Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cica!gatech!hubcap!billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu
From: billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu (William Thomas Wolfe,2847,)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Which language to teach first?
Message-ID: <6199@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Date: 7 Aug 89 16:00:40 GMT
References: <1272@blackbird.afit.af.mil>
Sender: news@hubcap.clemson.edu
Reply-To: billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu
Distribution: na
Lines: 22

From mproicou@blackbird.afit.af.mil (Michael C. Proicou):
>>I could probably make a good argument for a language like Ada [...] 
> 
> I mostly agree, EXCEPT you have to do generics to any kind of output of
> numbers and things!  For that reason, I'd recommend Pascal, with a switch
> to Ada if that's your end goal.  Since Ada is close to Pascal, very little
> would be lost in switching languages.

    All that is necessary is to provide the student with standard
    Integer_IO and Float_IO instantiations, and mention that these
    two packages, plus Text_IO, will serve to handle this class's 
    I/O requirements; it's a lot easier for the student to accept 
    a deferred explanation of generics than it is to switch languages 
    entirely!! 

    Ada provides lots of room for the highly motivated student to
    read ahead and go beyond what the class is doing; Pascal can
    provide nothing more than severe frustration.   
    

    Bill Wolfe, wtwolfe@hubcap.clemson.edu