Pico

Website: pico.vub.ac.be

Pico is a programming language developed at the Software Languages Lab at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

The language was created to introduce the essentials of programming to non-computer science students.

Pico can be seen as an effort to generate a palatable and enjoyable language for people who do not want to study hard for the elegance and power of a language.

They have done it by adapting Scheme’s semantics.

While designing Pico, the Software Languages Lab was inspired by the Abelson and Sussman’s book “Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs”.

Furthermore, they were influenced by the teaching of programming at high school or academic level.

Pico should be interpreted as ‘small’, the idea was to create a small language for educational purposes.