On 4/27/06, Brian Beck <<a href="mailto:beckbria@msu.edu">beckbria@msu.edu</a>> wrote:<div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> Caleb Cushing wrote: I know it's not free, but if you're willing to consider a book, I highly reccomend Stanley Lippeman's "C++ Primer".</blockquote></div> C++?! Are we talking about a language to learn programming? I've been using C++ for a decade or so and I continue to learn more things about it. You want someone to learn how to program. We want the broad brush strokes instead of the niggly details like pointer aliasing. I have to go with the suggestion for Python. It's got a clean syntax and very nice basic data abstractions like lists and dictionaries. The biggest plus is that, like Lisp, it has a REPL environment. Trying things to figure out how they work is SO much nicer for learning than an edit-compile-run cycle. The Felliesen book recommended earlier is a great way to start. Alternative recommendations if the prospective student is graphically inclined is Smalltalk. Squeak is a great environment. Runs on Linux and Windows. Plus the language itself is so simple that you can learn it completely in a day or two. The rest of the time can be spent exploring the huge library. There are a lot of free resources out there but the one I've liked best is a non-free book, unfortunately. Lastly, I have to say Scheme or Lisp. Simple syntax, interactive environment, and powerful concepts that can be introduced gradually. The Little Lisper, Little Schemer, Seasoned Schemer, and Reasoned Schemer book series is great, if you like the Socratic question-and-answer method. If she finds programming fascinating she'll eventually learn C herself if only to port her favorite dynamic language to another platform. --bong