> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:edu-sig- > [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kirby Urner > Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 7:14 PM > To: 'Mark Engelberg'; edu-sig@python.org > Subject: Re: [Edu-sig] Python as a first language for computer sciencist > > With the rise of dynamic or agile languages (not just Python), new > developer > practices have gained in importance, with the eXtreme Programming (XP) > philosophy being a chief exponent of same. Per XP, your above function > would have had a test written for it, perhaps embedded directly in its > documentation (Python supports this). A runtime assertion should have > failed, and flagged the problem.
Love disagreeing with Kirby. When do we get to play, to hack around. I think emphasizing unit testing, too early, is really no better than emphasizing access modification, too early. And the advantage of working, early, with a language like Python begins to loose its luster. Let's not make learning to program all make-believe, all the time. When students have something substantial enough, and intricate enough, where unit testing is a real solution to a real problem - yes. But that's probably a few years in. Art _______________________________________________ Edu-sig mailing list Edu-sig@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
