For those seeking a free, downloadable version of BASIC for Windows 7, options include FreeBASIC and QB64, both of which are suitable for 64-bit platforms. Additionally, VB .NET is suggested as a more modern alternative. For users interested in scripting languages, Python is highly recommended due to its ease of learning, cross-platform compatibility, extensive libraries, and supportive community. Python offers a straightforward syntax and can be used for a wide range of programming tasks, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced programmers. The Eclipse IDE with the PyDev plugin is also mentioned as a useful tool for debugging Python code.