Much easier to start with BASIC. After all, why not?

I respectfully disagree, BASIC/Java/Arduino hides too much about how the CPU works from users.

Getting a 6502 kit from Ben Eater, and walking though how the CPU works will implicitly show how languages abstracted away whats actually happening. And more importantly, the skills necessary to understand how to write efficient programs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnzuMJLZRdU&list=PLowKtXNTBy...

https://eater.net/6502

Starting with a simple architecture is highly recommended. =3

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20wenty 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I second this -- I just found the Ben Eater series a month or so ago and put together his computer clock over the holidays. It really helps you understand clock cycles, logic chips, etc, and is a good foundation for the 6502 kit you build later in the course. And learning Assembly before BASIC is the right learning path IMO, if only to understand how CPU registers work at the electron level.

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zabzonk 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Starting with the 6502 is going to bring you up hard against its addressing modes. Better IMHO to learn about memory and how to access it using arrays in BASIC first.

	▲	Tor3 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		My opinion differs - learning how memory is accessed via assembly language will make it super easy to understand e.g. how C pointers actually work, something which can be surprisingly difficult for those who go directly to a high level (compared to assembly) language, but very easy if you come from machine code/assembly.
	▲	Joel_Mckay 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Depends on learning goals, as BASIC teaches people some really bad habits. They say "one always ends up coding in whatever your first language was... regardless of what language you are using". People could always bring up the BASIC software Rom at the end of the build if interest arises after learning how a simple computer works. =3 https://github.com/chelsea6502/BeebEater