[clue-tech] Son's PC and intro to programming

[Tommy Phillips]

Angelo Bertolli wrote:
> David L. Anselmi wrote:
>
>> Don't think of it as the language enforcing an indentation style.  
>> Think of it as the language using indentation to delimit blocks 
>> instead of braces.  I can see that this is more natural to write than 
>> having to add braces to what your indentation already makes clear.  
>> And when you use braces with unclear indentation it's probably harder 
>> to understand the code.
>
> Maybe there really is no difference, but something about the logic of 
> a statement changing based on indentation scares me.  At least I'm not 
> used to it ;)
.... and that really is the key. 
Once you get used to it, indent levels feel just as natural as braces or 
keyword block delimiters.  Like I said, this kept me away from Python 
for longer than I would like to admit, but once I got over it, the 
general expressiveness and power of the language really hooked me.

No tool, including any programming language, is perfect.  And this is 
such a small wart that I'm willing to live with it.

I do believe that a dynamic language is the best choice for a first-time 
programmer.  Of the major dynamic languages, I think Python has the best 
balance of power, available modules, readable syntax, and un-surprising 
semantics.

Your mileage my vary.

-Tommy Phillips


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