Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!nuchat!sugar!peter
From: peter@sugar.UUCP (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: : First Languages
Message-ID: <1525@sugar.UUCP>
Date: 6 Mar 88 15:20:18 GMT
References: <1016@its63b.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Sugar Land UNIX - Houston, TX
Lines: 19
Keywords: ML

In article <1016@its63b.ed.ac.uk>, cstjc@its63b.ed.ac.uk (A Cunnigham) writes:
> You can learn 'good programming habits' in any language providing they're 
> taught well. It just happens that some languages are better for teaching 
> them in ( eg ML, LISP, Modula-2 ) than languages that let you pull all sorts
> of nasty tricks. Would you teach someone to drive in a Formula 1 racing
> car ? Or a tank ?

One driving course company I know of teaches people in Porsche 944s. Their
costs are lower because the kids are a lot more careful about banging up the
cars than they would if they were learning to drive in Buicks. They claim they
produce better drivers because their students pay more attention to what they
are doing.

I'm not claiming that this means you should learn to program in 'C', BTW. I'm
firmly in the Pascal-as-an-educational-language camp. Just thought your analogy
was a bit weak.
-- 
-- Peter da Silva  `-_-'  ...!hoptoad!academ!uhnix1!sugar!peter
-- Disclaimer: These U aren't mere opinions... these are *values*.