Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!codas!karthur
From: karthur@codas.att.com (Kurt_R_Arthur)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Languages and learning (was: Philosophy of C)
Message-ID: <1616@codas.att.com>
Date: 22 Jan 88 16:19:08 GMT
References: <3473@ihlpf.ATT.COM>
Organization: AT&T, Altamonte Springs, FL
Lines: 25

In article <3473@ihlpf.ATT.COM> nevin1@ihlpf.ATT.COM (00704A-Liber) writes:

> way to go (I think this is MIT's approach); I really don't know.  None of the
> current languages seem very good for an introduction (sorry, Mr. Kernighan and
> Mr. Ritchie :-)).

I'm running the risk of another holy war here, but REXX (IBM's system command
interpreter language for VM/CMS, now a part of SAA & due to be ported through
out IBM's architectures) seems to be a very good 'first language' because it
has access to the full range of OS commands, permits very good structured
programming techniques a la C (in fact, I've done prototyping for C using
Personal REXX with good results), is 'wordy' enough to be comprehensible to a
novice and has a tremendous trace function, allowing several different methods
of looking at the parsing of the statements.  REXX is also interpreted rather
than compiled, allowing immediate viewing of results.

I know that REXX doesn't do a whole lot of good for UNIX/VAX aficionados, but
if it does get a following because of its SAA standing, maybe someone'll do a 
port.


Just doing my part to start another war....

Kurt Arthur
Software Services of Florida, Inc.