On 14 May 2003 11:48:59 -0700, derekross@mail-x-change.com (Derek
Ross) wrote:

>Nils Goesche <cartan@cartan.de> wrote in message news:<ly8yth5vdq.fsf@cartan.de>...
>> But remember Edsger Dijkstra's words:
>> 
>> # It is practically impossible to teach good programming style to
>> # students that have had prior exposure to BASIC; as potential
>> # programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration.

Of course the other thing that Dijkstra is famous for is an
interesting little puzzle 

- called Dijkstra's Balls

Realistically, one heck of a lot of programmers and programs came from
BASIC

- primarily because it was accessable
- most early Micros had some form of embedded BASIC
- programmers are IMO 'self selecting'

The stats someone quoted about 70% of 'C' programmers not falling by
the wayside, might well be true
- perhaps because they are formally (but not academically) taught
'defensive programming'

- perhaps also because they lie about how they really got hooked on
computers

Realistically, one can write a dogpile in any language

IME computers get at your brain, they change the way you look at
things, some people are susceptable - some are not