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Subject:
From:
Jean-Pierre Rosen <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Jean-Pierre Rosen <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 10 Mar 2000 18:24:30 +0100
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> We have recently come under pressure to change our initial teaching
> language for CS1 from Ada 95 to Java.

My 0.02 Euros...
The important word in your message is INITIAL teaching, and that's where
your argument should start from.

The best language for initial teaching is the one that gives students the
best thinking habits. Of course, any student should know Java today, but
that's not the point. If you start teaching with a language that supports
only ONE paradigm, that shows ONLY manipulating references and not values,
that has very poor tasking features, etc., you'll give them a very narrow
view of computer science.

So I think your argument should not be "Ada is better than Java", but rather
"Ada will give them a broader view of computer science; we'll teach them
Java later".
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           J-P. Rosen ([log in to unmask])
Visit Adalog's web site at http://pro.wanadoo.fr/adalog

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