On Tue, Feb 20, 2018 at 10:09 PM, Chris Angelico <ros...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Wed, Feb 21, 2018 at 6:39 AM, Geldenhuys, J, Prof <g...@sun.ac.za> > <g...@sun.ac.za> wrote: >> I think your case illustrates the Python/Mathematica issue well: you found >> a job for which Mathematica was not the perfect tool and you used Python. >> At the end of the day, both M & P have their place. For example, we >> probably won't use either to teach Introduction Computer Science soon, >> because they both lack features that we expect our students to be familiar >> with at the end of their first year. >> > > Out of curiosity, what features does Python lack in that area? (I > don't know anything about Mathematica, and it's only tangentially > on-topic at best.) For an intro to comp sci, I would generally expect > to start with a high level language such as Python, or JavaScript > (because of its ubiquity, primarily due to web browser usage), or Ruby > (particularly if you're Japanese). You don't learn about how to manage > memory (because it's done for you), but on the other hand, you don't > learn about how to manage memory (because hey, it's all done for > you!). You don't learn how to wade through a crash dump (because you > have exceptions and tracebacks), you don't learn how to compile for > different platforms, you don't learn all sorts of other things that > aren't necessary for someone's first year in comp sci. So I'm > interested to what such high level languages lack, from the POV of a > first year of comp sci.
Indeed, MIT famously switched from Scheme to Python for their introductory class about a decade back, and as far as I'm aware they're still using it. -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
