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Re: pedagogy

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"Bartc" wrote:

> On 30/05/2015 15:10, David Kleinecke wrote:
>
>> I hate to do this in a group devoted to C but I want to repeat the
>> recommendation by RB to use Inform 6/7.
>
> I'd never heard of these languages, but they appear to be long-winded 
> scripting languages for writing interactive games.
>
> They can just about be used to represent algorithms (they seem to contain 
> forms of functions, variables, loops and conditionals), but the algorithm 
> would be lost in the text!
>
> What would you use to express an algorithm to someone else in a 
> language-neutral manner? It would be some sort of pseudo-code.
>
> While C introduces all sorts of extra punctuation, restrictions and 
> implementation details to worry about (plus the ecosystem needed to 
> execute the source), some of these languages add cruft of their own.
>
> (No, I don't have alternative suggestions, except that a language that can 
> used to code almost directly from an algorithm is worth looking at. Maybe 
> someone should just implement pseudo-code.)

The first question that must be answered is: "Is the student willing to 
learn a 'throw-away' language?  That is, one that one learns simply get 
started, and then never uses again?  If so, that language is Pascal. I sort 
of learned Lisp many, many years ago.  Nothing.  When I got my Atari ST, the 
big thing was Logo. I spent hours on it.  Nothing. As far as I can tell 
Pascal is a pretty good cut at a working form of pseudocode.  One huge 
advantage over C is that types and variables and initial values are 
different things and you damn well know it while it is going on. Pascal also 
makes very clear the difference between a small integer and a character. 
Pascal's wordiness may also make you appreciate C more when you learn the 
two languages in that order.

If the student isn't willing to spend time on the two language approach K&R 
C seems like a pretty good practical choice. 

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pedagogy luser droog <luser.droog@gmail.com> - 2015-05-28 22:42 -0700
  Re: pedagogy Morris Dovey <mrdovey@iedu.com> - 2015-05-29 00:57 -0500
  Re: pedagogy Bartc <bc@freeuk.com> - 2015-05-29 11:10 +0100
    Re: pedagogy raltbos@xs4all.nl (Richard Bos) - 2015-05-29 12:42 +0000
      Re: pedagogy David Kleinecke <dkleinecke@gmail.com> - 2015-05-29 10:02 -0700
        Re: pedagogy raltbos@xs4all.nl (Richard Bos) - 2015-05-29 18:23 +0000
  Re: pedagogy Noob <root@127.0.0.1> - 2015-05-29 13:34 +0200
  Re: pedagogy John Bode <jfbode1029@gmail.com> - 2015-05-29 08:17 -0700
    Re: pedagogy rick.c.hodgin@gmail.com - 2015-05-29 08:33 -0700
      Re: pedagogy Etienne Prud'homme <e.e.f.prudhomme@gmail.com> - 2015-05-29 12:25 -0400
        Re: pedagogy John Bode <jfbode1029@gmail.com> - 2015-05-29 14:28 -0700
          Re: pedagogy Etienne Prud'homme <e.e.f.prudhomme@gmail.com> - 2015-05-30 00:58 -0400
    Re: pedagogy gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) - 2015-05-29 15:46 +0000
  Re: pedagogy Les Cargill <lcargill99@comcast.com> - 2015-05-29 22:16 -0500
  Re: pedagogy luser droog <luser.droog@gmail.com> - 2015-05-30 00:16 -0700
    Re: pedagogy Jorgen Grahn <grahn+nntp@snipabacken.se> - 2015-05-30 11:31 +0000
      Re: pedagogy David Kleinecke <dkleinecke@gmail.com> - 2015-05-30 07:10 -0700
        Re: pedagogy Bartc <bc@freeuk.com> - 2015-05-30 15:38 +0100
          Re: pedagogy "Osmium" <r124c4u102@comcast.net> - 2015-05-31 09:43 -0500
            Re: pedagogy Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2015-05-31 16:03 +0100
              Re: pedagogy "Osmium" <r124c4u102@comcast.net> - 2015-05-31 10:34 -0500
                Re: pedagogy Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2015-05-31 16:56 +0100
                Re: pedagogy luser droog <luser.droog@gmail.com> - 2015-06-02 10:28 -0700
              Re: pedagogy Bartc <bc@freeuk.com> - 2015-05-31 17:04 +0100
                Re: pedagogy Les Cargill <lcargill99@comcast.com> - 2015-05-31 12:10 -0500
                Re: pedagogy raltbos@xs4all.nl (Richard Bos) - 2015-06-05 15:21 +0000
          Re: pedagogy David Kleinecke <dkleinecke@gmail.com> - 2015-05-31 09:01 -0700
            Re: pedagogy luser droog <luser.droog@gmail.com> - 2015-06-02 21:51 -0700
              Re: pedagogy David Kleinecke <dkleinecke@gmail.com> - 2015-06-03 09:14 -0700
              Re: pedagogy "Chris M. Thomasson" <nospam@nospam.nospam> - 2015-06-04 00:48 -0700
  Re: pedagogy luser droog <luser.droog@gmail.com> - 2015-06-02 22:12 -0700

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