The Turing Walkthrough - Beginning to End

[Cervantes]

Cervantes wrote:

Next, it would be a good idea to quickly learn about the Sys module would be good to learn. We don't have a tutorial on this topic. Check the help file, starting with Sys.Exec. Once again, if anyone would write a tutorial on this topic, it would be greatly appreciated.

Do you guys think that should really by in the Walkthrough? I'm considering removing it, as I don't think it's all that important. File I/O and the Dir module--yes. Sys.Exec? Probably not.

[Tony]

I'd agree. It doesn't even return anything other than run/fail. Not Walkthrough material.

[[Gandalf]]

Not too mention what kind of potentially harmful ideas it would bring up in people...

Although some of those functions (mainly their potential uses) are a bit interesting. System.FetchArg()? Sys.GetEnv()? Sys.GetPid? Still, I don't think that warrants a walkthrough.

*edit* Argh, I can't spell today. One of my many mistakes being misspelling "edit" as "exit". Anyway...

Quote:

Next, it would be a good idea to quickly learn about the Sys module would be good to learn.

Does this make sense to anyone?

[Clayton]

I read that before to and i was like,"hm, I wonder if took english 101?" but anyways to make this post mean something, I agree with [Gandalf], if there was a tutorial on the Sys module, who knows what some people will come up with

[Cervantes]

[Gandalf] wrote:

Quote:

Next, it would be a good idea to quickly learn about the Sys module would be good to learn.

Does this make sense to anyone?

And you guys didn't tell me? Gosh!

The Sys section has been removed. Though [Gandalf] is right: Sys.FetchArg is something that is good to know. Well, maybe someone will right a brief tutorial exclusively for Sys.FetchArg. That could then float around in free space or possibly be included in the Walkthrough.

[Foundation]

Thanks for the walkthrough, I find it easier to learn from here first and then in class.

[wtd]

May I suggest giving fucntions/procedures greater priority?

[Tony]

as in higher on the list? I would probably agree. Perhaps right after the If statements and Loops, before the graphics. It seems to be a reasonable transition.. figure out how to repeat stuff in a loop, then export that common code to a function.

[wtd]

Tony wrote:

as in higher on the list?

Exactly.

[Cervantes]

Terrific idea. It's been changed.

More suggestions are more than welcome!

[wtd]

Ok.

How about moving recursion up to accompany the change?

Perhaps arrays and records should also come earlier.

[Cervantes]

What about extracting all the junk about drawing and mouse input and the like. Put that in a separate section that can be learned at pretty much any point in the Walkthrough. Sort of like, "if you're bored with the real stuff, go here for a bit to relax".

[[Gandalf]]

How about a "concepts" section, and then a "Turing specific" section or something along those lines.

Arrays and records could be put a bit earlier, that I agree with, recursion not so much.

[Clayton]

But recursion is a fairly big concept (or important as another word for it), I agree with wtd in that it should be higher up in the list.

The idea of a "concepts" part of the walkthrough and a "Turing Specific" part is one that i like

[BenLi]

I think something that hasn't been discussed and stressed enough is proper style with procedures and functions. Stuff like global variables and parameters. Becasue I didn't learn this, my Final Project turned out really bad: a sea of global variables and parameter-less procedures:

http://www.compsci.ca/v2/viewtopic.php?t=13146

After seeing the source code, you can see what i mean