Quote Originally Posted by code_glitch View Post
I guess what I'm getting at, is that although GDB can point to your code being faulty, pointers are more of a higher level 'logic' problem.
Which is why with my primary target being pre-teens down to third or fourth grade, they have no place.

Quote Originally Posted by code_glitch View Post
I can definitely see why its a good idea to keep people whom are new to code away from such nasties, however I would recommend something similar to pointers as when they eventually become more adept at programming, they will inevitably want to create more complex programs and experiment with that concept - something all to present in the real world. Perhaps implementing something similar to pointers, but under a more structured context would be a good idea in that case?
To me that's time for them to move on to a real programming language -- like pascal or C.

A lot of people seem to like to use the training wheels analogy; but usually you give them a tricycle or big wheels long before you give them a real bike even with training wheels. I don't see a lot of adults or even teenagers riding around on big wheels. You might have alphabet blocks as a toddler, doesn't mean you're still using them in Elementary school.

I'm thinking Duplo, not Lego Technix. I'm thinking Erector Set, not Arc Welder. I'm thinking alphabet blocks, not Merriam-Websters.

Oddly, across the various places I'm discussing this that seems to be the hardest point to drive home and/or that people aren't understanding. (this forum so far has been the most accepting of the concepts)- Hoping that will get better when I have a real website written up with the various points and information broken into pieces and dumbed down -- as opposed to forum rants the illiterates who make up modern society piss and moan about. Oh noes, wall of text -- AAAH!!! God forbid people be expected to read anything anymore.