science

SiMPLE

SiMPLE is a 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 SiMPLE rather than just read about it. In short: SiMPLE (a recursive acronym for SiMPLE Modular Programming Language & Environment) is a programming development system that was created to provide easy programming capabilities for everybody, especially non-professionals. Following the death of SiMPLE creator Bob Bishop, the SiMPLE Codeworks website and forums are now offline, however they can be accessed via the internet archive.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

SiMPLE (a recursive acronym for SiMPLE Modular Programming Language & Environment) is a programming development system that was created to provide easy programming capabilities for everybody, especially non-professionals. Following the death of SiMPLE creator Bob Bishop, the SiMPLE Codeworks website and forums are now offline, however they can be accessed via the internet archive.

History In 1995, Bob Bishop and Rich Whicker, (both former Apple Computer Engineers) decided to create a new programming language that would be easy enough for everyone to understand and use. (They felt that other existing languages such as C++ and their environments were far too complicated for beginners.) The programming language that they created was called SiMPLE.

Inspiration SiMPLE is vaguely reminiscent of the AppleSoft BASIC programming language that exists on Apple II computers. However, SiMPLE is not (and was never intended to be) merely a "clone" of Applesoft BASIC. It was merely "inspired" by it. There are many features of Applesoft that needed to be improved. For example, Applesoft was an interpreted language, and so it ran somewhat slowly (even for a 1MHz processor). SiMPLE, on the other hand, compiles into an executable (.EXE) file. So it produces programs that run faster, and those programs can even run on computers that don't have SiMPLE installed. Another difference between the two languages is in the use of line numbers. Applesoft required them; SiMPLE doesn't even use them. (Instead of typing program statements onto the black Apple screen, SiMPLE uses a text editor.) Furthermore the "FOR-NEXT" loops in Applesoft have been replaced by "Do-Loop" instructions in SiMPLE. (But they function in much the same way). However, aside from a few differences in their outward appearances, writing programs in SiMPLE has a similar "feel" to what one experienced when writing programs in Applesoft. For example, when using SiMPLE in command-line mode, a program is run by simply typing the word "RUN" on a black screen (just as was done on the Apple!)

Versions "Simple" is a generic term for three slightly different versions of the language: Micro-SiMPLE, Pro-SiMPLE, and Ultra-SiMPLE.

Prior to 2011 June, SiMPLE was available only for 32-bit computers. Since then, a newer version (which can be used on either 32-bit computers or 64-bit computers) is now the standard version. In this newer version of SiMPLE, the terms "Pro-SiMPLE" and "Ultra-SiMPLE" have been replaced by the terms "Dos-SiMPLE" and "Win-SiMPLE" respectively. However, in an effort to provide as much backward compatibility as possible, both of those obsolete terms ("Ultra-SiMPLE" and "Pro-SiMPLE") are still accepted as being legitimate compiler directives. In addition, the design of the newer version of SiMPLE is more "streamlined". The old original version of SiMPLE was designed to be used only in the closed environment of Command-line mode. (The "Drag & Drop" mode of operation wasn't added until many years later.) Consequently the old SiMPLE's Command-line mode required dozens of commands (to support such capabilities as deleting source listings, renaming files, creating new project folders, etc.). The newer version of SiMPLE integrates the SiMPLE environment with the Windows environment so that many of the old SiMPLE's Command-line commands are no longer necessary and have been eliminated.

Modes of operation SiMPLE programs can be run in either "Drag & Drop" mode (intended primarily for beginning programmers), or in "Command-Line" mode (for more advanced programmers):

Keywords used by SiMPLE

SiMPLE will run on Windows 95 and newer systems. An example program is like the following:

which will give you this output: https://web.archive.org/web/20150412025158/http://www.simplecodeworks.com/example.gif

References

External links SiMPLE is available as a free download from the SiMPLE Codeworks website. SiMPLE website and forums (archive.org).

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SiMPLE

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SiMPLE claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In 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 SiMPLE 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 SiMPLE 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 SiMPLE

In research: SiMPLE appears in 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 SiMPLE 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: SiMPLE is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Educational programming languages, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SiMPLE 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.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study SiMPLE in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SiMPLE 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 SiMPLE out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SiMPLE in simple terms?

Why does SiMPLE matter?

Because it connects several 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 SiMPLE?

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 SiMPLE.