Like many, one of my first experiences with computer programming came disguised in the form of an art program that allowed users to draw using text commands…

Commodore 64 Logo

I recently read that Commodore 64 games would be making their way to the Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console. That got me thinking about what I used to do on the many Commodore 64 machines that lined the walls of my elementary school’s computer lab. I instantly remembered being introduced to the world of programming (without realizing it) in Logo.

While Logo has come in many variations over the years, the Commodore 64 one was one of the most basic. Users would be presented with an all-black screen, with a white triangle pointed upward in the middle. This triangle was known as a “turtle” and would move around the screen based on user commands, leaving a single-line trail behind it based… essentially drawing. Users could either command the turtle move by move (much like drawing with an Etch-A-Sketch) or type in a series of commands that the turtle would execute consecutively.

I remember the big project that everyone had to work on in computer class (somewhere around 5th or 6th grade) was to manually type pages of Logo code from printouts the teacher gave us, without executing any of it before we were done typing. When we were done, we would call the teacher over to fire it up and hope that it drew everything correctly. It was supposed to draw the Cheshire Cat from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, but everyone ultimately had a typo somewhere that made it go a little haywire. We had to go back and fix it to complete the project.

But the point wasn’t so much to create amazing artwork as to use a basic programming language in a fun way. It was (and is) a fantastic educational tool.

Here’s an excerpt from a review of Logo from 1984:

The Logo language has been causing quite a stir in the home/educational market lately. Originally available only for the Texas Instruments microcomputers, there are now implementations of Logo available for every major brand of home computer on the market.

Expensive Propositions

Buying Logo, like buying a computer, can be an expensive proposition for home users:

Typically, the language retails for between $100 and $200. The Commodore 64, however, has the virtue of being inexpensive as home computers go; it is also remarkably versatile. Given this, it is not surprising that the Commodore 64 Logo package is both affordable and powerful.

Designed for Commodore by Terrapin, the 64 version of Logo makes good use of the hires graphics, sprites, color and sound capabilities for which the 64 is known. It also includes a thorough manual/tutorial and a utilities/demo disk. The price: about $50–$80, although it can be picked up on sale for as low as $35 at some retail outlets.

You certainly don’t have to shell out $35 to $200 for Logo today. Instead, it’s readily available online in many forms. I’ve picked out a couple favorites:

Mini Logo in Flash 5 “FlashTurtle”

(Above is a working implementation of Logo, not just a picture – Try it! Type in commands at the bottom)

Available commands:
FORWARD – go forward
FD – (shortcut for FORWARD)
BACK – go back
BK – (shortcut for BACK)
RIGHT – rotate right
RT – (shortcut for RIGTH)
LEFT – rotate left
LT – (shortcut for LEFT)
HOME – go to initial position
CLEARSCREEN – clears screen
CS – (shortcut for CLEARSCREEN)
REPEAT – repeat block times

Unfortunately, this implementation of Logo doesn’t have a “pen up” command, which allows the turtle to move without drawing a line. So here’s another that does.

So did you learn and use Logo when you were in elementary school? Comment!