I'm a sophomore at MIT and took 6.01 last term. I think a lot of people don't understand the goals of this course. 6.01 is not meant to be a crash-course in wr

I'm a sophomore at MIT and took 6.01 last term. I think a lot of people don't understand the goals of this course. 6.01 is not meant to be a crash-course in writing code. (6.005, know as "java deathlab" is for that.) Likewise, it's not designed to reveal the deep inner workings of computers. Instead, it's mean to be an introduction in how to /think/ with computers. It's conceptually more high-level, and often focuses on the "why" rather than the "what." We learn how to approach problems and look at the best ways to solve them using logic and code. Python is visually clear, has great documentation, is well maintained, and has an active community of developers. I don't understand the outrage in switching. I didn't learn to drive in an obscure European sportscar; I learned in my mom's minivan. Python is like my mom's minivan, but with better documentation. I don't think the caliber of CS grads coming out of MIT in the next few years will change because they know Python, although it'd be an interesting thing to look at. # Here's the course website, if you'd like to look closer: http://mit.edu/6.01/mercurial/spring09/www/index.html http://mit.edu/6.01/mercurial/spring09/www/index.html