wmb@MITCH.ENG.SUN.COM (12/11/90)
I probably wouldn't teach Forth to my child as her first language, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't teach (or encourage her to learn) Forth eventually. I prefer aspirin over acetominophen, because it works better for me, but I give my daughter acetominophen because it is perceived as somewhat safer for children. I use a big chef's knife for chopping food, and my daughter uses a paring knife because, at 3.5 years old, she has neither the skill or the strength to safely use the big knife. I plan to teach her to use a hand saw before a chain saw ... I ride a 14-speed bicycle; she rides a 1-speed bicycle with training wheels, and she started out on a tricycle. I certainly expect that she will learn to ride without training wheels when she is ready for it. Good production tools are not necessarily good "first-time" training tools. Forth is a powerful tool, but I think it's too "seat of the pants" for a very young person. I think a 5-year-old could get started with Logo. I think that 7 or 8 would be a good age to "graduate" to Forth. Mitch Bradley, wmb@Eng.Sun.COM