3 ms·
After having read some of the comments on Pascal here -- fellow HNers, what's your view on Pascal as a teaching/introductory language in 2023, for children aged
by marttt 3y ago
After having read some of the comments on Pascal here -- fellow HNers, what's your view on Pascal as a teaching/introductory language in 2023, for children aged 10+? Mostly thinking of FreePascal, but TurboPascal in DOSBox/FreeDOS/SvarDOS is also a possibility.
I'm also thankful for references to "timeless" Pascal books or online teaching materials that would be accessible for a 10+ year old kid who is fine with reading longer texts.
(My condolences are below, fwiw. His death is, interestingly, a moment of introspection for me, even if I'm just a hobbyist interested in small systems and lean languages.)
- augustk 3y agoNiklaus Wirth is most famous for Pascal but the best language is his last, namely Oberon which is both smaller and more capable than Pascal. If you are interested in a freestanding compiler (separate from the operating system Oberon), have a look at OBNC. https://miasap.se/obnc/ https://miasap.se/obnc/
- cryptos 3y agoI wouldn't teach Pascal any more. While the ecosystem around it is not quite dead it is not alive either. So, everything feels a bit fallen out of time. At least to me it would be demotivating to learn the Latin of computer science. I would rather pick Python or Kotlin.
- CRConrad 3y ago> what's your view on Pascal as a teaching/introductory language in 2023, for children aged 10+? I think it's still the best language to start with. And don't let yourself be dissuaded by comments here about "no ecosystem" etc; that's BS, IMnsHO. There are tons of compilers and IDEs you could use, from Free Pascal (with or without Lazarus), via PowerPascal (IIRC) and other smaller implementations, to the old versions that Borland / Inprise / CodeGear / Idera / Embarcadero have released as freeware over the years.