Exam Board Deletes C and PHP From CompSci A-Levels

VitaminB52 writes "A-level computer science students will no longer be taught C, C#, or PHP from next year following a decision to withdraw the languages by the largest UK exam board. Schools teaching the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance's (AQA) COMP1 syllabus have been asked to use one of its other approved languages — Java, Pascal/Delphi, Python 2.6, Python 3.1, Visual Basic 6, and VB.Net 2008. Pascal/Delphi is 'highly recommended' by the exam board because it is stable and was designed to teach programming and problem-solving."

Comments

Serious applications are still written in Delphi

[ZP-Blight]

We've been using Delphi to develop our project (see sig) for years and we find it very intuitive and friendly to design user-interface based Win32 applications. I personally feel that Pascal's syntax is much clearer than most languages and yet flexible and powerful enough to develop major projects, making it ideal for teaching client-side programming to newcomers.

The only sad thing about Delphi (which I hope will be rectified) is:
1. No 64bit compiler.
2. No mobile platform support (except maybe .NET for WinCE devices, but those are dying out due to iPhone/BB/Android and even WinMo7 which is turning into an even more simplified iPhoneish design).

Re:Maybe I'm missing something

[wisnoskij]

I am taking computer science in university right now.
We do eventually take courses to learn a little C++, but I do not think we are ever taught any C.
C is historic, and not something I think anyone should want to ever use (why use an abacus when you have a calculator).

Re:Atleast they still allow Java

[LizardKing]

references are as good as pointers

Really? Show me the following implemented using Java references:

void
swap(int *l, int *r)
{
int tmp = *r;
*r = *l;
*l = tmp;
}