I admit I was quite disappointed to find Java the introductory language of choice. This is, after all, the state where Dijkstra presided, in Austin no less. How could Texas have gone so wrong? I knew Texas adopted C++ right after I graduated (from Pascal). I had no idea it had switched to Java.

What’s wrong with Java? Well, let’s start with complexity. Java is supposedly an OOP language. Alan Kay’s message passing and atoms definition of OOP makes sense. It’s the same argument Joe Armstrong uses to describe the Actor model used in Erlang and based on physics. Java, and its kind that includes C++ and C#, follows a very different form I tend to call “Class-Oriented.” Class-oriented programming uses things like inheritance and design patterns to solve problems that are created by using class-oriented programming. An outside observer should be able to see this clearly in the number of books published on the topic, especially when one takes the time to investigate the contents and learn that most contradict others.

For years, Rice and MIT taught their first-year computer science students LISP. They’ve now, sadly, departed from that tradition. However, I strongly believe teaching at such a raw, powerful level would both provide immediate job candidacy and a firmer grip on the actual mechanics of computing, rather than an understanding of OOP, which is much less useful than advertised. Those who understand LISP tend to understand algorithms and abstractions better and have a much closer appreciation for what languages do once they’ve been parsed. Isn’t this what our education system should be encouraging?

Okay, let’s say LISP is out. What about Python? It’s pretty popular and has supplanted LISP in both Rice and MIT (I think). I would actually suggest JavaScript, myself. Sure, it has warts, but 1) it’s the most ubiquitous language in the world, 2) can be written and run in any browser, 3) provides immediate feedback, and 4) would offer every student the possibility of getting a part- or even full-time job during summer months or upon graduation.

If the selection of Java is related to industry use, which I can only suppose is the case, then JavaScript should be the top choice. It has so many interesting facets and can be used to teach most if not all styles of programming. It even has roots in Scheme and Self, one the LISP and the other the OOP.

Please, at least consider it.

P.S. If a dynamic language, or JavaScript specifically, doesn’t satisfy, what about a typed, multi-paradigm language like F# or OCaml?