[Edu-sig] Freedom: some Smalltalk history and Python implications

[kirby urner]

> At what point does it become appropriate to expect this conversation to
> move over to "Squeakland" - where kids who are different than I was are
> treated without condescension.
>
> Art
>

In general I favor a liberal approach to direct comparison of Python
with other langauges at the syntax and design level because:

(a) it's a genre, well developed, with lots of literature and
(b) it's educational, helps define core concepts and CS and
(c) it's relevant, especially to people "just getting into" language X

We've had some extended discussions of both Logo and J over the years,
per archive, so I don't think which should be especially inhibitory
towards Smalltalk.

Of course I sound like I'm moderating but I'm not a moderator, just
expressing druthers that we set precedent for liberal dumping of alien
language syntax (could get to be a problem, if really sophisticated
unicode clients are presumed).

Kirby