10 PRINT “Jonni Bidwell goes back to Basic, much to the chagrin of Edsger Dijkstra’s ghost”
A Raspberry Pi starter kit that includes a chunky, retro-styled case, a breadboard with all manner of components and (optionally) a robot arm. Also included is Fuze Basic 3.0 so kids can get coding in the very same language that frustrated their parents. A handy reference guide is included, as well as a number of programming project cards.
The original Fuze Box was launched in 2013 and was a nothing-if-not-quirky take on the Pi Starter Kit. Hardware-wise, it took one Raspberry Pi, put it in a sturdy metal box with an almost full-sized keyboard, broke out the Pi’s GPIO pins atop said box and threw in a mini mouse together with a breadboard, plus a bunch of connectors and LEDs. This sturdy box was a red and black affair whose geometry is a vague homage to the BBC Micro, a machine which many of our readers will fondly remember.
Cosmetically the new version of the Fuze looks identical, but there have been a number of sub-surface improvements. The heart of the Fuze has been upgraded to a Pi 2. That extra processing power certainly helps out for desktop operations, and having a full complement of USB ports (two internal and four external) means the device is much less restricted than its predecessor. Fuze Basic has been upgraded to version 3, which includes an improved editor with syntax highlighting, mouse-editing and a comprehensive help index. We liked the retro appeal of the original lowresolution line editor (still available in this release), but it doesn’t exactly scream user-friendliness.
By bringing computing into the classroom, the BBC Micro is widely seen as an inspiration to the Pi. the Fuze seems to invert this inspiration though, and rather than following the current Pi trend of getting kids coding using Python, the Fuze strategy is do so with none other than Basic. When speaking of this language, it is traditional to quote Dijkstra, who said of Basic programmers: “as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration”. That may seem a little harsh, though the language really doesn’t lend itself to good programming practices. One could counter that such things are not vitally important at the beginner level, and that the important thing is getting kids to produce and understand working code. But this is already perfectly achievable through Python, which has the advantage of being a language that’s not a relic and, we think, easier and more consistent than Basic. However, raising kids to be bilingual can only be a good thing: Fuze Basic does have some nice functions for handling sprites and tutorials are aligned with the UK curriculum.
Apart from the slightly awkward angled keyboard with disappointing key travel and a teeny spacebar, we quite like the form factor. Readers will likely be aware of the unruly cable situation that occurs with an uncased Pi and a few peripherals, breadboards etc. Here all the ports are tidied away around the back of the unit, along with a convenient power button. The GPIO breakout has been re-arranged since the original release, so that it now matches the original 26-pin Pi layout. This means that many Pi add-ons can now be used with the device, though not ones that require the extra pins of the A+, B+ or Pi 2. The most common pins are duplicated in coherent groups (power, digital I/O and PWM). Also six analogue pins (two output and four input) have been added, so that all manner of other sensors/controllers/doomsday devices can be added without the need for a separate Arduino or Gertboard.
The standard Raspbian tools (IDLE, Scratch, Sonic Pi) are present too so you can do with the Fuze exactly the same things as you can a standard Pi. Though the £180 price tag makes this a pricey course of action. If you already have a Pi you can get the rest of the kit for £120, but you can also get a Kano, for that price.
A great kit with massive potential, but the anachronistic focus on Basic is unlikely to win over the kids.