From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 107f24,626a0a064b320310 X-Google-Attributes: gid107f24,public X-Google-Thread: f4fd2,626a0a064b320310 X-Google-Attributes: gidf4fd2,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,ea8ea502d35ca2ce X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 10259a,626a0a064b320310 X-Google-Attributes: gid10259a,public X-Google-Thread: 103d24,626a0a064b320310 X-Google-Attributes: gid103d24,public X-Google-Thread: 114809,626a0a064b320310 X-Google-Attributes: gid114809,public X-Google-Thread: 1164ba,626a0a064b320310 X-Google-Attributes: gid1164ba,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-05-07 07:41:10 PST Path: newsfeed.google.com!sn-xit-02!supernews.com!news.gv.tsc.tdk.com!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!news-hog.berkeley.edu!ucberkeley!news.maxwell.syr.edu!isdnet!psinet-france!psiuk-f4!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.lisp,comp.lang.smalltalk,comp.lang.basic,comp.lang.functional,comp.lang.scheme,comp.lang.perl Subject: Re: Beginner's Language? Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 10:24:14 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9d6b6e$1bt$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <9cukad$nn68@news-dxb> NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.170.200.133 X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 989245454 1405 136.170.200.133 (7 May 2001 14:24:14 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 7 May 2001 14:24:14 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: newsfeed.google.com comp.lang.ada:7258 comp.lang.lisp:9774 comp.lang.smalltalk:9528 comp.lang.functional:5557 comp.lang.scheme:3667 comp.lang.perl:2669 Date: 2001-05-07T14:24:14+00:00 List-Id: The languages you mention are all useful for a student to learn at some juncture in their education. However as a *first* language, I think some of them would be poorly suited. Definitely C(++) and Lisp stick out as things I would *NOT* try to teach as a first programming language. Probably you will hear objections from others about some of the other languages. (I'm not intimately familiar with all the ones you mention.) For beginners who know nothing of computers, you need something that presents things in a simple, readable way with uncomplicated semantics. Beginning students need to be able to write simple "Hello World" programs just to get the concepts down concerning variables, math operations, flow of control, basic I/O, subprogram usage, etc. If you toss a complex language at them that makes these basics at all complicated, you'll obfuscate what you want to get at & discourage them. My advice for a first programming language would be Ada (for a lot of reasons besides being my favorite language :-) followed by Pascal & maybe Modula-2. Save the other stuff until the students have progressed a little. MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/ "raj" wrote in message news:q9n6ft0pbn903d5gqqbjfjns0ae0kfvra9@4ax.com... > On Fri, 4 May 2001 20:12:21 +0400, Faisal Halim > wrote: > > > A restricted subset of Ada would be excellent since it can be used to > teach not only programming but more importantly, software engineering > concepts. > > However, other languages you may want to consider include Haskell , > OCaml , Smalltalk and even ( shudder ! C++ or Java ) > > If your students are bright and motivated to learn theory and > fundamentals, Lisp ( or perhaps its smaller and more pedagogically > oriented dialect Scheme ) and Haskell are excellent choices. > > If your students are short sighted drones who want to learn the > currently fashionable choices, C++ and Java are (yuck ) appropriate. > > But please, do not inflict Perl and BASIC upon innocent children. >