[Edu-sig] Python as a first language for computer sciencist

[Toby Donaldson]

> I have in recent years taught Python, Scheme (DrScheme), ML (SML),
> SmallTalk (Squeak), and Prolog (SWI) to college seniors in a
> Programming Languages course. Without any scientific "evidence", I can
> only tell you that they *loved* Python and tolerated the rest. But of
> course, how this would apply to a less sophisticated audience I cannot
> say.

In support of this, I've taught Python and Java to hundreds of
students in the last few years, and most really like Python. There are
definitely some who prefer Java, in part because the development tools
are better (e.g. Eclipse) and the community is bigger.

Toby
--
Dr. Toby Donaldson
School of Computing Science
Simon Fraser University (Surrey)