What is different with Python ?

[Peter Hansen]

Philippe C. Martin wrote:
> too. I'm actually pushing the few CS professors I know to use Python for CS
> 101. Yet, many issues that a future software engineer should know are
> mostly hidden by Python (ex: memory management) and that could be
> detrimental.

I think new CS students have more than enough to learn with their 
*first* language without having to discover the trials and tribulations 
of memory management (or those other things that Python hides so well).

Simple concepts like variables, control structures, input and output are 
more than enough to start with.  In fact, I suspect any course that 
attempts to teach with a language that requires things like manual 
memory management will be failing to provide an effective grounding in 
computer science because of all the noise.  Seeing the forest for the 
trees and all that...

-Peter