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From: sean@ukma.UUCP (Sean Casey)
Newsgroups: net.lang.pascal
Subject: Re: pascal ass intro. language
Message-ID: <2773@ukma.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 28-Feb-86 14:09:22 EST
Article-I.D.: ukma.2773
Posted: Fri Feb 28 14:09:22 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Mar-86 18:35:30 EST
Organization: The White Tower @ The Univ. of KY
Lines: 43
Keywords: pascal

*** The following comments are my OPINION, I am allowed it...anyone     ***
*** who would disagree with this please route all @#$%^&* to /dev/null. ***

Pascal as an introductory language?  Yes, good choice.  

What I hate to see is when BASIC is used as a first language.  One learns
to use gotos and all the other slimy things that BASIC forces you to
use and then has to unlearn them to use languages like Pascal or C effect-
ively.  Why bother to use BASIC in the first place?  I remember my first
CS class, taught with BASIC...learned to use gotos and all those neat
little things.  Then came the second class, taught with Pascal.  At first
I was befuddled.  "Variable types? There are more than two?"  "Procedures?"
"Parameters?"  It took me longer to unlearn BASIC than it did to learn Pascal.
Once I learned to use all that Pascal had to offer, I honestly thought that 
my first semester had been wasted.

Many will argue for using C as a first language...it would be a good choice
too, but it may be a little cryptic for a BEGINNING student.  Pascal uses
more english-like syntax than does C.  Pascal has much more rigid type
checking than does C.  Pascal's pointers might not be as powerful as C's,
but they are easier to learn.  Besides, all the things that one might 
learn using Pascal can be easily used in C.  C offers even more for the
advanced student to take advantage of, but maybe too much for a novice.

There are cons for Pascal too.  String handling isn't great (in most 
dialects), declarations may be too lengthy for some...there are probably 
more that I am unaware of, due to the fact that I don't have the experience
with other languages that I do with Pascal.  All-in-all though
I think Pascal would make the better choice...CERTAINLY better than 
BASIC, and only better than C in that it might be a little easier to learn,
but not better on a whole.


Keith Hatfull
(mailing from Sean's account)

-- 
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Sean Casey                UUCP:  sean@ukma.uucp          CSNET:  sean@uky.csnet
University of Kentucky    ARPA:  ukma!sean@anl-mcs.arpa
Lexington, Kentucky     BITNET:  sean@ukma.bitnet

     "Who's `we', sucker?"