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This is ridiculous. 1. Pseudocode should be typeable in an email. 2. You should be able to write pseudocode on a whiteboard without worrying about syntax. 3.
by loudouncodes 4y ago
This is ridiculous.
1. Pseudocode should be typeable in an email.
2. You should be able to write pseudocode on a whiteboard without worrying about syntax.
3. Pseudocode should be loose enough that it suggests a domain-specific language that it might inspire.
4. If your pseudocode requires a mechanism for comments, you’ve lost the plot. In their example, they comment ‘v1’ as ‘variable holding candidate 1’s tally’. Then name it that! ‘tally_can1’ would be much better.
- jpurnell 4y agoFair, but if you're teaching an entry-level undergraduate CS course, you have to to start somewhere, right? Giving them a set of best practices and a clear syntax does that. And then, as students progress, they can be as creative as you suggest.