Basic is really easy... but Arduino is pretty easy too... I started out with Basic Stamp II,
after the small learning curve for getting used to the pin configurations and how to hook it
up to my computer, it went well.. however, I encountered problems with simple mathematics...
I know it's kinda ridiculous but it's true... I was not able to do simple arithmetic with negative
numbers.. as a result I have to do a workaround it manipulating the "bits" itself!.. then
controlling servos is a pain because you have to tell the chip to send high and low pulses and
you have to know the whole mathematics for it... so I end up writing a huge chunk of code
just to tell the robot to move in any directions... with Arduino it's just a matter of telling the
servos what angle to move!.. that is one line of code!
on regular programming (to tell you the truth), I don't really notice the difference between
Arduino language and Basic... you still have to declare your function as usual and in Arduino
you have to start and end your subroutine in brackets...
plus Arduino has a huge following and everybody's pretty much familiar with the platform so people in forums could specifically help you with codes... i think you could also insert assembly language and C++ codes in your program... the code for the AludrACopter is a mixture of C++ and regular arduino... it's awesome...
oh yeah, one more thing, with Basic Stamp II, I need an development board which is about 3 by 2.5 inches wide and it's kinda heavy... with the arduino pro mini, it has about the surface area of a postage stamp and about 2mm thick!... that's a huge difference... did I mention arduino costs me about $20?... that's just awesome... you could attach your micro into your project permanently without feeling bad that you just lost a $60-$100 device...