> Except there are html, css, javascript. Everyone already uses a browser so nothing to set up.
You haven't seen the current JS ecosystem, have you?
Now if you opt to ignore the entire modern JS scene - all that Babel, Webpack, NPM stuff - and just write plain old JS in a text editor to execute directly, then yes. And with browser dev tools having a half-decent REPL, I'd say this is a pretty good way to introduce someone to programming. Browsers have powerful features for UI and graphics built in, so even the "hello world" programs won't be boring.
(Also: technically, there is something to set up; you won't be able to run everything through file:// because $security, so you need a minimal local HTTP server to serve your files for you.)
Is writing "plain old JS in a text editor" really that rare nowadays?
Honest question - I've only done a few websites, some with basic JS functionality and a few more advanced (for a website, that is) Go apps now - but never really felt the urge or need to reach for the "modern JS scene", so I'm unsure just how prevalent that kind of setup is.
And while there's some fragmentation and hacks that justify derision, it's not that bad. Any complex software component needs a package manager and a build system.
I don't think anything could scare a child away from programming faster than the three headed hydra that is html, css and javascript.
I mean, I know how we got to where we are and it makes sense - "thing works, use thing more". But with html+js+css the amount of bullshit about angle brackets and ids and names and escape characters and css quirks and floating divs and lambdas and selector syntax that you need to get through before you can make a rudimentary game or interactive page is very unfriendly.
You haven't seen the current JS ecosystem, have you?
Now if you opt to ignore the entire modern JS scene - all that Babel, Webpack, NPM stuff - and just write plain old JS in a text editor to execute directly, then yes. And with browser dev tools having a half-decent REPL, I'd say this is a pretty good way to introduce someone to programming. Browsers have powerful features for UI and graphics built in, so even the "hello world" programs won't be boring.
(Also: technically, there is something to set up; you won't be able to run everything through file:// because $security, so you need a minimal local HTTP server to serve your files for you.)