computer science

Petit Computer

Petit Computer is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Petit Computer rather than just read about it. In short: Petit Computer is a software development application for the Nintendo DSi and later systems, developed by SmileBoom in Sapporo, Japan. The application is built around a custom dialect of BASIC known as SmileBASIC (not to be confused with the 3DS sequel with the same name).

Key takeaways

Petit Computer belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Petit Computer to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Petit Computer from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Petit Computer is a software development application for the Nintendo DSi and later systems, developed by SmileBoom in Sapporo, Japan. The application is built around a custom dialect of BASIC known as SmileBASIC (not to be confused with the 3DS sequel with the same name). Users can write games and other software using the onscreen keyboard and run the applications from within Petit Computer. The platform supports text-based console applications, visual applications, and any combination of the two. Input is available via hardware buttons, touchscreen input, or the onscreen keyboard. In addition to the code editor and interpreter, Petit Computer includes a simple shell for file management, as well as file sharing functionality. Files can be shared by a direct wireless connection between two DS systems, or by the use of QR codes. The usage of QR codes enabled some users to develop desktop software that can be used to write SmileBASIC and generate a QR code for easy transfer to the DS. Petit Computer comes with several simple sample applications, 5 sample games, and several graphics-editing applications, all written in SmileBASIC with viewable source code. The latter applications can be used to create sprites, backgrounds, and other resources that can then be used within user-created software. Hundreds of premade sprites and tiles are included with Petit Computer. An extensive manual is available from within Petit that describes the basic features and limitations of SmileBASIC, as well as brief descriptions of most of the commands and their syntax.

SmileBASIC language Petit Computer uses a customized dialect of BASIC known as SmileBASIC designed specifically for the DSi. Applications written in SmileBASIC can read input from all of the DS's hardware buttons except the Select button (which is always used to terminate the current application) as well as the touch screen, draw graphics and sprites to both screens, and play music written in Music Macro Language. Standard console commands are provided for reading, writing, and manipulating strings. An exhaustive set of graphical commands exists for displaying and manipulating sprites, background graphics, panels, and more, with support for layering, translation, rotation, scaling, palette swapping, and other features, on both screens (some features are limited on the touch screen). Up to 16 channels can be used to play simultaneous audio, with support for fully featured user-defined software instruments and sequenced music.

Reception Nintendo Life gave the application 7/10 stars, praising its power and potential, but criticizing the presentation as tailored towards seasoned programmers, as well as the "tedious" method of entering code via the touch-screen keyboard. Peter Willington at PocketGamer said the interface "puts you off experimenting" due to the difficulties in entering and navigating text, and complained that error messages weren't useful, but described himself as "massively proud" of his accomplishments with the software and wrote that "experienced hands will be able to make any kind of software they like".

Sequels A sequel designed for the Nintendo 3DS, with new features and fewer limitations, released on November 19, 2014 in Japan; October 15, 2015 in North America; and August 17, 2017 in Europe. The sequel is titled SmileBASIC (the same name as the dialect of BASIC used in both applications). Nintendo Life gave the application 8/10 stars, praising the removal of QR codes and the power of the language, but again criticizing the cumbersome keyboard. Projects are shared online, with users getting the ability to share up to 10 files at 4 MB each, and can subscribe to a Gold Membership to increase the limit to 110 files at 20 MB each. In 2015, it was announced that SmileBASIC would be ported to the Wii U. The 3DS version of the program was removed from the North America eShop on July 11, 2016 due to an exploit that existed in between versions 3.2.1 and up to version 3.3.1 of the program. The exploit was fixed in version 3.3.2 of the application, and as a result SmileBASIC was put back up for sale on the North American eShop on August 10, 2016. As of system version 11.1.0-X released September 12, 2016, when trying to load the game, the system does not allow users to launch the title until the software is updated to version 3.3.2 or higher, forcing users to download the patch, rendering the exploit unusable even if the older version of the game is available. Another sequel designed for the Nintendo Switch, called SmileBASIC 4 or Petit Computer 4: SmileBASIC in Japan, was released in Japan on May 23, 2019 and released internationally on April 23, 2020. As well as taking advantage of the functions of the Nintendo Switch hardware, such as the Joy-Con controllers and the USB ports on the dock for keyboard and mouse support, the online sharing function now utilises "server tickets" instead of an ongoing subscription for uploaded programs and games, where each ticket purchased increases the amount of online storage you have. SmileBASIC 4 can be purchased as a bundle with one server ticket, or just as the software alone. A free trial version of SmileBASIC 4 is also available in Japan. Shortly after releasing, the international version of SmileBASIC 4 was temporarily pulled from sale in some areas as SmileBoom discussed ratings with the IARC for two sample programs in the software, GAME_RPG and GAME_SHOOTER. The international version remained on sale in the United States, Canada, and Mexico during this period. SmileBASIC 4 was put back up for sale on June 18, 2020.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Petit Computer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Petit Computer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Petit Computer before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Petit Computer ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Petit Computer

In research: Petit Computer appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Petit Computer in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Petit Computer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics BASIC programming language, DSiWare games, Japanese brands, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Petit Computer outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Petit Computer in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Petit Computer means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Petit Computer out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Petit Computer in simple terms?

Why does Petit Computer matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Petit Computer?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Petit Computer.