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From: db@cstvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang.pascal,net.college
Subject: Re: pascal as an intro. language
Message-ID: <76@cstvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Mar-86 07:44:10 EST
Article-I.D.: cstvax.76
Posted: Thu Mar  6 07:44:10 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Mar-86 08:44:47 EST
References: <192@bu-cs.UUCP> <4253@ut-sally.UUCP> <433@snow.warwick.UUCP> <4360@ut-sally.UUCP>
Reply-To: db@cstvax.UUCP (Dave Berry)
Organization: Comp. Sc., Edinburgh Univ., Scotland
Lines: 19
Xref: watmath net.lang.pascal:513 net.college:1205

In article <4360@ut-sally.UUCP> ark@sally.UUCP (Arthur M. Keller) writes:
>Pascal is a simple yet powerful language.  It has
>most of the features you would want to use when teaching intro CS and
>programming using the Algol-based language paradigm.

I've been convinced by some people around here that imperative languages
don't make the best introductory languages for CS (although obviously they
must be taught eventually).  The reason is that 'declarative' languages
use variables in a way closely to their use in maths and logic.  Hence
students will get used to using them this way, and won't find the first
encroachments of CS theory into their curriculum so strange.

Certainly talking to students around here I get the impression they would
find it easier to learn ML first & then switch to PASCAL, rather than the
other way round as at present.  Our department is considering teaching
Scheme to first-years (if we can get the resources to do it, etc.)
-- 
	Dave Berry. CS postgrad, Univ. of Edinburgh		
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