Why did we ever think a student's first programming language didn't matter?

Re:Why did we ever think a student's first programming langu... by esrauch on Saturday June 26, 2021 @11:05PM (#27648174)

But the topic is how their view is shaped by the first language they learn. If they learn C first, will their ability to knowledge transfer into other languages happen differently then if they learned Python first?

Concretely, I can't fathom how people learn Rust without learning one of C or C++ first, and I'd think the underpinnings of how you understand code and systems is probably different if you are subconsciously mapping new concepts back to Python or Java or whatever.

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Re:Why did we ever think a student's first programming langu... by lupire on Saturday June 26, 2021 @11:14PM (#27648223)

C is very different from C++. Rust isn't more complicated than C++.

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Re:Why did we ever think a student's first programming langu... by esrauch on Sunday June 27, 2021 @08:53AM (#27651191)

I agree they are different, I really did mean "I don't understand how people learn Rust without first learning one of several languages that are more straightforward/explicit what is on the stack and what is on the heap".

C++ overall obviously isn't simpler then Rust; C++ in its entirety so complicated it's like three languages stapled together. But with C++ as first language, you can study programming for 6 months before ever even hearing about std::move, and with Rust you'd need to already learn about move semantics on like week 3, when people are still having trouble with loops

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