Re: [school-discuss] Teaching programming on Linux

Being a Linux lab, I would opt for Perl or Python, especially since they both typically come already installed on a Linux system (and they're both portable to Windows). They both have enormous user bases and are used in both large corporate (Perl at JP Morgan, Amazon, etc and Python at Google, among others) and small community environments.

Editors
Komodo Edit (free) - http://www.activestate.com/Products/komodo_ide/komodo_edit.mhtml
Eclipse - http://www.eclipse.org/

- EPIC (plugin for Perl development) - http://www.epic-ide.org/
- PyDev (plugin for Python developtment) - http://pydev.sourceforge.net/

Geany (in Ubuntu repository, if using Ubuntu) - http://www.geany.org/

Beginners Perl (slides) - http://www.slideshare.net/davorg/lpw-begin
A Beginner's Introduction to Perl 5.10
- part 1 - http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2008/04/23/a-beginners-introduction-to-perl-510.html
- part 2 - http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2008/05/07/beginners-introduction-to-perl-510-part-2.html
- part 3 - http://news.oreilly.com/2008/06/a-beginners-introduction-to-pe.html
Learning Perl (book) - http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596101053/
Learning Perl Student Workbook - http://www.theperlreview.com/learning_perl_study_guide/
- at Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Perl-Student-Workbook-brian/dp/0596009968
Lear Perl.org - http://learn.perl.org/
Perl Best Practices - http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596001735/
(if you can't tell, I'm a Perl guy ;-)

Dive Into Python - http://diveintopython.org/
Python Tutorial - http://docs.python.org/tut/
Python Beginner's Guide - http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide
Learning Python - http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596513986/

I also have contacts in both the Perl and Python communities and could put him in touch with them if he'd like.

Thanks,
Jeremy

On Mon, Sep 1, 2008 at 2:41 AM, David M. Bucknell <dbucknell@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Dear Jim,

By "environment" I meant, what editor and compiler.

Thanks,

David
----- Message from jim@xxxxxxxx ---------
Date: Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:44:43 -0700
From: jim <jim@xxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: schoolforge-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [school-discuss] Teaching programming on Linux
To: schoolforge-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

1. Python strikes me as a very good choice
to introduce programming to beginners.
2. what do you mean "environment"?

On Mon, 2008-09-01 at 14:29 +0700, David M. Bucknell wrote:

Dear Colleagues,

I have two questions from a reluctant-Linux computing teacher:

1. With what should he introduce computing (in a Linux lab)?
- He would like experienced-based suggestions for teaching lower and
middle secondary introductions to programming. Apparently, he used
visual basic before. He knows of Pascal. Perhaps that's the best
direction then?

2. how can he teach C to secondary-level students on Linux?

He is looking for

a) an environment suggestion
b) suggestions for on-line and offline materials
c) good sites

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience in these areas.

Sincerely,

David