The Value of BASIC As a First Programming Language 548
Mirk writes "Computer-science legend Edsger W. Dijkstra famously wrote: 'It is practically impossible to teach good programming to students that have had a prior exposure to BASIC: as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration.' The Reinvigorated Programmer argues that the world is full of excellent programmers who cut their teeth on BASIC, and suggests it could even be because they started out with BASIC."
Re:Second story from this blog this week... (Score:5, Funny)
Clearly there's something fishy going on there...
Re:Time heals (Score:4, Funny)
Easily gotten over (Score:5, Funny)
easy language first your get-over is
FORTH started I at-all me affected not and
Re:Second story from this blog this week... (Score:5, Funny)
Or, more on-topic:
Haiku Overflow
It was programmed in BASIC
System halting now
Re:Easily gotten over (Score:2, Funny)
I knew it, Yoda was a Forth programmer!
Re:Good programmers aren't easily ruined (Score:5, Funny)
"Your post pretty much proves Dijkstra's point. You did not manage to lay off your old thinking habits. You do not bother to think how an object oriented compiler works and to me it sounds that you are stuck in 80's style programming."
'Object-oriented programming is an exceptionally bad idea which could only have originated in California.' - Dijkstra
Re:no, Python is not the language to start with (Score:1, Funny)
That's just crazy talk!
Re:Good programmers aren't easily ruined (Score:1, Funny)
When goto is not an option give me a break;
Ouch! (Score:2, Funny)
most of us have been writing software without using goto for the last two decades
Us goto-loving programmers don't take two decades or more to write software. We just go to it.
Re:BASIC is irrelevant (Score:2, Funny)
I quite agree. I fire bullets over the heads of my students as they program too. Makes the bastards learn to duck.
Re:Good programmers aren't easily ruined (Score:3, Funny)
So far you've proven either that you suck at programming, or that you suck at cut and paste. But that is not a program that uses a goto. You could stick with your current proof, or if you try again you may remove all doubt.
Re:BASIC is irrelevant (Score:4, Funny)
Perl as introduction to programming for kids?
You will be lucky if they put you in prison for life, for child abuse.
If they don't, you'll have the misfortune to spend the rest of your miserable and short life in the grim world you will have created, filled by monstrosities from worst nightmares.
If BASIC was mutilating the young minds, Perl is in the line of Cthulhu summoning with minors.