Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language

From	Roy Smith <roy@panix.com>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Subject	Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language
Date	2013-12-11 20:42 -0500
Organization	PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC
Message-ID	<roy-7CFB3C.20423211122013@news.panix.com> (permalink)
References	(2 earlier) <52A78F6F.3060507@stoneleaf.us> <CABicbJKoN9fV48yskd5wqE79vsb5=nPGfwgOTCO+fCFMG7g8qw@mail.gmail.com> <CAPTjJmpQ9bFP66j3p-PDb2Mp88GKWKktrcFRCWQtdo6fb8LHmA@mail.gmail.com> <mailman.3908.1386777719.18130.python-list@python.org> <a34ada67-aa04-4f4d-b26d-e941cee03c4c@googlegroups.com>

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In article <a34ada67-aa04-4f4d-b26d-e941cee03c4c@googlegroups.com>,
 rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> wrote:

> Kernighan and Ritchie set an important "first" in our field by making
> "Hello World" their first program.

Yup.

> People tend to under-estimate the importance of this:
> Many assumptions need to be verified/truthified/dovetailed
> starting from switching on the machine onwards for this to work.

At the time that they wrote it, very few people who used computers ever 
got anywhere near the power switch :-) But, the point is valid.  To get 
"Hello, world" to print, you've got to figure out a lot of stuff.  
Predating the whole agile movement by two decades, it is the 
quintessential MVP.  It compiles and runs.  The rest is just adding 
features and fixing bugs.

Thread

Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language bob gailer <bgailer@gmail.com> - 2013-12-11 11:01 -0500
  Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-12-11 08:27 -0800
    Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-12-11 16:36 +0000
    Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-12-12 03:45 +1100
    Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-12-11 20:42 -0500
      Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Larry Martell <larry.martell@gmail.com> - 2013-12-11 21:07 -0500
        Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2013-12-11 21:31 -0500
      The increasing disempowerment of the computer user (was: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language) Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2013-12-12 13:21 +1100
      Re: The increasing disempowerment of the computer user Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-12-12 02:35 +0000
      Re: The increasing disempowerment of the computer user Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2013-12-12 13:35 +1100
        Re: The increasing disempowerment of the computer user Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-12-12 10:59 +0000
          Re: The increasing disempowerment of the computer user David Hutto <dwightdhutto@gmail.com> - 2013-12-14 00:44 -0500
      Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-12-11 19:52 -0800
        Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-12-12 15:20 +1100
      Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language bob gailer <bgailer@gmail.com> - 2013-12-12 11:51 -0500
      Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Larry Martell <larry.martell@gmail.com> - 2013-12-12 16:18 -0500
        Re: Experiences/guidance on teaching Python as a first programming language Frank Miles <fpm@u.washington.edu> - 2013-12-13 16:21 +0000

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