I saw it some months ago (1) but it didn't get much traction. And I failed to upvote it, shame on me. This is really good work.
Online Python Tutor: Learn programming by visualizing code execution
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Re: Online Python Tutor: Learn programming by visualizing code execution
#12Philip, this is fantastic stuff. How have I not heard of your project before? Have I not been paying attention, or have you not shown it here before?
I don't think Philip has posted this project on here before. His user name is: http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=pgbovine Another project he worked on that you may have seen on HN is the PhD Grind book (about getting a CS PhD from Stanford).
Oh, I know. He's been a regular here for a while. Which is why I was surprised I did not know about one of his projects.
Re: Online Python Tutor: Learn programming by visualizing code execution
#13Just 5 days ago HN was all so negative about Bret Victor's visions[1] of how programming should be taught. And yet here we are, looking at a working example of one of the ideas he wrote about.
Re: Online Python Tutor: Learn programming by visualizing code execution
#14I'm sold. Great work! I advocate learning to program to non-programmers all the time (and typically suggest Python), but visualizing flow is hard to teach succinctly with words. I really think this type of visualization with accompanied explanation, where needed, will help quite a bit. Heck, I may use it for debugging at times in the future.
Re: Online Python Tutor: Learn programming by visualizing code execution
#15Former discussion: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3609263
Re: Online Python Tutor: Learn programming by visualizing code execution
#16Why would they simulate a linked list using tuples? It seems a bit contrived (or rather, not Pythonic) when lists are a built-in datatype.
A quick way to emulate cons cells[1], which are good for explaining how linked lists work?
Re: Online Python Tutor: Learn programming by visualizing code execution
#17I'm sold. Great work! I advocate learning to program to non-programmers all the time (and typically suggest Python), but visualizing flow is hard to teach succinctly with words. I really think this type of visualization with accompanied explanation, where needed, will help quite a bit. Heck, I may use it for debugging at times in the future.
Re: Online Python Tutor: Learn programming by visualizing code execution
#18Oh wow, woke up this morning to some great emails. Thanks, everyone!
Here is some context behind the current incarnation of Online Python Tutor:
Re: Online Python Tutor: Learn programming by visualizing code execution
#19Why would they simulate a linked list using tuples? It seems a bit contrived (or rather, not Pythonic) when lists are a built-in datatype.
A quick way to emulate cons cells[1], which are good for explaining how linked lists work? [1] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cons
Yep, right on! I wanted to show off linked list recursion and render box-and-pointer diagrams like those seen in SICP.
Re: Online Python Tutor: Learn programming by visualizing code execution
#20Just 5 days ago HN was all so negative about Bret Victor's visions[1] of how programming should be taught. And yet here we are, looking at a working example of one of the ideas he wrote about. [1] - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4577133
Bret has certainly been an inspiration to lots of us who work in this field, but I still don't think this is an implementation of his vision. To truly implement his vision, someone would need to design a new programming language and environment.
My motivation has been to ease the learning path for an existing popular language (Python).