Comments on: Why GUIs make us dumber. http://schinckel.net/2007/09/28/why-guis-make-us-dumber/ Like a fortune cookie, only without the fortune, and not a cookie. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:51:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: David T http://schinckel.net/2007/09/28/why-guis-make-us-dumber/#comment-2637 David T Mon, 01 Oct 2007 05:13:41 +0000 http://schinckel.net/2007/09/28/why-guis-make-us-dumber/#comment-2637 Yes. I originally had a longer comment but i forgot to fill in the required fields and lost it all. the gist was 'I agree', and 'python shows us how the gui is very simple in comparison'. Yes. I originally had a longer comment but i forgot to fill in the required fields and lost it all. the gist was ‘I agree’, and ‘python shows us how the gui is very simple in comparison’.

]]> By: Matt http://schinckel.net/2007/09/28/why-guis-make-us-dumber/#comment-2636 Matt Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:17:42 +0000 http://schinckel.net/2007/09/28/why-guis-make-us-dumber/#comment-2636 I like your point. I hadn't really considered this type of thing. Not being familiar with Smalltalk or Dolphin, I can't really comment, but I'm going to anyway. I have been teaching using syntax styling editors/IDEs, but they still don't really help that much. It's more about having your hand held all of the time, and I think to some degree this is part of it. Maybe it's just the old-fashioned 'I did it the hard way, so should you', but syntax styling seems to me to be great to an experienced programmer, letting them know the typos they have made (or contextual errors, where they have used the wrong keyword or syntax for that language), but doesn't really help with the main issue for beginners. Having said that, it is better, IMHO to teach using an interpreted language is probably better, since you don't have to worry about compiling, and with modern computers performance isn't usually an issue. I like your point. I hadn’t really considered this type of thing. Not being familiar with Smalltalk or Dolphin, I can’t really comment, but I’m going to anyway.

I have been teaching using syntax styling editors/IDEs, but they still don’t really help that much. It’s more about having your hand held all of the time, and I think to some degree this is part of it. Maybe it’s just the old-fashioned ‘I did it the hard way, so should you’, but syntax styling seems to me to be great to an experienced programmer, letting them know the typos they have made (or contextual errors, where they have used the wrong keyword or syntax for that language), but doesn’t really help with the main issue for beginners.

Having said that, it is better, IMHO to teach using an interpreted language is probably better, since you don’t have to worry about compiling, and with modern computers performance isn’t usually an issue.

]]> By: scott http://schinckel.net/2007/09/28/why-guis-make-us-dumber/#comment-2635 scott Sun, 30 Sep 2007 20:51:15 +0000 http://schinckel.net/2007/09/28/why-guis-make-us-dumber/#comment-2635 It could be that what might work would be more GUI rather than less. I still think one of the best environments to teach from (yourself and others) is Smalltalk. It's worth remembering that Smalltalk was originally designed with teaching in mind, and something of that ethos lives on in its structures. When you use a nicely designed (and free for non-compiling version) Smalltalk such as Dolphin, the IDE (which really isn't an IDE in the classic sense) will alert you instantly when you have made a typo. It runs a number of other instant checks as well, and because, like all Smalltalks, it is written in Smalltalk itself as much as possible, it presents great code examples. It could be that what might work would be more GUI rather than less. I still think one of the best environments to teach from (yourself and others) is Smalltalk. It’s worth remembering that Smalltalk was originally designed with teaching in mind, and something of that ethos lives on in its structures. When you use a nicely designed (and free for non-compiling version) Smalltalk such as Dolphin, the IDE (which really isn’t an IDE in the classic sense) will alert you instantly when you have made a typo. It runs a number of other instant checks as well, and because, like all Smalltalks, it is written in Smalltalk itself as much as possible, it presents great code examples.

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