Xref: utzoo comp.edu:2264 comp.lang.pascal:1814
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.dal.ca!aucs!880716a
From: 880716a@aucs.UUCP (Dave Astels)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,comp.lang.pascal
Subject: Re: CS-1
Keywords: beginning computer science course
Message-ID: <1866@aucs.UUCP>
Date: 10 May 89 17:26:21 GMT
References: <2130@iitmax.IIT.EDU> <2394@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk> <206@psgdc> <1085@lafcol.UUCP>
Reply-To: 880716a@aucs.UUCP (Dave Astels)
Organization: School of Computer Science, Acadia Univ., Nova Scotia
Lines: 16

In article <1085@lafcol.UUCP> ciriello@lafcol.UUCP (Patrick Ciriello II) writes:
>
>Absolutely.  Understanding the way to approach a problem and solve it is
>much more important that learning the syntax of a particular language.

This is fine for begining 'programmers' but they shouldn't be given the idea
that you can't start coding until you understand the problem and its solution.
If this was the case no research would ever get done.  In some fields (AI in
particular) the problem becomes understood better by trying to solve it.

Exploritory programming?  It definately has its place.  Of course only with a
good interactive environment (i.e. Smalltalk, Lisp...)

-Dave

Standard disclaimers about this being my own opinions...