What to do after Python?

[Erik Max Francis]

Sheila King wrote:

> I must say, that I am shocked at the number of apparent *groans* over
> C++
> language, in this thread.
> 
> I teach C++ as a first programming language to high school students,
> via the
> AP Computer Science Curriculum. (The course I teach is supposed to be
> equivalent to a first semester University course for CS majors.) I
> think that
> the trick, is to use a carefully selected subset of the C++ language.

Indeed.  Often C++ is taught strictly as an extension to C, and when
done that way you're essentially learning two languages:  C and Standard
C++.  When learning Standard C++, there's no reason to do it
as-an-extension-to-C.  For only one example, all the details of handling
and processing C strings with the str... functions (which is a big
stumbling block in C or C++-as-C for novice programmers) are totally
unnecessary in an introductory Standard C++ class, because you have
std::string to do all that work for you.  As another example, one
doesn't have to deal with difficult memory management issues when you
have std::vector and other such template classes.

> Still, I must say that I really enjoy the Python I've been teaching
> myself the
> last few months. I do intend to do a number of projects in Python,
> eventually.

Indeed; I use Python for many recreational and professional projects. 
For a major one that's public, my Web game Interstelen is being written
in Python:  http://www.interstelen.com/

-- 
 Erik Max Francis / max at alcyone.com / http://www.alcyone.com/max/
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    REALpolitik / http://www.realpolitik.com/
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