[Edu-sig] Edu-sig Digest, Vol 22, Issue 26

[Bob Noonan]

Toby Donaldsoon writes:

> I've been involved with teaching CS1/CS2 style courses for the last couple
> of years where Python is used in the first course, and Java in the second.
> It's a good combination.

> Simple Python programs are usually much easier to read and simpler to write
> than simple Java programs, and so students new to programming really like
> it.

I would love to switch our CS1 course to Python.  It seems like I am always 
about 5-8 years ahead of my department.  After starting in 1997, it took me
until 2003 to get our CS1 course switched from C++ to Java.

At the time we did it, I knew Python was a better choice, precisely because:

1.  It is a good scripting language.

2.  50% of our CS1 students never take another CS course; clearly, these 
students are better off with Python than with Java.

The one place where Python is clearly deficient IMHO is in GUI programming.
Tkinter (and the TK toolkit) are nowhere near the quality and simplicity of
Swing.   Pack as a layout manager is difficult, at best.  And yes, I am aware
of other GUI interfaces such as wxPython, but the infrastructure is not there
to support them.  All of the Python textbooks that I am familiar with cover
only Tkinter.

Just my humble opinion from someone who does all his *real* programming
in Python (which I like except for GUIs) and Perl (which I detest).

Regards,
Bob
-- 
Robert Noonan
Professor and Undergraduate Director
Computer Science
College of William and Mary