Re: Teaching programming

Charles van Duren (charlesv@cs.athabascau.ca)
Thu, 18 Jul 1996 18:10:00 EDT

Craig Nansen <nansen@warp6.cs.misu.NoDak.edu> writes:
#>How about using HTML as a programming language, well for the basics.
#><-8
#>I had second graders experimenting with the <hr>, <center>, and heading
#><h1>-<h6> attributes last year. Tables and forms this coming year.
#>Is that true programming? I do not know. However, it is using abstract
#>symbols and words to get a computer to do something cool. <;

#Yes, it is programming, and in a useful way. The days of teaching FORTRAN
#and BASIC are past. Even Pascal is marginal other than in the high school.
#We are only teaching html, Logo and HyperStudio as "programming" languages
#and will probably start doing some Java.

Sorry, but HTML is not "programming." Is is a form of text processing with
embedded commands, the hypertext equivalent of version of older text
processing systems like "troff" on UNIX. A program transforms input into
output. An HTML file does nothing itself, but does require a "program" to
transform it into the hypertext screen image (just like troff transforms
a text file with embedded commands into a printed document).

Don't confuse the two. And you'd be surprised how many colleges and
universities still teach Pascal as the first programming languages. Last
I checked at least a third (there's a site out there with a listing of
institutions and their first programming course language of choice).

Regards,

CvD

Charles van Duren
charlesv@cs.athabascau.ca