Jeff Abrahamson on Fri, 7 Dec 2001 10:00:14 +0100


[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: [PLUG] Suggestions for a 'computer science' textbook...


On Thu, Dec 06, 2001 at 11:34:28PM -0500, gabriel rosenkoetter wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 06, 2001 at 04:19:05PM -0500, Chris Beggy  wrote:
> > Are you asking me a question?
> 
> Yes. And that question was... isn't SICP focused on Scheme (and,
> generally, on high level programming), as opposed to any hardware
> concepts or true (math) computer science?
> 
> Having used SICP in a class that did recursion to death by way of
> Scheme and taught little else, that's my memory of it, but it could
> be skewed.

I think the point of the book is to teach CS principles in the context
of scheme, which is a simple enough language to be able to teach
concepts without focusing on syntax issues of the language
itself. But, unlike pseud-code, you can compile it and work with it
for the purpose of exercises and such.

It's difficult to teach about how to program without a programming
language, and C and it's ilk are too distractingly complex for these
purposes.

Scheme is  not intended as a production language, just an educational
one. That was it's major design goal.

-- 
 Jeff

 Jeff Abrahamson  <http://www.purple.com/jeff/>



______________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group       -      http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements-http://lists.phillylinux.org/mail/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion  -  http://lists.phillylinux.org/mail/listinfo/plug