Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!otter!hjb
From: hjb@otter.hpl.hp.com (Harry Barman)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: models (was Which language to teach first?)
Message-ID: <2400026@otter.hpl.hp.com>
Date: 2 Aug 89 09:02:52 GMT
References: <18814@mimsy.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK.
Lines: 12

Another good "leveller" first language is ML.  Since ML is a functional
language with a decent type system, it is much easier to teach the basic
concepts to people who have never programmer.  It is also very good for
the people who have written programs before.  Often they have only written
some cobbled together Basic/Assembler/C, and ML shows them that there are
other languages & keeps 'em quiet :-).

In the UK, I think both Hatfield Polytechnic and Cambridge University teach ML
as a first language, perhaps someone from either of those places might like
to comment?

-- Harry