The early PCs and BASIC provided such a simple and effective computing environment where any newbie could start reading the online manuals (known today as built-in manuals) that came with BASIC interpreter and start writing some simple code immediately into the integrated editor that also came with BASIC!
I think the loss of a simple, integrated and interactive programming environment like BASIC has been a tragedy. Is there anything like BASIC today that any child, secretary, or grandmother can pick up and learn with as little hassle as possible?