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Justified: Visual Basic Over Python For an Intro To Programming

Posted by timothy on from the I-know-let's-centralize-such-decisions dept.

theodp writes ICT/Computing teacher Ben Gristwood justifies his choice of Visual Basic as a programming language (as a gateway to other languages), sharing an email he sent to a parent who suggested VB was not as 'useful' as Python. "I understand the popularity at the moment of the Python," Gristwood wrote, "however this language is also based on the C language. When it comes to more complex constructs Python cannot do them and I would be forced to rely on C (which is incredibly complex for a junior developer) VB acts as the transition between the two and introduces the concepts without the difficult conventions required. Students in Python are not required to do things such as declare variables, which is something that is required for GCSE and A-Level exams." Since AP Computer Science debuted in 1984, it has transitioned from Pascal to C++ to Java. For the new AP Computer Science Principles course, which will debut in 2016, the College Board is leaving the choice of programming language(s) up to the teachers. So, if it was your call, what would be your choice for the Best Programming Language for High School?

3 of 648 comments (clear)

  1. Who cares by HBI · · Score: 1, Troll

    Every language named is Turing-complete and has the capability of implementing any algorithm you might wish. The whole argument is meaningless since the nascent developer will have to learn multiple languages across a career developing software. The language police are very boring by this point. I remember Pournelle arguing about what language was best in the 70s and I know the argument was happening before that.

    Dumb argument.

    --
    HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
  2. Java by Red4man · · Score: 1, Troll

    Pros:
    + C Style Syntax
    + JDK is Free
    + OS Agnostic
    + Free IDE's available
    + Lots of internet / forum support
    + Opens a door to mobile development with Android

    Cons:
    + "Slow"

    Now, compared to Visual Basic, which is slow, requires Windows, not to mention Visual Studio, which even for Student versions is expensive compared to a free download of Oracle's JDK or OpenJDK and Eclipse / NetBeans / Android Studio.

    C# would be a better choice than Visual Basic, but for students -- having a dev environment that's obtainable for a very low cost (free) and even runs on free Operating Systems is very compelling -- especially for the underprivileged kids.

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  3. Friends don't let friends by Atrox666 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Visual Basic..not even once.