On 14 December 2010 11:29, Fabrizio Giudici <[email protected]>wrote:
> On 12/13/2010 07:09 PM, Vince O'Sullivan wrote: > >> On Dec 13, 1:22 pm, CKoerner<[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Java is a great language, but I wonder if the the next generation of >>> programmers would be better served with formal training in Javascript >>> rather than Java. >>> >> I would say both. Formally trained programmers should be exposed to >> several languages, maybe more. >> > Programmers would be better trained if the first language they're taught is > a traditional that compiles into native code, such as C. You know how, in > production, I consider pre-history languages that compile into native code, > still they are the best thing to start learning about compilers, > optimizations, processor registers, etc... Simply because they are one level > of complexity less than bytecode-based languages such as Java or C#. Then > you move on. I frankly fear that the tendency on focusing too much, in a > first time, on more modern platforms will lead to people not understanding > what's happening behind the scenes. Abstracting is good, but you need to be > able to dive down in details when you need. > > Haskell compiles to native code, though I would hardly consider it to be pre-history. It would also be on one of my favoured languages to teach at University, alongside C, R, JavaScript, Lisp, Coq, and possibly smalltalk and prolog. Java on the other hand... Its interest nowadays is purely vocational, there's nothing Java can offer from an educational perspective that isn't best served with some other language. It's more important to teach students how to think, and learn, and how abstractions are built up and how to build their own. So long as you have a good range of concepts in your mental toolbox, picking up more languages is no great hardship. For anyone who expected me to jump at Scala, I mostly feel that it's another pragmatic/vocational language (one of the best currently available...), but there's too much baggage in the form of Java backwards compatibility to make it an ideal starting point. > -- > Fabrizio Giudici - Java Architect, Project Manager > Tidalwave s.a.s. - "We make Java work. Everywhere." > java.net/blog/fabriziogiudici - www.tidalwave.it/people > [email protected] > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Java Posse" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<javaposse%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. > > -- Kevin Wright gtalk / msn : [email protected] <[email protected]>mail: [email protected] pulse / skype: kev.lee.wright twitter: @thecoda -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en.
