Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!jvnca!njitsc1!argus!ken
From: ken@argus.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: first language
Message-ID: <1010@argus.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Aug-87 15:38:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: argus.1010
Posted: Tue Aug 18 15:38:20 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 20-Aug-87 01:54:45 EDT
References: <405@ndsuvax.UUCP>
Organization: NJ Instit. of Tech: TEIES Project
Lines: 25
Keywords: expense availability

In article <405@ndsuvax.UUCP>, ncmagel@ndsuvax.UUCP (ken magel) writes:
>   1.  Availability:  the language should be available on a wide variety of 
> microcomputers so that students may use it on their own machines as well as
> those available at the school.  This may eliminate very large or memory-
> intensive languages such as ADA at least for a while.

Ada is available on IBM PC, IBM VM, DEC VMS, and Unix.  I'd say that
covers at least 75% of the major computer environments. 
>      Many languages meet these requirements : Pascal, Modula 2, Prolog ( at
> least in the Turbo Prolog mutation), Lisp ( Translisp among others), and 
> even Smalltalk ( SMalltalk/V).
	   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I believe its SmallTalk.  Why this language must have variables case sensitive
is beyond me (except for making the compiler a bit easier to write).


I'd like to recommend the REXX language for beginners.  It's got
a very simple data structure, pascal like syntax, and was designed
from the beginning to be a readable language, unlike C and Lisp.


Kenneth Ng: Post office: NJIT - CCCC, Newark New Jersey  07102
uucp !ihnp4!allegra!bellcore!argus!ken *** NOT ken@bellcore.uucp ***
bitnet(prefered) ken@orion.bitnet