17 Aug
2001
17 Aug
'01
10:15 p.m.
Tony Duell skrev:
> I think the interpreter makes BASIC unequalled
pedagogically.
I am not convinced. While the 'instant
gratification' (you type a
statement without a line number and the result comes right back) might be
useful when you're starting out, it also encourages the 'modify at random
until it works' style of programming, rather than thinking about the
problem, thinking about how to solve it, and only then actually writing
the program.
They'll have plenty of time to think about problem later. The prime objective
is at first to actually get them programming. Making the computer write your
name on the screen is an eye-opener.
You can worry about good programming practice and all that after you've
introduced them to the very first concept of programming, namely that of
entering commands for the computer to execute. Everything is secondary to
that.
Needless to say, I consider 'modify at random until
it works' to be a
very Bad Thing!
By all means. And sooner or later it won't work.
I've seen hardware 'designers' do something
similar with FPGAs (and other
technologies that are easy to modify). Things like 'maybe it'll work if I
change this AND gate to an OR gate' or 'I'll try inverting that clock
signal'. Or 'Maybe I need one more state in that counter'. No real idea
as to what they should be doing, and why.
As long as you analyse it afterwards and find out what made it work/not work,
it's all right by me.
--
En ligne avec Thor 2.6a.