[Edu-sig] The fate of raw_input() in Python 3000

[Peter Chase]

Andre Roberge wrote:
> The following is something I have been pondering for quite a while now
> and am wondering what other people on this list think.
>
> According to PEP 3100
> (http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3100/ )
> raw_input()  [as well as input()] is recommended for removal from the
> built-in namespace, to be replaced by sys.stdin.readline().
>
> <snip>

I've been using Python for CS1.  It goes down a lot easier, since there 
are fewer magical incantations (include, import, using, etc., etc.) .  
Further, it is definitely not a toy language.  Naturally, I'm against 
removing raw_input. 

If you want to expose your students to the full horror of a 
syntactically complete language, why not switch to C++, where you can 
run programs in the compiler?  I ask that, even though I like C++ better 
than Java.  (The C++ library templates seem better organized and less 
confusing than the Java API, once the major concepts are understood.  
But then, I mourn for Delphi.)