Toolkits in first year computer science
Richard Rasala · 2000
Traditional first year computer science courses teach the principles of computing using the basic features of some chosen programming language such as C, C++, Java, Ada, Scheme, Eiffel, etc. Abstraction and encapsulation focus on entities such as algorithms, functions, data structures, classes, objects, and closures that can be built directly on top of the raw language. If a facility such as windows and graphics is not directly available in the language then it is not used. This means that student exercises tend to look inward at computer science issues rather than outward to the exciting applications that show the breadth and power of computing.