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=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC 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: 103d24,626a0a064b320310 X-Google-Attributes: gid103d24,public X-Google-Thread: 10259a,626a0a064b320310 X-Google-Attributes: gid10259a,public X-Google-Thread: 114809,626a0a064b320310 X-Google-Attributes: gid114809,public X-Google-Thread: 1164ba,626a0a064b320310 X-Google-Attributes: gid1164ba,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-05-10 08:36:02 PST Path: newsfeed.google.com!sn-xit-03!supernews.com!logbridge.uoregon.edu!uchinews!ssthapa From: ssthapa@classes.cs.uchicago.edu () 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? References: <9cukad$nn68@news-dxb> <9d6b6e$1bt$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <87snihxiwc.fsf@frown.here> <9dbi83$sji$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <87heyu7cqd.fsf@frown.here> <9dc20p$hh15e$1@ID-37382.news.dfncis.de> Reply-To: s-thapa-11@NOSPAM.alumni.uchicago.edu Message-ID: User-Agent: slrn/0.9.6.4 (Linux) NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.135.11.110 X-Trace: uchinews 989508846 128.135.11.110 (Thu, 10 May 2001 10:34:06 CDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 10:34:06 CDT Organization: The University of Chicago X-SessionID: OxyK6-8756-C4-3882@uchinews X-Hash-Info: post-filter,v:1.4 X-Hash: 32c7d897 25deedb8 33a2a40c af975b3b a7624661 Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 15:34:06 GMT Xref: newsfeed.google.com comp.lang.ada:7480 comp.lang.lisp:9949 comp.lang.smalltalk:9693 comp.lang.functional:5627 comp.lang.scheme:3780 comp.lang.perl:2782 Date: 2001-05-10T15:34:06+00:00 List-Id: Andreas Krennmair wrote: >It _does_ matter. Beginners can easily get frustrated because of the >sometimes confusing syntax. BTW, I wouldn't recommend starting with Java >or C/C++, either. I'd recommend and teach (if I were a teacher :) some >Wirth language, because they're designed especially for teaching basics >of programming. I think syntax is a big plus with scheme and to a slightly lesser extent, lisp. The syntax is something that can be easily learned since it is so regular and after that the instructor can move on to programming. With other languages, the syntax takes a while to learn and that takes away from time the instructor can use to teach the actual material. -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Suchandra Thapa | "There are only two kinds of math . s-thapa-11@NOSPAMalumni.uchicago.edu | books. Those you cannot read beyond | the first sentence, and those you | can not read beyond the first page." | -C.N. Yang ----------------------------------------------------------------------------