[Edu-sig] Python for Algorithms and Data Structures...

[Markus Gritsch]

Laurent Pierron wrote:
> Hi there...
> 
> It's not dfficult to teach Pascal-like record with empty classes.
> Data types is just a matter of convention.
> But how to introduce pointer with Python, pointer is very important in 
> computer science because it's very used in C and C++, and C/C++ are very 
> used in computer science ?

In my opinion:

Pointers are not necessary.  They are only an artefact of C which you 
have to know and to use to write useful code.  C++ introduces references 
and actually Python also uses references.  Python combines this with 
mutual and non-mutual data types which is IMHO quite elegant.

The separation of algorithm and data-types is done in C because C has no 
method for including algorithms into data-types, i.e. Classes. 
Therefore generating this artificially in Python by struct-like Classes 
seems not optimal to me.  To decouple algorithms and data-types when 
really needed, C++ introduced templates.  This is only necessary because 
of the static typing of C++ variables.  Python has dynamic typing, so 
there is no need for templates there.  Polymorphism is also a strong 
technique, but just not supported by C.

My 2c,
Markus