basic' to analyze its relevance today, its innovative approach to program design, and the influence of BASIC on its content, offering insights into programming education evolution.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of a 1980s programming textbook's teaching approach and explores its relevance and influence on modern programming education.

Findings

The textbook's focus on program design remains relevant today.

BASIC's influence shaped the book's content and pedagogical approach.

Some teaching methods from the book are still applicable in modern programming education.

Abstract

Elementary Basic, published in 1982, is an introductory programming text with a novel central conceit, namely that the fictional 19th century detective Sherlock Holmes used a computer to help solve mysteries. It is also novel among similar books of its time for its focus on program design. In other regards, such as its use of the language BASIC, it is representative of its time. Over 35 years after it was written, I think it is worth looking back at it to see to what is still relevant today and what would be done differently. We may even learn something about teaching programming today. Of particular interest is the degree to which the use of BASIC influenced the content of the book.