First programming language

Abstract

What is a good programming language for beginners? For those adults entering the programming profession as adults the choice of first language seems to have a profound effect and the “flavor” of that first language seems to become ingrained and stay with the programmer forever unless strong deliberate steps are taken to break out of the artificial bounds set by the early influence.We are now in an era when computers are available to many schools and when programming is being taught to children from primary school to high school. The language most often used is BASIC and the teachers most often barely know anything about programming - have never written anything but toy programs.Now that personal computers are available for under d500 (with BASIC as usually the only programming language) a generation of self-taught programmers will soon be evident.It would seem that there is a whole host of factors that will shape the competency of the next generation of computer users. The choice of first language is probably the most significant of these, yet we do not really know the consequences of this choice.The participants in this panel have all had an opportunity to observe the progress of young, beginning programmers. They have all thought about what must be learned and unlearned when the beginner moves on from playing with computers into real programming. They will discuss what a proper beginning language might be and what consequences may be expected if such a language is not forthcoming in the immediate future.