Here are a few assertions, all with no evidence 1. Java is an excellent language
2. Java is a product of a history of programming language design ideas which now stretches back around 50 years 3. If an undergrad with no previous knowledge of programming can get the idea of Java/OOP in a few months, they must make a fantastic cognitive achievement. Many bright students do this - quite a few do not 4. Being an excellent language to use for the purpose of producing software is not the same thing as being good as a first (teaching) language. 5. Java is usually offered as a first language because it sounds good and applicants equate enrolling on this program => becoming great at Java => well-paid employment. The fear on the part of providers is that no Java = reduced applications 6. References are bizarre vaque wooly mysteries unless you know what pointers are. The idea of having no exposed pointers is good, since it means programmers cannot write this common type of bug. But that does not mean that we should 'not tell the children' that pointers exist, and expose them to doing a little pointer arithmetic so they have some experience to hang their understanding on. 7. If students must do GUI programming or they will find programming 'boring' - well, they should drop out now. More sensibly, they should not have been enrolled to start with. 8. " Java, instead of exposing this beauty, encourages the programmer to approach problem-solving like a plumber in a hardware store: by rummaging through a multitude of drawers (i.e. packages) we will end up finding some gadget (i.e. class) that does roughly what we want. ". Well, its not very sensible for busy plumbers to make their own pipes and taps and washers and things from scratch every time. But a student plumber needs to understand what these gadgets are, what they do, and how they were made, and learn how to make them if the need arises. Eg when I'm programming in C I'd use the qsort() library routine - but I know how a quicksort works, and if I were writing in a different language I could write it myself. Otherwise I don't know how to program. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Frank Wales Sent: 14 January 2008 18:31 To: discuss@ppig.org Subject: PPIG discuss: Programmer education ain't what it used to be What are the design patterns for 'Efficient' and 'Transparent' again? http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/CrossTalk/2008/01/0801DewarSchonberg.html -- Frank Wales [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PPIG Discuss List (discuss@ppig.org) Discuss admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/discuss Announce admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/announce PPIG Discuss archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/discuss%40ppig.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PPIG Discuss List (discuss@ppig.org) Discuss admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/discuss Announce admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/announce PPIG Discuss archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/discuss%40ppig.org/
