[GLLUG] Programming logic & design

[Dave Rogers]

I thought everyone knew that Stroustrup confessed in his '98 IEEE interview:

http://linux.wku.edu/~lamonml/software/cpptruth.html

:-]

I can't comment on some of the other languages mentioned here, but I 
know that teaching Python to high school students is going fairly well 
in places.  This is a great article on the subject: 
http://www.python.org/workshops/2000-01/proceedings/papers/elkner/pyYHS.html 
Also, I've written large Python programs and deployed them in the 
corporate world with success so I think there is long term value in 
learning this language (in other words, I don't think its "just a 
teaching language").  Not that anyone implied that....

Dave

Bong Munoz wrote:

> On 4/27/06, Brian Beck <beckbria at msu.edu <mailto:beckbria at msu.edu>> 
> wrote:
>
>     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".
>
>
> 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
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>_______________________________________________
>linux-user mailing list
>linux-user at egr.msu.edu
>http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/listinfo/linux-user
>  
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>No virus found in this incoming message.
>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.5.0/325 - Release Date: 4/26/2006
>  
>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.egr.msu.edu/mailman/public/linux-user/attachments/20060428/c1d8b32f/attachment.html