6. After Java, What?

Java won't be a universal language anytime in the near future; students need exposure to other languages as well. That raises a few questions:

If Java is the first programming language, where should the transition to other languages take place?
What languages should follow Java?
How difficult will it be to move from Java to other languages?

C++ is well-established in commercial software development, so it obviously needs to be taught. C remains the language of choice for low-level, close-to-the-metal programming, so it should be in the curriculum as well. Smalltalk is increasingly popular in the business world, so it's also a likely follow-up to Java.

C++ is the language most likely to be taught after Java. Learning C++ exposes students to issues that Java hides, including pointers and memory management. Introducing C++ during (or just prior to) a data structures course might be appropriate. C++ and Java are similar enough that students can pick up C++ in a fraction of the time it would take without prior knowledge of Java. Students will view C++ as a more baroque version of Java, spending most of their time learning pointers and memory issues, as well as mastering multiple inheritance, templates, and other advanced C++ features.

A logical place for C would be in a class that also covers UNIX programming, since UNIX system calls are done using C and since many UNIX tools use a C-like syntax.

The transition to Smalltalk should be easy regardless of where it occurs in the curriculum. The main issues will be syntax, a different class library, and the need to learn a different kind of program development environment.

Java has enough in common with C, C++, and Smalltalk that the transition to any of these languages should be relatively painless. In many cases, it won't be necessary to spend an entire course on the transition; instead, it can be managed at the beginning of another course. (A UNIX course, for example, could spend the first couple of weeks on C.)

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