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Add to SafariWhen comparing Red vs Basic, the Slant community recommends Basic for most people. In the question“What is the easiest programming language to learn for a non-programmer (actually used for production)?” Basic is ranked 7th while Red is ranked 18th. The most important reason people chose Basic is:
If you choose the Basic route, which you shouldn't, then at least make it VB.net.
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Simple toolchain
Other languages have complex, multi-step setups that beginners often get stuck on. Red has no installer, no setup, no dependencies*, just a single small (~1MB) command-line executable with both the compiler and repl. On Windows, you don't even have to launch executable from the command line--it has a GUI-console.
Pro Very simple syntax
Red syntax is a lot like Rebol. It's easier than most languages for beginners to pick up.
Pro Both low and high-level
Red has low enough access to do systems programming, but it's expressive enough for high-level scripting.
Pro Low cognitive load
Red has very simple syntax that's easy to learn. It gets out of your way and lets you think about the problem instead, enhancing productivity.
Pro Visual Basic .net
If you choose the Basic route, which you shouldn't, then at least make it VB.net.
Pro Lots of choice
Pro Lots of information available
Although there are lots of examples and tutorials to be found, for a beginner it can be difficult to find good material as there are also lots of bad examples around.
Cons
Con Not production ready
Red is still under development and not considered stable.
Con Still in beta
It mostly works. It's good enough for building usable applications, but some planned features are missing.
Con Not highly regarded by professionals
Not the best choice when looking for a job.
