From: Bill Kelly <billk@...>
Date: 2005-02-15T03:09:11+09:00
Subject: Re: Printing why's (poignant) guide to ruby

Hi,

From: "Alexander Kellett" <ruby-lists@lypanov.net>
> how can a variable confuse? its just a name. anyone who's done basic 
> algebra gets it straight away surely?

In theory... But there also exist people who have an
interest in learning some programming who either haven't
had algebra yet or for whom algebra is a loathsome bad
memory from high school that they've tried to forget.

In my wife's recent online introductory programming
course (using Visual Basic) she remembered just enough
math to be puzzled why '=' meant assignment now, instead
of equality.  It didn't help that '=' in VB morphs 
between assignment and equality depending on context. :(

She also disliked static typing.  Why do I have to "Dim"
these things before I can use them?

Unfortunately the class didn't teach any of these 
concepts; they just threw you in the forms designer
and had you double-click to get to your event handler
code (what's an event????).

Well anyway, my experience helping my wife with that class
has definitely reset most of my expectations about what
should or shouldn't be obvious to a beginner.  Some 
learners really are starting from a blank slate where even
the most fundamental concepts can't be taken for granted...


FWIW,

Regards,

Bill