via lobste.rs: Unveiling the EndBOX

It's a small Raspberry Pi-based device that boots NetBSD straight into the author's EndBASIC interpreter and shell. EndBASIC's written in Rust.

‘Remember the Golden Rule of Selling: "Do not resort to violence."’ — McGlashan.
Pronouns: he/him

Probably sell more units if it just booted to a terminal that could run regular software & not just a form of Basic.... ;)

Maybe, but the developer likes BASIC. There have been worse decisions, and it's not our money

‘Remember the Golden Rule of Selling: "Do not resort to violence."’ — McGlashan.
Pronouns: he/him

I often find it's not the project itself which interests me but what is used to bring it to fruition. Here that's the minimal OS with enough to make it useful, and the full-blown Basic interpreter in Rust.

I have not been enticed into Rust's arms yet so it's good to see Rust projects which align with what I am likely to be wanting to do with it, have my prejudices confirmed or expunged.

Plus there are the 'that's a great idea'' epiphanies and particularly 'I can do that, and do it better' inspiration which drove makers in the past whose enthusiasm may be dampened these days when looking at projects which do require commercial backing and a huge development team.

If it inspires someone; it's a win.

scruss wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 09, 2025 12:55 pm

Maybe, but the developer likes BASIC. There have been worse decisions, and it's not our money

One reason I see for booting directly to Basic on a tablet is that tablets don't have keyboards. If there is only Basic, an optimised touch screen method for entering Basic programs can also be included that makes the tablet productive.

I think what's missing in modern computer literacy projects is the ability to recreate the atmosphere that Basic is everywhere--from general textbooks and magazines to computer documentation and the popular culture. At the same time Basic was not a monoculture, so due to the incompatibilities active code involvement was needed by the user just to get a program to run.

According to the three black kittens, the main tool needed to teach computer literacy these days is a subscription to three AI assistants. From this point of view introducing a language the assistant has not been trained on is counter productive.