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From: lamaster@pioneer.arpa (Hugh LaMaster)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: first languages
Message-ID: <2575@ames.arpa>
Date: Mon, 24-Aug-87 13:13:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: ames.2575
Posted: Mon Aug 24 13:13:20 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Aug-87 03:21:13 EDT
References: <405@ndsuvax.UUCP> <1010@argus.UUCP> <290@rruxa.UUCP> <1039@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@ames.arpa
Reply-To: lamaster@ames.UUCP (Hugh LaMaster)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
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In article <1039@bsu-cs.UUCP> neubauer@bsu-cs.UUCP (Paul Neubauer) writes:

>Actually, the reason that *I* would tend to favor Pascal over either C or
>LISP as a first language (in spite of its screwy use of semicolons) has more
>to do with its size (not too large) and its reasonably good type checking.  I
>am not impressed by the counterargument that Pascal is not what they will be
>using "in the real world".  After all, a first language is exactly that -- a

I would argue that the reason Pascal is not frequently used in the "real
world" of systems programming is because of a serious problem that the
(non-extended) language has: lack of modularity.  Those who have done either
systems programming or programming of large applications know how important
modularity is.  C, Fortran, and Modula-2 have all been used successfully as
systems programming languages.  For those gasping at seeing Fortran included
in this list, I will point out that Fortran plus bit field manipulation
functions have been successfully used in a number of operating system
projects.  I also don't think there is as much difference between Fortran and
C as is currently thought by a lot of people.  Pascal is woefully inadequate
as a modular language, and has many counterintuitive features that are
artifacts of its origins on systems where the paramount goal was a small
memory, very fast, very simple compiler.

Back to the original question:

A teaching language ought to contain support for the most frequently used
concepts in programming.  Modula-2 probably has the best combination of
support for modularity, nested procedures, information hiding, &etc., so my
guess is that it would be the best teaching language of the procedural
languages.  If anyone out there has used it as a first language for teaching
an introductory programming language, your experience would be welcome.  LISP
is reasonable for a functionally oriented language.  LOGO has gotten same rave
reviews for an object oriented language, but I am not familiar with it.






  Hugh LaMaster, m/s 233-9,  UUCP {seismo,topaz,lll-crg,ucbvax}!
  NASA Ames Research Center                ames!pioneer!lamaster
  Moffett Field, CA 94035    ARPA lamaster@ames-pioneer.arpa
  Phone:  (415)694-6117      ARPA lamaster@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov


                 "IBM will have it soon"


(Disclaimer: "All opinions solely the author's responsibility")