Python and Schools

[Aahz]

In article <v9e21mhemm8c2 at corp.supernews.com>,
Paul Watson <pwatson at redlinec.com> wrote:
>
>We need to teach students correct design priciples to build something
>greater than what already exists.  We will never get very far if we
>require everyone to start with a quark or atom.  Yes, of course we need
>some people who design silicon and create microcode.  They will learn
>the low-level details what they need to know as they need it.  Knowing
>great design and organization principles will enable them to make the
>most of it.

While there's some truth to that, try explaining why the following code
is a Bad Idea to someone who has no basic understanding of CS:

    s = ''
    for i in range(1000000):
        s += str(i)

Knowing the difference between O(N) and O(N^2) is critical to writing
even the simplest programs.  OTOH, I do agree with you that focusing on
programming as a craft is more important to being a programmer than
learning CS.
-- 
Aahz (aahz at pythoncraft.com)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

This is Python.  We don't care much about theory, except where it intersects 
with useful practice.  --Aahz, c.l.py, 2/4/2002