[Edu-sig] Python for CS101

[Scott David Daniels]

Dan Crosta wrote:
> the current language (at Swat, currently C, but transitioning to Java)
 > is used in the intro course? Certainly C at least is a language worth
> knowing as a computer scientist, but need it be introduced to students 
> who've never used anything other than Windows or Mac OS? Probably not.
> Are there any good reasons why such a low-level language ought to be
> taught in the intro-intro course, other than that the faculty probably
> know it pretty well?

> I see it fitting in nicely as a mid-level class, or even as a task 
> students take on when in a class that requires knowing C (my 
> experience has been that picking up a new programming language is
> time consuming but not that difficult).
The only virtue I see to starting in C is similar to my start in
assembly years ago: to "know" what runs efficiently on a computer.
C took the place of most assembly language programming some time ago
(there are still some things better done in assembly, but less now
than before).

The advantage to starting in machine (in fact I did; assembly came
in the second course) was that I never believed there were "magic"
programmers that did stuff mere mortals did not.  It would be a shame
to lose this "no magic here" by side-tracking C to an extended exercise.
I'd put it in an architecture class, perhaps.  At least C (and
preferably some native assembly) code should be early in a curriculum,
but certainly CS101 is not the time.

--Scott David Daniels
Scott.Daniels at Acm.Org