Thread: C Ya!

  1. #1
    &TH of undefined behavior Fordy's Avatar
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    C Ya!

    Exam board deletes C and PHP from CompSci A-levels • The Register

    Looks like the UK have dropped C (as well as PHP and C#) from their syllabus.


    Schools teaching the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance's (AQA) COMP1 syllabus have been asked to use one of its other approved languages - Java, Pascal/Delphi, Python 2.6, Python 3.1, Visual Basic 6 and VB.Net 2008. The final resits allowing work in C, C# and PHP will be held in June 2011.
    Delphi? VB6? Why? Delphi was cool for a little while may years ago and the world would be a much better place without VB6

    I can understand Python being involved heavily, but getting rid of C with all the linux code out there as well as it giving a helping hand towards things like C++ and Objective-C it seems daft.

    Then I'm self taught and for my coding work I'm self employed so maybe I'm missing something

  2. #2
    and the hat of int overfl Salem's Avatar
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    Seems like a good idea to me

    I'm pretty much of the opinion that learning how to program should be done with nice safe languages like the ones in the list. You know, where simple mis-placement of a ; for example doesn't hose your machine.

    My "teaching" language back in the day was Pascal. But I never used it for paid employment and all the languages I know and use today have been self-taught.

    It's like learning to drive, you don't sit the newbies in a Ferrari - they'd just end up wrapping it around the nearest tree as soon as you left them alone with it.
    If you dance barefoot on the broken glass of undefined behaviour, you've got to expect the occasional cut.
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  3. #3
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You know, where simple mis-placement of a ; for example doesn't hose your machine.
    I believe in python it is \t which is used to hose the machine.

    Anyway, the academy "is it's own place" in many fields, and that's probably good. Business priorities should not necessarily set the rules. Eg, it seems to me the relative performance potential of one language vs. another (where C/C++ will predominate) would be irrelevant to the task of studying computer science.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  4. #4
    Reverse Engineer maxorator's Avatar
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    Thank <INSERT A SUPERIOR BEING> I don't live in the UK.

    How anyone could choose to teach Visual Basic and not C is beyond my understanding.
    "The Internet treats censorship as damage and routes around it." - John Gilmore

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by maxorator View Post
    thank satan i don't live in the uk.

    How anyone could choose to teach visual basic and not c is beyond my understanding.
    ftfy

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