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From: mbenveni@irisa.irisa.fr (benveniste marc,lsp)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,comp.lang.pascal,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Karel the Robot
Message-ID: <1244@irisa.UUCP>
Date: 31 May 89 12:32:45 GMT
References: <2025@csuna.csun.edu>
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From article <2025@csuna.csun.edu>, by abcscnuk@csuna.csun.edu (Naoto Kimura):
> I Fiddled around with the program for a while before
> getting fed up with the verbosity of Karel code, combined with its
> tendency to be brain-dead (you couldn't write recursive code with it, no
> variables). 

 Verbosity is not a valid argument to criticize an effort towards improving
programming introduction. Programming languages could possibly damage a
healthy brain, but dead lays rather in methodological illness.
 As for recursive code, Karel computational power relies on recursive
procedures. For instance, multiplication algorithms are recursively coded.
Karel state may be seen as local variable as Karel's world may be seen as
a global one.  

> I was working on putting aggressive commands into its
> abilities - like instead of put-beeper it would use put-mine and have
> multiple karel the Robots running around, but never got around to
> finishing it.

 I did finish a sort of concurrent Karel system (called LPC for Concurrent
Programming Lab in spanish) and designed it while writing its formal semantics.
 LPC can be used as an introductory tool to concurrent programming which allows
beginners to actually watch concurrent processes, to play around with mutual
exclusion paradigms, deadlock examples and basic concepts. Obviously, LPC is
a short usage tool. Nevertheless, the programming language embedded has a 
formal semantics which could lead to interesting exercices in program 
verification.

References:

 
Benveniste, M., "LPC: A Concurrent Programming Laboratory", in procs. 5th
                STACS, R. Cori & M. Wirsing ed., LNCS 294, pp.391-392, 1988.
                
Benveniste, M., "LPC: un Paradigma de la Programaci'on Concurrente", 
                Comunicaciones T'ecnicas, serie naranja 526, IIMAS-UNAM,
                Aug.88.
        
 Present Address,                              Original Address,
 
 Marc Benveniste                               IIMAS-UNAM,
 IRISA/INRIA-Rennes                            Apdo. Postal 20-726,
 Campus de Beaulieu                            Delg. Alvaro Obreg'on,
 35042 Rennes Cedex                            01000 M'exico D.F.,
 FRANCE                                        MEXICO
 mbenveni@irisa.irisa.fr