Re: Textbooks (Was: Decline?)

[Georg Bauhaus <rm.plus-bug.tsoh@maps.futureapps.de>]

On Fri, 2008-03-14 at 07:39 -0400, Peter C. Chapin wrote:

> I'm working with second year students so a nice textbook would be 
> helpful. When I teach the seniors I usually just say, "This material is 
> covered in the book," and leave it to them to figure out where. In that 
> case a carefully organized textbook is less necessary.

IMHO, one of the best books introducing just Ada to the beginning
student is
  Naiditch, David: Rendezvous with Ada 95.
  Jon Wiley & Sons.

While the sentences in this book are so simple that you might think
they are too simple, this is deceptive. A teacher insisting on
careful reading of simple sentences will have everyone profit.
The book is written with a definitive pedagogical attitude, it seems
full of experience, and is sparkling with elucidating hints
(anonymous means nameless).
 "In order for two tasks to interface, one task must call
 the other task. The task that does the calling is known
 as the calling task. The task that is called is known as
 the acceptor task." (p.509)
When did you last hear of an acceptor task? Does it give
some new insight into why there is an "accept" keyword in
the language?