These are just my opinions, but:
- Arduino C with ESP32.
- Basic Python (ala the wealth of No Starch Press Python books oriented towards kids and games and fun projects).
Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
141–150 of 151 posts
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#142If you can get your kid interested in shader language, that's probably a skill that would be valuable for the rest of their tech life.
And it has a 1:1 effort to reward, as you get to see your efforts on the screen.
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#143I’m a Dad who grew up in the 80s and the problem is us, the parents. My parents didn’t push me to get into computing, I just found it fascinating. If we try to find things like gentle introductions, it’s likely to get more kids to a base level familiarity but all of the real learning was in reading a 256 page manual as an 8 year old so I could get StarCraft to work on my highly custom rig. Parents as the driving forc…
Computers weren’t on my radar until my grandmother surprised me with one. I came home from school and there lay 2 huge boxes. I was on my own from there. I was given the opportunity.
Kickass Grandma!!
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#144A music synthesizer. It's a pathway to learning electronics, music, and the nature of sound. There are cheap kits, cheap synths, lots of kinds of synths, and there are much more complicated and expensive systems you can grow into. You can get software synths also, VCV Rack is a free though complex one: https://vcvrack.com/ However I'd recommend an inexpensive hardware one with real knobs you can turn, like one of the…
There is an open source VCV rack fork called Cardinal I can recommend
https://cardinal.kx.studio/
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's like saying the only novelty of trolley bags are the wheels. That's. The. Point. Instead of a closed down consumer hardware like a phone, tab, laptop, there's something that you can physically expand, read data from nature using it, and make changes directly in the physical world using code. That's fantastic and exciting.
We are in agreement. The pins are the point. > there's something that you can physically expand, read data from nature using it, and make changes directly in the physical world using code. You can't do this with _just_ a RPI though. A RPI without any extra sensors or electronics is just a desktop.
By coincidence, the pins also _have_ a point :)
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#146A Rasberry Pi. The number of things you can do with these cheap computers is astronomical. You can have a Debian Linux computer and then learn networking, programming, run your own small website. Then start on hardware. Connect up various hardware devices, maybe starting with just a fan. Turn on. Turn off. A second monitor, larger disks. Webrtc. On an on. You never know what kinds of things kids will like. They may l…
I do like Pi. I might say that arduino or even a knockoff pi might be better fir the simple fact of availability. It's taking a long time (6mo) to get some models of Pi, and they are getting more expensive now.
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#147It is weird now. I think, really interest things from past, games like Space Quest.
Also may be interest, games from DnD Universe, and other old style survive, where player learn different reality, craft things, etc.
Learning the DOS commands is not much value now, because now is post-industrial time. It is not enough to make thing, now you need to make some marketing to sell it.
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#148Depends on child's age, but here are some things from today that I would have probably found endlessly entertaining when I was a kid: Flipper Zero Raspberry PI SDR Not a computer, but still very relevant for inquisitive kids and adults: Amateur radio (an oldie but a goodie) Decent telescope Decent microscope
My 15 year old son has been having a blast with the Flipper Zero
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#149I'd go with the Mega65: https://shop.trenz-electronic.de/en/TE0765-03-S001-MEGA65-hi...
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#150Although more on the electronics side this is good for learning BASIC
https://picaxe.com/what-is-picaxe/
The manual support is good too.