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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!ucbvax!ucdavis!windley@iris.ucdavis.edu (Phil Windley)
From: windley@iris.ucdavis.edu
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: first language
Message-ID: <740@ucdavis.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 1-Sep-87 19:37:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucdavis.740
Posted: Tue Sep  1 19:37:10 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Sep-87 02:43:46 EDT
References: <405@ndsuvax.UUCP>
Sender: uucp@ucdavis.UUCP
Reply-To: windley@iris.ucdavis.edu (Phil Windley)
Organization: University of California, Davis
Lines: 21

In article <405@ndsuvax.UUCP> ncmagel@ndsuvax.UUCP (ken magel) writes:
>
>     Two factors which are important in the selection of a first programming
>language, but which have not been mentioned previously are:
>  1.  Availability:  the language should be available on a wide variety of 
>microcomputers so that students may use it on their own machines...

I disagree.  I teach an introductory class and I don't wnat my
students using there own machines.  Two reasons:

1.  I don't have the resources to track down system, dependant
problems or deal with the student that comes to me and says "the
problem you gave us doesn't work right on my computer...".

2.  I have my readers grade the students programs face-to-face during
the reader's office hours and therefore, the programs have to work on
the school machines.

Phil Windley
Robotics Research Lab
University of California, Davis