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I really don't think you should use C as a teaching language. There are way too many pitfalls, and using libraries is quite cumbersome.
by adrianN 6y ago
I really don't think you should use C as a teaching language. There are way too many pitfalls, and using libraries is quite cumbersome.
- rsj_hn 6y agoI wouldn't program production code in C if I could avoid it. But sometimes you can't avoid it, and I wouldn't program production code in Pascal, either.
- adrianN 6y agoA programming language can both be the best fit for a concrete production problem and very unsuited as a teaching language.
- ajxs 6y agoAll of my academic computer science instruction was done in C. I was going to mention this in a response to one of the above comments regarding the pedagogical value of Python: I don't feel that taking onboard the concerns that come with programming in C (such as memory management) really made learning about computer science's fundamental algorithms and abstract data structures any easier. Many of the abstract data structures in question, such as trees and hash-maps, when practically implemented are dependent on an understanding of pointers that makes C an ideal pedagogical tool in at least one aspect. I don't think it's really practical for every scenario. I still think it's a great tool for teaching students about many aspects of how a modern computer, or operating-system functions. You definitely won't get far in gaining a holistic understanding of any modern operating-system without understanding C.