Re: [tlug] Learning to Program

[tlug@example.com]

On Saturday 04 August 2007 15:51:37 Shawn wrote:
> > What about a lego robot using Java?
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Mindstorms
>
> Apparently C, C++, Lisp, and many others work with it as well.
>
> Kinda a pricey toy at $250+ but... hmmn...

I have never had the pleasure of trying it out myself, but it looks fun!  
Since it supports a variety of languages, perhaps it would be fun to 
experiment with them all and get a feel for the different styles of 
programming.

If you are interested in Java, but are hesitant to dole out $250+ for 
MindStorms, there is an educational project started by IBM AlphaWorks called 
RoboCode:
http://robocode.sourceforge.net/

A good overview of the project is available at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robocode

Sure you don't get to play with real robots, but I imagine that it could be 
quite fun for beginners since you get engaging output from the very 
beginning.

Cheers,

Travis