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Small Basic as the "LEGO of Coding" - AbsoluteBeginner - 08-15-2026
(translated by Gemini)
What would you love to see in its next generation?
Hello everyone!
Even in our modern era of powerful AI and complex professional tools, the pure joy of creating something with our own hands hasn't disappeared. For many of us, Small Basic has always been like LEGO in the programming world — cozy, accessible, and fun.
But the world moves forward, and technology offers us new ways to breathe fresh life into our favorite language.
Before diving into any specific ideas, I’d love to simply ask the community:
If a new generation of Small Basic were being created today, what would YOU personally be thrilled to see in it? What is missing for you right now to make the experience truly bright, modern, and exciting?
I would love to hear your thoughts, feelings, and dreams. Let’s start a conversation!
RE: Small Basic as the "LEGO of Coding" - litdev - 08-16-2026
I think the world is moving on. SB I believe was an attempt to recreate the fun that kids last century had in the early days of home computing before Internet or mobile phones.
When SB was started the entry bar to writing software was quite high and overwhelming.
Gradually the Internet helped and guides and help sites further helped a lot.
Nowadays with AI, python, and free dev environments etc it has never been easier so I tend to think SB has had it's day.
RE: Small Basic as the "LEGO of Coding" - AbsoluteBeginner - 08-16-2026
Thank you for your thoughtful perspective, LitDev!
I completely agree that the entry barrier for building software has dropped significantly with Python, free IDEs, and AI. However, automated CAD systems and high-precision CNC machines never diminished the pure joy of building with LEGO.
Professional tools solve practical tasks efficiently, but Small Basic has always offered something else: a cozy, meditative sandbox where the process itself brings joy.
My idea isn't to replace modern stacks, but to give these "classic building blocks" a fresh look that fits today’s standards. What makes this exciting is that we can actually use modern AI as a creative partner to modernize and enhance Small Basic, turning the upgrade process itself into a fun creative journey.
That is why I’m curious to ask the community: what exciting, fresh features or visual touches would you love to see in a modernized Small Basic "sandbox"?
RE: Small Basic as the "LEGO of Coding" - litdev - 08-16-2026
I totally agree there is value still to be had. Tools and AI etc move on, but the fundamentals of sense of achievement understanding something, gaining experience and skills and shaping it do what you want are still real pleasures to be had. Just like painting a picture, making some furniture or playing an instrument.
Its a skill that takes effort to master - the process really is where the fun is.
I'm just not sure that new features are what is missing for SB, but interested to hear what others may think.
RE: Small Basic as the "LEGO of Coding" - AbsoluteBeginner - 08-17-2026
(08-16-2026, 07:31 PM)litdev Wrote: ...
I'm just not sure that new features are what is missing for SB, but interested to hear what others may think.
I completely agree with you on that: I don't have suggestions for adding new functions to the core Small Basic libraries either. Sticking with the LEGO analogy, it's hard to imagine what kind of brand-new "brick" could even be invented.
But the APPEARANCE of the existing bricks and the WAYS WE CONNECT THEM could definitely be reimagined in modern ways.
Right now, our "bricks" are represented as plain, monotonous lines of text. Connecting them into a working mechanism is just as visually flat — you have to read through lines of code just to grasp the overall structure.
Personally, I think in visual mental models. When working with complex systems, I visualize the distinct objects, the invisible connections between them, force vectors, and energy flows. I would love the ability to build Small Basic logic by arranging visual object icons and drawing connection wires between them — creating a new node from scratch, filling it with concise Small Basic code, and connecting it into a larger system.
Today, building such a visual, node-based environment is entirely achievable and enjoyable in partnership with AI (whenever you don't feel like handling repetitive boilerplate yourself).
Do you see what I mean?
RE: Small Basic as the "LEGO of Coding" - litdev - 08-17-2026
Yes I understand.
The original concept of SB was to be code base (albeit as simple as possible syntax - global scope no types etc). This was in contrast to drag and drop block based learning software like 'Scratch'.
I guess the question still is - who is learning to code, what are they using and what are the limitations for them. With languages like python with massive libraries and AI and loads of learning resources, I'm unsure where or even if there is the same kind of barriers to learning as there were in the past.