"What makes programming languages are suitable or unsuitable as introductory languages? Which languages are better learnt first and at which order? And why what the masses think is the most suitable introductory programming language is not in fact that. This paper examines several approaches to which programming language is the best, and afterwards gives several useful relations for which languages should come first. Finally it gives a final verdict, defends it and then gives some other good food for thought."
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Member since:2006-09-21
This is for *beginners*, so the objective is to get them thinking like programmers. The fact that Python's slower than a compiled language is irrelevant for this use.
I wonder how much programming you've done, since once you've got an understanding of algorithms, it takes comparatively little time to adjust to a new programming language.
Member since:2006-06-24
Let's face it: it's more convenient to program in a language like Python than it is to program in Pascal. When people know a more convenient language, do you honestly expect them to learn a less convenient one? I surely don't, it would be evil.
So let's just pick the best of the compiled languages in the first place.
since once you've got an understanding of algorithms, it takes comparatively little time to adjust to a new programming language.
I know, learning a new procedural or OO language once you know another is really easy. But read what I said above: Will people learn less convenient languages when they know one that is easier to use? Not really.
I wonder how much programming you've done,I know Basic, Pascal, x86 assembly, PHP/HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and basic C, C# and Java. I've written my own basic compiler (no interpreter bottlenecks).
Member since:2006-01-03
Python could be three times as slow and still be a good language for beginners. The point is to teach programming as a way of thinking about problems, and not just "coding".
If the language is good in helping newbies "get" programming, then they'll be able to tell a particular language is adequate for the job or not, and they'll also be able to learn a new language quickly if needed.
And, btw, Python isn't slow.
Yes, it's slower than a bunch of languages out there, like C and Java and stuff, but that's exactly why there are all those languages out there. Python fits most needs, but when you need performance, you look elsewhere. At least, you look elsewhere for a language that allows you to make modules callable from Python 
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"Microsoft has sensationally abandoned its controversial plans to restrict the sharing of XBox One games, and has also removed daily online authentication requirements for its forthcoming console", reports The Guardian. They had no choice. Still a good move."A snippet of code in the Steam digital distribution platform has revealed that Valve may be planning to let users easily share their games with friends in the future. The Verge has verified the code's authenticity, which was originally spotted by a member of the NeoGAF gaming forum; the code references a 'shared game library' and a notification that would alert a user when their games are currently in use by a borrower." This would change the, uh, game.
Official Apple statement on PRISM and privacy: "Regardless of the circumstances, our Legal team conducts an evaluation of each request and, only if appropriate, we retrieve and deliver the narrowest possible set of information to the authorities. In fact, from time to time when we see inconsistencies or inaccuracies in a request, we will refuse to fulfill it." This is basically Apple re-publishing their earlier statement in a more official manner. You either believe it, or you don't.
The open source Contiki operating system and its commercial Thingsquare distribution are making strides towards the connected home. According to a Computerworld article, a new LED light bulb manufacturer is putting small computers into their light bulbs. Each computer runs the Contiki OS, which gives each bulb an IP address and allows them to be controlled with a smartphone application. To connect the bulbs to the application, the bulbs use both Wi-Fi and the much lower power IEEE 802.15.4 mesh technology.
"Google asked the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday to ease long-standing gag orders over data requests it makes, arguing that the company has a constitutional right to speak about information it's forced to give the government. The legal filing, which cites the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech, is the latest move by the California-based tech giant to protect its reputation in the aftermath of news reports about sweeping National Security Agency surveillance of Internet traffic." Draining the ditch after the cow has drowned in it."I can't find one person who has been using the Nexus 7 for an extended period of time, and hasn't seen a massive downgrade in performance. Just what kind of downgrade are we talking here? I cannot pick up my Nexus 7 without experiencing problems like a lag of ten seconds, or more, just to rotate the display; touches refusing to acknowledged; stuttering notification panel actions; and unresponsive apps." Fully and utterly agreed. My Nexus 7 was blazing-fast and awesome for a few months, and at some point, it just started sucking. Just like that. I've tried loads of ROMs, and nothing helps.A new release of the hobby operating system MenuetOS! The release notes are a bit non-descript, but you'll have to take what you can get: "updates and improvements (picview, httpc, ehci, ...)"."The Internet is one of the most transformative technologies of our lifetimes. But for 2 out of every 3 people on earth, a fast, affordable Internet connection is still out of reach. And this is far from being a solved problem. There are many terrestrial challenges to Internet connectivity - jungles, archipelagos, mountains. There are also major cost challenges. Right now, for example, in most of the countries in the southern hemisphere, the cost of an Internet connection is more than a month's income. Solving these problems isn't simply a question of time: it requires looking at the problem of access from new angles. So today we're unveiling our latest moonshot from Google[x]: balloon-powered Internet access." Insane."MineAssemble is a tiny bootable Minecraft clone written partly in x86 assembly. I made it first and foremost because a university assignment required me to implement a game in assembly for a computer systems course. Because I had never implemented anything more complex than a 'Hello World' bootloader before, I decided I wanted to learn about writing my own kernel code at the same time. Note that the goal of this project was not to write highly efficient hand-optimized assembly code, but rather to have fun and write code that balances readability and speed. This is primarily accomplished by proper commenting and consistent code structuring." Just cool.
Jon Rubinstein, former CEO of Palm: "Well, I'm not sure I would have sold the company to HP. That's for sure. Talk about a waste. Not that I had any choice because when you sell a company you don't get to decide that. Obviously, the board and shareholders decide that. If we had known they were just going to shut it down and never really give it a chance to flourish, what would have been the point of selling the company? I think the deal we had with Verizon really hurt us, but who knew that at the time? These things are all hindsight."
Member since:
2006-06-24
One thing is how to best teach programming, but I think the answer depends not on how easy it is to teach programming with a given language, but what we want students to learn.
I don't doubt that Python is an elegant, readable language from a human point of view, but it's very slow. Do we want to create hordes of programmers who create programs that, although they use the most efficient algorithms, are around 20 times slower than they have to be? I don't think so.
Now you probably think that I want to burden new programmers with strange symbols and programs that could just as well be written in cyrillic, along with the dangers of pointers and all that stuff. But no, teaching beginners C isn't a good idea.
So why not Pascal? It creates fast programs, compilation is fast (so you can test/run/test/run like an interpreted language), it doesn't look scary and it's strictly structured. What more can you ask for? (Yes, I know you just LOVE to write in a cool programming language that's unreadable, but is it really a good idea?)