From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Message-ID: <542783.92348.qm@web83904.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 10:47:30 -0700 From: "Brian L. Stuart" To: comeau@comeaucomputing.com, Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@9fans.net> In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Subject: Re: [9fans] nice quote Topicbox-Message-UUID: 65158a9a-ead5-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 > >> >K&R is beautiful in this respect. In=0A> contrast, I=0A> >> never man= aged to=0A> >> >bite in Stroustrup's description.=0A> >> =0A> >> Ok, now I'= ll get provocative:=0A> >> Then why do so many people have a problem=0A> un= derstanding C?=0A> >=0A> >Are you saying that there is a significant number= of=0A> >people who understand C++ but not C?=A0 The reason=0A>=0A> I wasn'= t saying anything, I was asking a question. :)=0A=0AAh, I misunderstood. T= he question about why people don't=0Aunderstand C on the heels of a referen= ce to Stroustrup=0Aled me to think that was a suggestion C++ was easier to= =0Aunderstand than C. Of course, I may be a little too=0Asensitive to such= a claim, because of what I've been=0Ahearing in the academic community for= a while. Some=0Akeep saying that we should use more complex languages=0Ai= n the introductory course because they're in some way=0Aeasier. But I've y= et to understand their definition=0Aof easier.*=0A=0ABLS=0A=0A*Well, actual= ly I do kind of realize they are suggesting=0Athat a tinkertoy approach mak= es it easier for a beginner=0Ato see something happen. The problem I have = is that's=0Anot the point of teaching that material. Just getting=0Asometh= ing to happen might be training, but it sure isn't=0Aeducation.=0A