[Info-vax] [OT] Wirth style languages, was: Re: Obscure Ada compiler vendors?

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <kjka1s$vmo$1 at dont-email.me>,
	Stephen Hoffman <seaohveh at hoffmanlabs.invalid> writes:
> On 2013-04-04 14:43:29 +0000, Phillip Helbig---undress to reply said:
> 
>> In article <515d8fb7$0$585$e4fe514c at dreader34.news.xs4all.nl>, MG
>> <marcogbNO at SPAMxs4all.nl> writes:
>> 
>>>> If Java does decline, I wonder what language will replace it ?
>>> 
>>> One that hopefully doesn't also reduce your computer's security
>>> to Swiss cheese?
>> 
>> Fortran?  Cobol?  If not, why not?
> 
> Try some newer languages, newer tools and newer operating systems.  
> Decide for yourself.
 
I am an advocate of COBOL and I ha worked n a CS Department for over 20
years and even I would not suggest either of those languages as something
to teach beginners basic programming concepts.

I wish they still taught COBOL at a later point and probably in a special
course, but I see no reason to cover Fortran in anything but a general
Programming Languages Course where you show them differnt languages and
the pardigms attached to them but no one becomes proficient.

Pascal was always a good choice, afterall, isn't that what Wirth created
it for?   And, wether I like it or not, students today must learn the
OO paradigm and that most likely means Java which is what they use where
I used to work and I imagine most other CS Departments.

bill

-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>