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From: freeman@coolidge.coolidge.grenoble.xerox.fr (Steve Freeman)
Subject: Re: Comparison of languages for CS1 and CS2
In-Reply-To: jad1002@hermes.cam.ac.uk's message of Thu, 25 May 1995 22:15:23
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References: <3pdnsi$i2v@urvile.MSUS.EDU> <dewar.800837955@gnat>
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Date: Mon, 29 May 1995 22:25:53 GMT
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.edu:12664 comp.lang.ada:30548 comp.lang.c++:130701 comp.lang.modula2:11665 comp.lang.scheme:12814

In article <jad1002.72.00164255@hermes.cam.ac.uk> jad1002@hermes.cam.ac.uk writes:

> From: jad1002@hermes.cam.ac.uk
> Newsgroups: comp.edu,comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.modula2,comp.lang.scheme
> Date: Thu, 25 May 1995 22:15:23
> Organization: Trinity College, Cambridge
> 
> In article <3pou2o$123r@news-s01.ny.us.ibm.net> jstoner@ibm.net  (Wotta crazy world) writes:
> 
> >I'm also thinking of starting a lecture series on Modula-2 
> >programming, but that's way up in the air.  Any tips/hints/suggestions?
> >Jeff Stoner                               -=Team OS\2=-

[ironic stuff about the niceness of Modula-2...]

> No, you're best to stick with the `C' monster. If you see something as 
> nice as Modula-2, you might not be able to live the same way without it.

just to extend this argument to the next generation, there's also
Modula-3 (available from gatekeeper.dec.com) which is _even_more_
frustrating than Modula-2 because, proportionally, it's even nicer
than C++ (ie. C++ is even more convoluted than C). It's taught at a
bunch of universities which I can't remember now. Talking to some Ada 
people, I also get the impression that it achieves what Ada9X aims for
but with a smaller, cleaner language and with less history to carry
forward.

For a concise introduction, try "Systems Programming with Modula-3",
G. Nelson (ed), Addison-Wesley.

steve


-- 
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Dr. Steve Freeman, Research Scientist, Rank Xerox France.

Surface:  Rank Xerox Research Centre,
          6, chemin de Maupertuis, 38240 Meylan, France.
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but wotthehel wotthehel
toujours gai
  -- mehitabel the cat
