Retiring Python as a Teaching Language

[blacktulip]

http://prog21.dadgum.com/203.html

"For the last ten years, my standard advice to someone looking for a programming language to teach beginners has been start with Python. And now I'm changing that recommendation."

...

"All of these questions have put me off of Python as a teaching language. While there's rigor in learning how to code in an old-school way--files of algorithmic scripts that generate monochromatic textual output in a terminal window--you have to recognize the isolation that comes with it and how far away this is from what people want to make. Yes, you can find add-on packages for just about anything, but which ones have been through the sweat and swearing of serious projects, and which are well-intentioned today but unsupported tomorrow?"

...

"It's with all of this in mind that my recommended language for teaching beginners is now Javascript."