Re: Programming languages for the very young

From: Darin Johnson (darin__at__usa_._net)
Date: 01/28/04 

Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2004 20:42:20 GMT

Yoyoma_2 <Yoyoma_2@[at-]Hotmail.com> writes:

> I wonder why everyone discounts teaching VB. SIMPLE VB can be
> lots of fun, its basically BASIC (you can still do print on a form you
> know :) ) and at least the students can work to a real windows
> application.

I've only used VB once, and used it at the same time I used Delphi.
I was distinctly unimpressed, since Delphi did everything better
in all apsects, and had a better underlying language.

BASIC can, and still does, ruin a lot of programming potential. Even
advanced BASICs with structured control constructs still teach bad
programming advice. A student really needs to learn that programs are
structured, have rules, and have styles. I spend a few years teaching
introduction to programming in Pascal, and the students who had
already spent a few years on BASIC inevitably had the hardest time
unlearning their "just scribble something down" habits. 

-- 
Darin Johnson
    I'm not a well adjusted person, but I play one on the net.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Flamewar _ DO NOT READ
    ... Without having to buy expensive development kits ... ... I think the point you were trying to make, and it may be a valid one, is that it's one of the last that comes with a programming environment *that's designed for ease of learning by beginning programmers*. ... BASICs, Logo, Smalltalks, and some of the Lisp derivatives provide that, and of those, Logo and some of the BASICs and Smalltalks are relatively easy to learn too. ... More commonly, it's the shell, Explorer, that gets into a wonky state and needs restarting, but you lose all your open-folder-window session state if you restart Explorer in any other way than by rebooting. ...
    (rec.games.roguelike.angband)
  • Re: With all do respect Gentlemen
    ... I have always been told that the only stupid question is the one you ... 1984 I started programming on my first IBM PC ... IT's not that your questions are stupid, it's that you obviously haven't even bothered looking at the manual to discover the very basics. ... If you really did teach yourself all those languages, then you should be at least starting with this one by making an effort to discover the very basic steps, before asking for help. ...
    (comp.lang.php)
  • No Starch Press releases--VB Express 2005: Now Playing
    ... Covers programming basics before diving into details, ... "VB Express 2005: Now Playing" ... write this book," said Bill Pollock, founder of No Starch Press. ...
    (comp.os.linux.announce)
  • Re: introduction to programming
    ... I personally would be interested to see a short annotation with each as to *why* you think each language is better than JavaScript. ... All of the "Basics" that came after BASIC are derivatives... ... 10 REM YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT ... accomplish tasks in any programming language, ...
    (comp.lang.javascript)
  • Re: Any recommendations for a good overview of pic and basic stamps
    ... >>loaded onto the chip via a cable linking the chip and a PC. ... > Another poster has covered most of the 'Basics'. ... However the Stamp module, would not even be ... > comprising a carrier board, programming cable, one stamp, manual etc., ...
    (sci.electronics.misc)