[Edu-sig] re: Question about a programming system.

[Stephen R. Figgins]

Arthur_Siegel@rsmi.com wrote:
> What I don't understand is why Alice is. 

I think I do.  Alice fits as an example of making programming
accessible to non-programmers. This is one possible interpretation of
CP4E.  As described in Matt Conway's dissertation, a main point of the
exploration was how to create an API that a non-programmer could use,
without needing to really know how to program.  While compared to
Logo, Alice wasn't really educational as much as an experiment in
giving non-programmers access to tools that programmers had. 

If you have the other reading of CP4E, which is teaching programming
to everybody, then Alice isn't much of an example at all.  Though it
may expose people to some programming and inspire them to learn more,
it isn't really a learning tool itself.  In terms of literacy, it is
more of a first grade reader, the Dick and Jane of programming. 

I think you tend more to the second interpretation.  I understand you
as saying "what does this Dick and Jane crap have to do with learning
programming?  If we dumb programming down so people can grasp it we
give them no reason to stretch themselves, no reason to grow." 

Am I understanding you right?