comp.lang.ada
 help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: rgallen@qnx.com (Rennie Allen)
Subject: Re: Why one school changed from Pascal to C++
Date: 1997/05/05
Date: 1997-05-05T00:00:00+00:00	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <5kkr0p$29m@qnx.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 336AA099.41C67EA6@cmass.com


Farshad Nayeri (farshad@cmass.com) wrote:

> Kevin Cline wrote:
> > 
> > Symbols are used in mathematics because they are easier to read than text.
> > They are used in computer programs for the same reason.

> Well, I'd suggest that the goals of mathematics and computer science
> are different, so we may not want to apply the same principles:

I agree.

>   In introductory mathematics, we learn to *use* abstractions. 
>   (Only advanced mathematicians build abstractions of their own for others
>   to use.)

I agree with this statement.

>   In introductory computer science, we learn to *build* abstractions.
>   (By extension, only advanced computer scientists use abstraction built by 
>   others.)

But not this.  In introductory computer science, students learn to build and
use abstractions (the programming language used typically employs many 
abstractions - part of intro comp sci is learning the language).

--
Rennie Allen                                       <rgallen@qnx.com>
QNX Software Systems Ltd.
175 Terence Matthews Crescent                      (613) 591-0931    (voice)
Kanata, Ontario, Canada K2M 1W8                    (613) 591-3579      (fax)




  reply	other threads:[~1997-05-05  0:00 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 13+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
     [not found] <33664F10.6B76@mathernet.com>
1997-05-02  0:00 ` Why one school changed from Pascal to C++ Philippe Allenbach
1997-05-02  0:00   ` Lance Kibblewhite
1997-05-02  0:00   ` Richard Watts
1997-05-03  0:00     ` Kevin Cline
1997-05-02  0:00       ` Farshad Nayeri
1997-05-05  0:00         ` Rennie Allen [this message]
1997-05-05  0:00           ` Farshad Nayeri
1997-05-06  0:00       ` Richard Watts
1997-05-06  0:00         ` Farshad Nayeri
1997-05-06  0:00         ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-06  0:00           ` Spencer Allain
1997-05-13  0:00             ` W. Wesley Groleau (Wes)
1997-05-15  0:00               ` Kaz Kylheku
replies disabled

This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox