marius

This is one of the advantages of using Scheme as an introductory language: (define x 1) (set! x 2) (let ((x 3)) (1+ x)

<pedant mode> java.lang.System is class, not a namespace (although classes in Java are overloaded to function as namespaces as well as modules and data type definitions). println() is not a static method, but an instance method of the java.io.PrintStream class. out is a static variable in the System class of type PrintStream which refers to an instance of that class, on which we invoke the method println(). </pedant mode>

...which is a lot to demand of a beginner to understand in his very first program.

I'm self-taught myself, and for me, having a humanities background, C/assembly and Scheme was a perfect combination for understanding both how computers actually work and what computation is all about (to the extent that I understand either!).

I think Java is a nice language in many ways, but I think its dominant position as a teaching language is due to market demand more than any inherent suitability for that role.