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From: gillies@p.cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Which language to teach first?
Message-ID: <82400040@p.cs.uiuc.edu>
Date: 5 Aug 89 22:38:00 GMT
References: <8514@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Lines: 35
Nf-ID: #R:batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu:8514:p.cs.uiuc.edu:82400040:000:1635
Nf-From: p.cs.uiuc.edu!gillies    Aug  5 17:38:00 1989


I learned languages in this order: 

----- High School  ----
TUTOR (PLATO system ~ FORTRAN, later taught it to younger kids)
BASIC (later taught it to younger kids)
PASCAL (informal summer course)
C (helping college student test a compiler)
------ College -------
PL/C (UI intro -- first programming course)
CLISP+ALGOL (MIT intro - "Structure & Interp. of computer programs")
FORTRAN (summer job)
CLU (MIT software engineering language),
MODULA-II (in my compiler implementation course)
------- Real World -----
MESA (at Xerox)

I believe I am a well-educated programmer ..  So my conclusion is:
Frankly, it doesn't matter much.  Pick something reasonable (like C or
Pascal) that is used in the real world.  Pascal is ideal because it is
pampers the beginners, but you can also write an OS or compiler in
Pascal.  Pascal is a true multi-purpose language.  C is a failure for
beginners, even if they are forced to use LINT, because the error
diagnostics are lousy (the compiler frequently cannot pinpoint the
location of an error) and I am under the impression that this is a
fundamental limitation in the syntax design of the C language.

Don't confuse the success of "Structure & Interpretation of Computer
Programs" with the language SCHEME.  The authors might well have
chosen Smalltalk, or even C++ as their implementation language.  Some
of the neat things in that book (at least the draft copy on my
bookshelf) SIMPLY DON'T WORK in other languages.  Also, realize that
MIT is biased towards producing AI researchers.  Does your school have
this mission?  Perhaps not.  Perhaps another language would serve your
students better.