Posted by: Anonymous
on December 31, 2008 01:01 AM
Python is an open source, cross-platform language that is the oldest on the list--it was started in 1991. It shies away from complex graphics and sound, instead going for a "text-based" experience. This makes it a lot more versatile and useful--in fact, people who learn Python as children can continue to use it for real project for the rest of their life. Python has been praised for its clear, intuitive commands, and its solid teaching of programming fundamentals, such as while statements and lists.
IMHO, any kid interested enough in programming can do it with a real language, and not waste time with these pre-fab _kits_. Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a life time. The above are definitely a notch above "giving fish"--I'd liken it more to "giving them a baited rod with the hook dangling in a fish hotspot, so all they need to do is wait five minutes for a bite, and then pull the thing out"