From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.3 (2006-06-01) on yquem.inria.fr X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.8 required=5.0 tests=INFO_TLD autolearn=disabled version=3.1.3 Received: from concorde.inria.fr (concorde.inria.fr [192.93.2.39]) by yquem.inria.fr (Postfix) with ESMTP id B6102BC0A for ; Sun, 7 Jan 2007 19:15:29 +0100 (CET) Received: from karpinski.uscs.susx.ac.uk (karpinski.uscs.susx.ac.uk [139.184.14.85]) by concorde.inria.fr (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id l07IFTK1008380 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO) for ; Sun, 7 Jan 2007 19:15:29 +0100 Received: from [81.185.98.168] (port=34513 helo=[192.168.0.5]) by karpinski.uscs.susx.ac.uk with esmtpsa (SSLv3:RC4-MD5:128) (Exim 4.64) (envelope-from ) id JBIG6W-0009MG-LI for caml-list@inria.fr; Sun, 07 Jan 2007 18:18:32 +0000 Subject: Before teaching OCaml From: David Teller To: OCaml Content-Type: text/plain Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2007 19:15:22 +0100 Message-Id: <1168193722.6133.38.camel@Blefuscu> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.8.1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Sussex: true X-j-chkmail-Score: MSGID : 45A138C1.005 on concorde : j-chkmail score : XXXXX : 10/20 0 0.000 -> 5 X-Miltered: at concorde with ID 45A138C1.005 by Joe's j-chkmail (http://j-chkmail . ensmp . fr)! X-Spam: no; 0.00; ocaml:01 univ-orleans:01 ocaml:01 cygwin:01 makefiles:01 emacs:01 lablgtk:01 low-level:01 emacs:01 makefile:01 unix:01 caml:02 graphics:02 graphics:02 objective:02 Dear list, I'm going to start teaching OCaml soon and I'm fishing for ideas and suggestions. I hope this list is the right place to ask. Within a few weeks, I'll be teaching OCaml to a class of second-year students in _mathematics & informatics_. The bad part is that their knowledge of computer science is limited to 3 term-long lectures of "algorithmics" (read "Java under Windows"), and that they have nil knowledge of Unix/Cygwin or Makefiles, or even Emacs or command-lines. The good part is that a number of them consider Java "not mathematical enough", so they may be good candidates for functional programming. I'm planning to base my lecture roughly on part 1 of _Developing applications with Objective Caml_, perhaps replacing the chapter devoted to Graphics with the use of LablGTK. Then again, perhaps not. Some low-level graphics might be interesting for them. I also intend to give them a term-long project to work on and develop. Right now, I see the following difficulties: * the environment -- under Windows, is there any viable alternative to Emacs + the MinGW-based port ? * the Makefile -- I've found OCamlMakefile [1] but I haven't tried it yet, hopefully it's simple enough for my students to use without too many arcane manipulations * the task -- for the moment, I have no interesting idea of OCaml-based projects. Perhaps something like finding the shortest path along subway/train lines ? Thanks for any idea/suggestion/comment, David, And a Happy New Year [1] http://www.ocaml.info/home/ocaml_sources.html