Instead of deciding between Python or Lisp for a programming intro course...What about an intro course that uses *BOTH*? Good idea?

[Rustom Mody]

On Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 10:45:39 PM UTC+5:30, Stefan Ram wrote:
> Rob Gaddi writes:
> >Is that a true array or a linked list?  "It's a high level language, 
> >that's just an implementation detail." Yes, but it's an implementation 
> >detail that determines whether even the simple act of looking up element 
> >n is O(1) or O(n).
> 
>   The complexity is given in the documentation of high-level languages.
> 
>   For example, from the documentation of the Java standard library:
> 
>       »This implementation provides constant-time performance
>       for the basic operations (get and put),« (java.util.HashMap)
> 
>   C++:
> 
>       Section 23.2.1 specifies the complexity, such as »compile time«,
>       »constant«, »linear« for container operations.
> 
>   But the abstraction mechanisms (templates, polymorphism)
>   often allow one to change the implementation quite easily.

This is regarded in some circles as one of the big open problems in CS
https://existentialtype.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/structure-and-efficiency-of-computer-programs/
[and the position paper therein]
viz how to integrate the elegance of high-level languages
with the precision of complexity analysis of machine language