Re: Suitability of Lua as a First Programming Language?

["M. Edward (Ed) Borasky" <znmeb@...>]

This "debate" has been going on since there *were* programming
languages. Logo, BASIC and now Scratch were specifically designed to
get youngsters into programming. *None* of the "kids' programming
languages" was *ever* suitable for professional software engineering.
Python, Lua, Visual Basic and most other languages are.

On Sat, Dec 1, 2012 at 1:43 PM, Pierre Chapuis <catwell@archlinux.us> wrote:
> I think you cannot teach CS correctly with just one language.
> If I had to teach it I would choose Python as a first language
> though. The reason is that Python is more structured than Lua,
> and also more close to pseudocode. It is a perfect way to teach
> algorithms, and you can get up to speed and do real things
> quickly with it.
>
> Then I would teach C, because it is still the best way to
> learn data structures. I do not think can understand CS if you
> do not understand memory management, pointers... Also, Unix.
>
> Then I would teach LISP, the Maxwell Equations of Software.
> C makes you understand what you do from the point of view of
> the computer, LISP makes you understand what you do in
> theory and understand the power of abstraction.
>
> Finally, I may teach something like Haskell. Programmers should
> understand typing, the equivalent of homogeneity in math.
>
> In my opinion Lua is not best learned in a class. It is best
> learned by reading the manual. Especially in a printed version.
> When you have it into your hands you think "Is that really all
> there is to it?" Yes, it is all there is to it. Lua is a jewel,
> a wonder of software design and you choose to use it when you
> realize that. But you cannot realize it if if you have not used
> other languages first.
>
> That being said there is something I think Lua is the perfect
> language to teach: Object Orientation. Because to use OO in Lua
> you implement it, and you understand it is not something so
> complicated. You also understand objects can be seen in two
> ways: structures with related methods (the x:foo() style) and
> closures (the x.foo() style).
>
> --
> Pierre Chapuis
>
>



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