Re: Programming?

[awilliam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

>>>I seem to recall that this got started with a request for languages 
suitable
>>>for teaching.  IMO VB and cousins hide too much of the machinery to 
be really
>>>useful instructive tools, at least when it comes to a lot of CS 
topics, and
>>>disciplines like algorthms, data structures, etc. This is much less 
true of
>>>Pascal, but it is not "modern" (O-O) enough. For a first language, 
not a
>>>bad choice.  I'll pass on Delphi, since I simply don't know enough
>>about it.
>>Delphi Pascal is an update the Pascal by Borland to their Turbo 
Pascal
>>(which was OO, at least as much as C++), to be even more OO, include 
a
>>set of "toolkits" and I think some database (ODBC) libraries.  It is
>>closely affiliated with Borland's RAD package, but a free version of
>>Delphi Pascal by a GNU group is available.
>Doesn't sound bad, but it also doesn't sound like a "first language". 
It is
>**easy** to be more OO than C++

Speaking of RAD, does anyone have much experience with IDE (integrated 
Development Environments) that are freely available.  Kdevelope was 
just released and looks interesting, QtEZ has much newer releases than 
I have (only they won't compile), and the Gnome group seems to be 
scrambling to create one.  And then there is XWPE, the ugly duckling 
of the group.  Anyone have any opinions?