[Python-3000] educational aspects of Python 3000

[Greg Ewing]

Michael Chermside wrote:

> The idea of a standard edu library though is a GREAT one. That would
> provide a standard place for things like raw_input() (with a better
> name) as well as lots of other "helper functions" useful to beginners
> and/or students -- and all it would cost is a single line of boilerplate
> at the top of each program ("from beginnerlib import *" or something
> like that).

I disagree for two reasons:

1) Even a single line of boilerplate is too much
when you're trying to pare things down to the
bare minimum for a beginner.

2) It teaches a bad habit right from the
beginning (i.e. using 'import *'). This is the
wrong foot to start a beginner off on.


-- 
Greg Ewing, Computer Science Dept, +--------------------------------------+
University of Canterbury,	   | Carpe post meridiem!          	  |
Christchurch, New Zealand	   | (I'm not a morning person.)          |
greg.ewing at canterbury.ac.nz	   +--------------------------------------+