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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,578bd4d051bc4686 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2004-03-19 16:30:07 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!news.glorb.com!newsfeed.stueberl.de!eusc.inter.net!cs.tu-berlin.de!uni-duisburg.de!not-for-mail From: Georg Bauhaus Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Ada Tutorials [was:] OT: GUI [was:]Ann: TeXCAD 4.1 Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 00:30:07 +0000 (UTC) Organization: GMUGHDU Message-ID: References: <40577688.2A8B9832@fakeaddress.nil> <105mltirbsqfea3@corp.supernews.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: l1-hrz.uni-duisburg.de X-Trace: a1-hrz.uni-duisburg.de 1079742607 9099 134.91.1.34 (20 Mar 2004 00:30:07 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@news.uni-duisburg.de NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 00:30:07 +0000 (UTC) User-Agent: tin/1.5.8-20010221 ("Blue Water") (UNIX) (HP-UX/B.11.00 (9000/800)) Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:6455 Date: 2004-03-20T00:30:07+00:00 List-Id: Randy Brukardt wrote: : Another tool that provides the same functionality, but a : different interface, is a lot harder to use -- and for a novice, might be : impossible. By a level of indirection this brings me to Ada tutorials. (<>The same tool with a different interface is a lot harder to use not because it is more difficult to use, but because (a) it requires learning (b) it requires that you forget the old ways. If the interfaces are similar enough, they will introduce another level of complexity, because you will have to switch between old memories and fresh memories.) Short Ada tutorials are (freely) available for different audiences. I guess some if not all of them are made for programmers with some experience. Is there one that is both short and suitable for studying by people with less experience? When I had an opportunity to introduce people to computers, or to specific computer programs like text processing programs, it was always refreshing to see that (a) people like to learn how things work (e.g. context menues, para styles) (b) people are capable of using operating system techniques (e.g. folder integration) But it is somewhat saddening to see that (a) and (b) don't become lasting skills when there are only the equivalent of "left-mouse-button peers", and when they are reluctant to RTFM because it *appears* bulky. Absurd as it may be, when there is a tutorial part in the FM, the thickness of FMs can hide the good short tutorial part. It is a BIG mistake from both a pedagogical and economic point of view not to draw attention to these tutorials because a good tutorial is what gets you going. It prevents frustration, it might lead to adoption. (For example, people get regularly excited when they learn that there is a mechanism in just about any text processing program that allows for boxes of text being placed somewhere on the page without having to play tricks using tables, or worse spaces and tabs... The tutorials introduce this on one or two pages, conceptually, without listing all the steps you need not understand in order to see and try out what a frame is.) Is there a good short hands-on Ada beginners tutorial that does not talk about Ada's history, safety, the new features, and this and that, but starts in medias res of programming, just makes you want to write programs using the nice-simple-powerful facilities of the language that you have just seen? So far I have only found Ada presentation slides by R. Dewar (C) 2004 available from the NYU as "course ware", but I guess they lack spoken words and exercises. -- Georg