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If "programming foundations" must include memory management etc, you're certainly correct. However, there's a reason they use Python for intro classes at eg; MI
by rattray 12y ago
If "programming foundations" must include memory management etc, you're certainly correct. However, there's a reason they use Python for intro classes at eg; MIT[0] - the language gets out of the way so you can focus on CS basics. Once you get control flow and the like, you can start to explore complexity et al.
[0] http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-00sc-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-spring-2011/ http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-comput...
- hga 12y agoNo, Scheme was that language. MIT now uses Python because when the dot com crash cratered enrollment, which dropped by more than half after being steady and high for decades, the EECS department and I gather some higher ups panicked. They also made the 2 new mandatory introductory courses much more EE and "gadget" heavy. (Another input might have been the school having committed an insane quarter billion dollars to build a "showpiece" (but not very functional) building for CS research.)