OFF-TOPIC:: Why Lisp is not my favorite programming language

[Josiah Carlson]

 > I was 15 when I got my first computer, a 4k TRS-80 Model I with Level I
 > BASIC, cassette tape for storage. It was several years before I could 
afford
 > a system with a floppy drive, let alone a hard drive.. I spent nearly 
all my
 > free time for months teaching myself BASIC programing, mostly trial and
 > error. The book that came with my Model I was a great introduction to
 > programming.
 >
 > My 13 year old niece wants to learn programming. What's the best
 > introductory language for her?

Really, depending on what you want to teach her (programming is fun vs. 
programming can be a pain in the ass), that should define which language 
you should send her off to learn.

1. Teach her Scheme for a couple months to get her mind around the idea 
of recursion (very beneficial to all new programmers).
2. Spend a couple months teaching her C so that she gets the feeling for 
a statically typed system and dealing with pointers.
3. Spend a month teaching her object orientation with C++.
4. If you feel up for it (I wouldn't be), spend a couple weeks on Java.
5. Once she's feeling good with the ideas behind programming, spend an 
afternoon teaching her Python, and give her a week to convert everything 
she ever did to Python.
6. Reap the rewards of a Python convert.

  - Josiah