[net.college] pascal as an intro. language

db@cstvax.UUCP (03/06/86)

In article <4360@ut-sally.UUCP> ark@sally.UUCP (Arthur M. Keller) writes:
>The main issue appears to be that if you restrict yourself
>to the features of Pascal when teaching Ada, what's wrong with using
>Ada syntax and an Ada compiler?  Pascal can run on lots of
>environments rather efficiently. Pascal is a simple yet powerful language.  

Several articles by Soloway, Bonar, Erlich & co. suggest that the ability
to break out of a loop makes learning to program much easier.  For example,
See CACM vol 26 (1983) pp853-860.  Standard PASCAL doesn't have this feature.
If you want efficient compilers & a simple language, I'd suggest Modula-2.
This also has the advantages of defined string-handling, modules & separate
compilation, instaed of the various ad-hoc hacks to PASCAL to make it a halfway
reasonable programming language.

I can't remember if Modula-2 has a break statement.  If not, I guess ADA should
be considered.

-- 
	Dave Berry. CS postgrad, Univ. of Edinburgh		
					...mcvax!ukc!cstvax!db

db@cstvax.UUCP (03/06/86)

In article <4360@ut-sally.UUCP> ark@sally.UUCP (Arthur M. Keller) writes:
>Pascal is a simple yet powerful language.  It has
>most of the features you would want to use when teaching intro CS and
>programming using the Algol-based language paradigm.

I've been convinced by some people around here that imperative languages
don't make the best introductory languages for CS (although obviously they
must be taught eventually).  The reason is that 'declarative' languages
use variables in a way closely to their use in maths and logic.  Hence
students will get used to using them this way, and won't find the first
encroachments of CS theory into their curriculum so strange.

Certainly talking to students around here I get the impression they would
find it easier to learn ML first & then switch to PASCAL, rather than the
other way round as at present.  Our department is considering teaching
Scheme to first-years (if we can get the resources to do it, etc.)
-- 
	Dave Berry. CS postgrad, Univ. of Edinburgh		
					...mcvax!ukc!cstvax!db