[Edu-sig] Re: Alice

[Kirby Urner]

I guess my own view at this time is Alice is harmless so
long as it doesn't motivate any major changes to Python 
itself (in the direction of dumbing it down, under which
heading I'd file case insensitivity).

I think being anti anything is an inherently weaker stance
than being pro something of your own (not a dig at either
Arthur or Guido, as both are fonts of creativity).  So 
I think the best way to keep the bunny rabbits from running
amok is to continue elaborating a curriculum through which
Python interweaves, as a language, be that through music,
math, GUI design, XML or whathaveyou.  Lots not leave the
stage to Alice alone.

Computerworld is absolutely brimming with riches, is my
experience.  It's a similar experience to going into a 
Hollywood Video outlet:  even if they stopped making new 
movies today, it'd take a lifetime to just see what we've 
already got. Of course matters of taste arise, and the subset 
of the total inventory you'd consider "gems" would only 
partially overlap mine.  Like, what about ToonTalk?  A gem! 
(say I).

To be fair to Alice, I personally haven't used it enough
to say anything strongly pro or con, nor studied the 
background literature as thoroughly as Arthur has.  I've
played with it some.  I'm glad it's around.  I hope people
keep evolving and using it, or stealing good ideas from
it.  But I don't think it should be allowed to stereotype
or typecast Python in education.  Typecasting is always 
a danger (something which happened to Xbase, to its lasting
detriment).

Finally, I'm very glad many people are working on Python-
related projects with an eye to education that are quite
different from my own.  My slant is useful and valuable,
I would claim (most would agree), but it's not the one 
and only, or be all and end all.  I'm especially interested
in the music angle, as I think math and music, which used
to be taught together, belong in closer association down
the road.  And of course Arthur's PyGeo is right in the
same neck of the woods as my stuff in a lot of ways, 
an inspiration and source of encouragement.

Kirby

PS:  unrelated question for which I've never gotten an
answer:  is it true that the Mac version of IDLE doesn't
apply color coding to key words?  That seemed to be the
case when I installed from Mac binaries to an iMac 
recently, a 2.0 beta version.  Answers welcome.