JavaScript (NOT Python) as a teaching / first Language?
Sorry for playing the devil's advocate, at least in the more recent past. Provocative thoughts: http://prog21.dadgum.com/203.html Same proposal by the creator of jQuery, john Resig, three years ago: http://ejohn.org/blog/javascript-as-a-first-language/ Martin.
There's the weird and confusing point where JS assumes pointers do not exist.... On Thu Jan 22 2015 at 08:26:14 Martin Akolo Chiteri via skunkworks < skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> wrote:
Sorry for playing the devil's advocate, at least in the more recent past. Provocative thoughts: http://prog21.dadgum.com/203.html
Same proposal by the creator of jQuery, john Resig, three years ago: http://ejohn.org/blog/javascript-as-a-first-language/
Martin. _______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke ------------ List info, subscribe/unsubscribe http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------
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I also think that pointers do not exist in JS or if they do, they are not very useful. Most high level languages abstract them away for you. In my opinion, the power of JavaScript comes from its functional programming facilities and its prototypal inheritance abilities (I don't even know what that means ;-) ) Martin. On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 9:33 AM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
There's the weird and confusing point where JS assumes pointers do not exist....
On Thu Jan 22 2015 at 08:26:14 Martin Akolo Chiteri via skunkworks < skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> wrote:
Sorry for playing the devil's advocate, at least in the more recent past. Provocative thoughts: http://prog21.dadgum.com/203.html
Same proposal by the creator of jQuery, john Resig, three years ago: http://ejohn.org/blog/javascript-as-a-first-language/
Martin. _______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke ------------ List info, subscribe/unsubscribe http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------
Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
See this for pointers in JS https://www.quora.com/Why-are-pointers-used-in-C-C++/answer/Marcus-Geduld On Thu Jan 22 2015 at 09:49:48 Martin Akolo Chiteri via skunkworks < skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> wrote:
I also think that pointers do not exist in JS or if they do, they are not very useful. Most high level languages abstract them away for you.
In my opinion, the power of JavaScript comes from its functional programming facilities and its prototypal inheritance abilities (I don't even know what that means ;-) )
Martin.
On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 9:33 AM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
There's the weird and confusing point where JS assumes pointers do not exist....
On Thu Jan 22 2015 at 08:26:14 Martin Akolo Chiteri via skunkworks < skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> wrote:
Sorry for playing the devil's advocate, at least in the more recent past. Provocative thoughts: http://prog21.dadgum.com/203.html
Same proposal by the creator of jQuery, john Resig, three years ago: http://ejohn.org/blog/javascript-as-a-first-language/
Martin. _______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke ------------ List info, subscribe/unsubscribe http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------
Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
_______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke ------------ List info, subscribe/unsubscribe http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------
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What I mean Dennis is that if you want to use pointers in JavaScript, you are probably not going to achieve many useful things. You are better off using C / C++ (Perhaps Rust) which are closer to the machine and allow for direct memory pointer (simply addresses to locations in main memory) manipulation. At the same time, learning JavaScript as a first language does not in any way automatically exclude you from picking up a lower-level tool like Assembly as a second or third .... or Nth language. I think the authors meant that it is much easier and convenient to use JS (or Python -- which also does not have "pointers") to grasp the basics of programming. Martin. On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 1:06 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
See this for pointers in JS https://www.quora.com/Why-are-pointers-used-in-C-C++/answer/Marcus-Geduld
On Thu Jan 22 2015 at 09:49:48 Martin Akolo Chiteri via skunkworks < skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> wrote:
I also think that pointers do not exist in JS or if they do, they are not very useful. Most high level languages abstract them away for you.
In my opinion, the power of JavaScript comes from its functional programming facilities and its prototypal inheritance abilities (I don't even know what that means ;-) )
Martin.
On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 9:33 AM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
There's the weird and confusing point where JS assumes pointers do not exist....
On Thu Jan 22 2015 at 08:26:14 Martin Akolo Chiteri via skunkworks < skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> wrote:
Sorry for playing the devil's advocate, at least in the more recent past. Provocative thoughts: http://prog21.dadgum.com/203.html
Same proposal by the creator of jQuery, john Resig, three years ago: http://ejohn.org/blog/javascript-as-a-first-language/
Martin. _______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke ------------ List info, subscribe/unsubscribe http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------
Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
_______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke ------------ List info, subscribe/unsubscribe http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------
Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
I personally started on VB6, because it was the easiest to create something that looked like the desktop software I used then. Looking at it that way, Javascript becomes the best choice for those starting out, because it is the easiest way to develop web-based software that every people use today, then Python, Ruby, C# etc come into the picture when they start thinking about things like persistent storage.. On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 2:56 PM, Martin Akolo Chiteri via skunkworks <skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> wrote:
What I mean Dennis is that if you want to use pointers in JavaScript, you are probably not going to achieve many useful things. You are better off using C / C++ (Perhaps Rust) which are closer to the machine and allow for direct memory pointer (simply addresses to locations in main memory) manipulation.
At the same time, learning JavaScript as a first language does not in any way automatically exclude you from picking up a lower-level tool like Assembly as a second or third .... or Nth language. I think the authors meant that it is much easier and convenient to use JS (or Python -- which also does not have "pointers") to grasp the basics of programming.
Martin.
On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 1:06 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
See this for pointers in JS https://www.quora.com/Why-are-pointers-used-in-C-C++/answer/Marcus-Geduld
On Thu Jan 22 2015 at 09:49:48 Martin Akolo Chiteri via skunkworks <skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> wrote:
I also think that pointers do not exist in JS or if they do, they are not very useful. Most high level languages abstract them away for you.
In my opinion, the power of JavaScript comes from its functional programming facilities and its prototypal inheritance abilities (I don't even know what that means ;-) )
Martin.
On Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 9:33 AM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:
There's the weird and confusing point where JS assumes pointers do not exist....
On Thu Jan 22 2015 at 08:26:14 Martin Akolo Chiteri via skunkworks <skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> wrote:
Sorry for playing the devil's advocate, at least in the more recent past. Provocative thoughts: http://prog21.dadgum.com/203.html
Same proposal by the creator of jQuery, john Resig, three years ago: http://ejohn.org/blog/javascript-as-a-first-language/
Martin. _______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke ------------ List info, subscribe/unsubscribe http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------
Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
_______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke ------------ List info, subscribe/unsubscribe http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------
Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke
_______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke ------------ List info, subscribe/unsubscribe http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------
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participants (3)
-
Dennis Kioko -
Kenny Rachuonyo -
Martin Akolo Chiteri