(^54) THE OFFICIAL RASPBERRY PI BEGINNER'S GUIDE
U
sing a Raspberry Pi isn’t just about using software other people have created; it’s
about creating your own software, based on almost anything your imagination can
conjure. Whether you have previous experience with creating your own programs- a process known as programming or coding – or not, you’ll find the Raspberry Pi a great
platform for creation and experimentation.
Key to the accessibility of coding on the Pi is Scratch, a visual programming language
developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Whereas traditional
programming languages have you write text-based instructions for the computer to carry out,
in much the same way as you might write a recipe for baking a cake, Scratch has you build
your program step-by-step using blocks – pre-written chunks of code hidden behind colour-
coded jigsaw pieces.
Scratch is a great first language for budding coders young and old, but don’t be fooled by its
friendly appearance: it’s a powerful and fully functional programming environment for creating
everything from simple games and animations through to complex interactive robotics projects.
Programming
with Scratch
Chapter 4
Learn how to start coding using Scratch, the block-based
programming language