In today's paper, staff writer Jordan Freisleben writes that the School of Engineering and Applied Science administration is considering changing the language that the programming class SEAS students must complete from Java to Python.
Here are some potential benefits of the shift that, if approved by all sixteen of the engineering departments, will be implemented toward the Class of 2016's incoming freshmen.
1. It's easier: Python is considered to be the more popular and accessible of the two languages. Many who have taken W1004 (Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Java) complain that the class is difficult for people who do not have a background in Java. Introducing Python would allow SEAS students to develop some strong basic skills before tackling more difficult programming languages.
