Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!aplcen!aplvax.jhuapl.edu!genesch
From: genesch@aplvax.jhuapl.edu (Eugene Schwartzman)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Which language to teach first?
Message-ID: <2551@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu>
Date: 7 Aug 89 20:05:20 GMT
Sender: news@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu
Reply-To: genesch@aplvax.jhuapl.edu (Eugene Schwartzman)
Organization: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Lines: 38

In article <6193@hubcap.clemson.edu> billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu (William Thomas Wolfe,2847,) writes:
#>From article <161@enea.se>, by sommar@enea.se (Erland Sommarskog):
#> Marc Sabatella (marc@hpfcdc.HP.COM) writes:
#>>I could probably make a good argument for a language like Ada as a beginning
#>>language - if you stick to basics it is as easy as Pascal (easier, really -
#>>I think in/out is more intutive than "var"), and when it is time to learn
#>>more advanced concepts (say, in a second or third course) you don't have to
#>>switch languages.
#% 
#% I am about to second that. [...] I would choose a language that 
#% supported the most important concepts for that type of programs: 
#% safety, modularity and reuseability. 
#
#   I third this; Ada is definitely the way to go.  And add to that
#   list "multitasking capabilities"!!!  

Wonderful!!!  Could you please explain to me what beginning level course will
teach "multitasking capabilities"?  As I have explained in another article,
everything that Erland states, can be found in Pascal and then some.  I am not
harking on Ada, well actually I am, but a lot of you seem to be forgetting that
we are talking about 18-19 year olds, first year in college, for some, first
ever language, most not capable of adjusting their thinking to something totally
different.  To me it would seem that you first need a language that can be
taught very easily, students will not have a lot of trouble with, every major
theory could be explained in, etc.. etc... - ie. PASCAL!!!!  I have seen a lot
of people drop out because they could not handle the theory and/or language.
The theory is bad enough for a beginner, do you also want them to learn some
totally bizarre language?

gene schwartzman
genesch@aplvax.jhuapl.edu
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