> Logo is great and all, but we're not talking about beginning programming for kids, we're talking about CS degrees.
I'd be willing to bet you could create a CS course using nothing but Logo - and it would probably be better for students than what currently exists.
In his book "Mindstorms", Papert discusses the faulty idea that Logo is only for children, and that it isn't a language that can be used to develop complex software.
The fact is, it can. In fact, Logo is pretty close to Lisp in its functionality.
The most complex piece of Logo I've ever seen was a few decades ago in an issue of the Rainbow Magazine (for the TRS-80 Color Computer); it was essentially a game of Monopoly, with full graphics (and probably sound too); I'm not sure if it did any kind of file i/o - but I know Logo supports all of that and more (especially current versions of Logo).
Seriously - if you think Logo is only for kids, you're missing out on a very fascinating language.
> Logo is pretty close to Lisp in its functionality.
Is it? Quote from the Logo Manual, 1974:
All complete LOGO statements are imperatives, so that an operation cannot stand by itself. If you type SUM 17 26, Logo responds with the error message YOU DON'T SAY WHAT TO DO WITH 43. In contrast PRINT SUM 17 26 is a complete statement. The computer will print 43.
I'd be willing to bet you could create a CS course using nothing but Logo - and it would probably be better for students than what currently exists.
In his book "Mindstorms", Papert discusses the faulty idea that Logo is only for children, and that it isn't a language that can be used to develop complex software.
The fact is, it can. In fact, Logo is pretty close to Lisp in its functionality.
The most complex piece of Logo I've ever seen was a few decades ago in an issue of the Rainbow Magazine (for the TRS-80 Color Computer); it was essentially a game of Monopoly, with full graphics (and probably sound too); I'm not sure if it did any kind of file i/o - but I know Logo supports all of that and more (especially current versions of Logo).
Seriously - if you think Logo is only for kids, you're missing out on a very fascinating language.