by sigilyph on 5/7/11, 8:55 AM with 11 comments
I'm currently a freshman considering a CS major with limited experience in Python. I was just wondering what HN thought of this changeover- tbh, I feel like I'm missing something by not going through SICP like most Berkeley computer scientists, but then again it'll be interesting to be in a class taught for the first time.
by ColinWright on 5/7/11, 10:48 AM
Scheme and its relatives in the Lisp family is seriously different, genuinely attitude and mind changing, and having it no longer an essential part of the curriculum makes it much, much less likely to be learned or used.
Python is a superb language, but I for one can see the Lisp influence in my programming, and I'm a better programmer for it. I think it's a shame that universities are moving more towards "relevance" and further from "what's actually good for you, and you won't really get a chance to do elsewhere."
And that takes us back to the question of what universities are for, and what the value is they provide. People are saying "Why should I go to university - I can learn this stuff elsewhere!" And for many things that's true. But there are things you simply won't learn elsewhere.
Lisp is one of them. I think losing it is a shame.
by dkersten on 5/7/11, 11:45 AM
I think its worthwhile learning any language that is in a significantly different paradigm to what you already know, so I wouldn't stop at Lisp.
by dmn on 5/7/11, 3:54 PM
So instead there's a required programming languages course we spent half the semester learning/using scheme and the other half using it to understand other types of languages.
It's definitely worth taking the time to learn IMO.
by drallison on 5/8/11, 3:23 PM
by Tycho on 5/8/11, 11:16 AM
by open on 5/7/11, 9:52 AM
by pavelludiq on 5/7/11, 10:41 AM