Hi Steve You and I have different experience, background and interests.
You wrote > As educators, if we fail to teach the technical language of a field to > our students, we are failing to prepare those students to enter that > field. Technical jargon is the language of the field. Python is a language with an enormous range. That is one of it's many strengths. Its users range from school-children, doing programming as part of their general education, all the way to research scientists, professional system administrators and the like. There are some really clever professional Python programmers. Some students learning Python, shock horror, won't enter the field. What proportion, I don't know. Some good statistics here would be helpful. For a different view of Python, take a look at * https://www.codeclub.org.uk/ * https://tutorial.djangogirls.org/en/python_introduction/ * https://codewith.mu/ * https://microbit.org/ * https://microbit.org/code/ The last two are important. > http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4hVG2Br1W1LKCmw8nSm9WnQ/the-bbc-micro-bit The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized codeable computer with motion detection, a built-in compass and Bluetooth technology, which was given free to every child in year 7 or equivalent across the UK in 2016. All these children could be Python users. Very different from the students that you, as an educator, are preparing to enter the technical field of computer software. You further write > We should not focus too heavily on the earliest and most ignorant stage > of people's programming life. That stage makes up probably less than 10% > of their life as a programmer. I'm very happy that Python works for the novice, and occasional programmers. Who have not aspirations to have a life as a programmer. Maybe they're musicians, or artists, or someone building a personal website. There are some really clever people in these fields, who write non-professional Python software. I'm very happy that Python works for high powered experts who are doing machine learning, numerical analysis, partial differential equations, big data and cloud system administration. To turn you statement around: We shouldn't focus too heavily on the latest and most learned stages of programming. Such activity, by hours spent, makes up probably less than 10% of humanity's time spent coding. Not disagreeing with you. Just viewing things differently. -- Jonathan _______________________________________________ Python-ideas mailing list Python-ideas@python.org https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-ideas Code of Conduct: http://python.org/psf/codeofconduct/
