Professor Alan Perlis Advocates for APL as a Lyrical Programming Language for Computer Science Education
By
tosh
If you only eat one bagel today, this is the bagel.
Summary
This article by Professor Alan J. Perlis of Yale University advocates for teaching computer science to all university students, with a focus on the APL programming language. The author presents key reasons for computer science education including understanding algorithms, computer organization, programming fluency, and appreciation of programming as an art form. The article positions APL as a 'lyrical' language that enables elegant, expressive programming and serves as an ideal vehicle for teaching fundamental computing concepts.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledMany reasons can be given for teaching one or more aspects of computer science (defined as the study of the set of phenomena arising around and because of the computer) to all university students.
Let me list the few I find most important: (1) to understand and to be able to compose algorithms; (2) to understand how computers are organized and constructed; (3) to develop fluency in (at least) one programming language; (4) to appre
In Praise of APL: A Language for Lyrical Programming
Professor Alan J. Perlis, Yale University
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