From: Patrick Collison
Subject: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <1163640415.182831.298680@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com>
I don't think there's been any official announcement, so I guess a few
people here may be interested to learn that MIT are phasing out 6.001.
It's going to be replaced with some kind of hybrid programming-robotics
class (I think it will use Python, but I'm not sure). Details are still
sketchy (the new syllabus is being worked out), but the faculty are
open enough about the fact to tell freshmen (like myself) not to take
the class. 6.001 will still be offered next semester, but its future
after that is very murky, and it will definitely (I'm told) be gone
within a year or two.

From: Liu Fung Sin
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <1163645909.653207.11700@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>
Maybe Hal Abelson and Gerald Jay Sussman are going to retire or have
more important things to do and that no one is brave enough to take
over (and live up to the standard)?

SICP is really a classic. Long live SICP.
From: Scot
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <1163655551.079862.71090@h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>
Hal is in fact helping with this new course. I've seen him in the lab
weekly while students taking the class work on its projects
(understanding them to a lesser degree, TA's comment).

I'll be sad to see 6.001 go...

Liu Fung Sin wrote:
> Maybe Hal Abelson and Gerald Jay Sussman are going to retire or have
> more important things to do and that no one is brave enough to take
> over (and live up to the standard)?
> 
> SICP is really a classic. Long live SICP.
From: Ralph Richard Cook
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <51pnl2139v1i1l0a44uk42v7t4qp5rapq4@4ax.com>
Why would someone not take effing 6.001 and SICP just because it's
being phased out. Sounds like a reason TO take it. Not necessarily
you, Patrick, you win awards for desiging Lisp dialects, but
definitely the average freshman...

"Patrick Collison" <···············@gmail.com> wrote:

>I don't think there's been any official announcement, so I guess a few
>people here may be interested to learn that MIT are phasing out 6.001.
>It's going to be replaced with some kind of hybrid programming-robotics
>class (I think it will use Python, but I'm not sure). Details are still
>sketchy (the new syllabus is being worked out), but the faculty are
>open enough about the fact to tell freshmen (like myself) not to take
>the class. 6.001 will still be offered next semester, but its future
>after that is very murky, and it will definitely (I'm told) be gone
>within a year or two.
From: Barry Margolin
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <barmar-C5BF1B.23260615112006@comcast.dca.giganews.com>
In article <··································@4ax.com>,
 Ralph Richard Cook <·············@bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Why would someone not take effing 6.001 and SICP just because it's
> being phased out. Sounds like a reason TO take it.

If it will no longer be part of the requirement for an EECS degree, you 
might want to use the time that the course would take for something that 
WILL be.  If you take this class, it's effectively an elective, and 
there's only so much room in your schedule for electives.

-- 
Barry Margolin, ······@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***
*** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group ***
From: Ray
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <1163664061.263060.259040@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>
Patrick Collison wrote:

> I don't think there's been any official announcement, so I guess a few
> people here may be interested to learn that MIT are phasing out 6.001.
> It's going to be replaced with some kind of hybrid programming-robotics
> class (I think it will use Python, but I'm not sure). Details are still
> sketchy (the new syllabus is being worked out), but the faculty are
> open enough about the fact to tell freshmen (like myself) not to take
> the class. 6.001 will still be offered next semester, but its future
> after that is very murky, and it will definitely (I'm told) be gone
> within a year or two.

Was there any specific reason given? It sounds like an excellent
course. It seems funny that they are thinking of dropping it now that
Lisp is picking up again...
From: Pierre THIERRY
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <eji2n5$310u$1@biggoron.nerim.net>
Le Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:01:01 -0800, Ray a écrit:
> Was there any specific reason given? It sounds like an excellent
> course. It seems funny that they are thinking of dropping it now that
> Lisp is picking up again...

What makes you say it is picking up again?

Curiously,
Nowhere man
-- 
···········@levallois.eu.org
OpenPGP 0xD9D50D8A
From: Rob Thorpe
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <1163684062.418696.306420@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>
Patrick Collison wrote:
> I don't think there's been any official announcement, so I guess a few
> people here may be interested to learn that MIT are phasing out 6.001.
> It's going to be replaced with some kind of hybrid programming-robotics
> class (I think it will use Python, but I'm not sure). Details are still
> sketchy (the new syllabus is being worked out), but the faculty are
> open enough about the fact to tell freshmen (like myself) not to take
> the class. 6.001 will still be offered next semester, but its future
> after that is very murky, and it will definitely (I'm told) be gone
> within a year or two.

Didn't you write a lisp interpreter of some sort?  SICP would probably
have been going over old ground for you.  Anyway, hopefully the new
course will be good.  Though I do share Minsky's view that robotics is
distracting, see http://www.wired.com/news/technology/1,58714-0.html (I
wouldn't be quite as critical as he is though).

Also, consider yourself a member of LUIGI in abstentia
http://groups.google.ie/group/comp.lang.lisp/browse_frm/thread/94442bbe61012005/c5d87039ea217db3#c5d87039ea217db3
It's not a very good users group, the treasurer ran off with the money,
and we never meet because there are no pubs to go to in Ireland.
From: ·······@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <1163701104.425699.278020@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>
Patrick Collison wrote:
> I don't think there's been any official announcement, so I guess a few
> people here may be interested to learn that MIT are phasing out 6.001.
> It's going to be replaced with some kind of hybrid programming-robotics
> class (I think it will use Python, but I'm not sure). Details are still
> sketchy (the new syllabus is being worked out), but the faculty are
> open enough about the fact to tell freshmen (like myself) not to take
> the class. 6.001 will still be offered next semester, but its future
> after that is very murky, and it will definitely (I'm told) be gone
> within a year or two.

I just received my copy of SICP in the mail after hearing such great
things about it. Was there anything to 6.001 besides the material in
the book? Will just reading through it give me a pretty  good idea of
what was involved in the course itself?
From: ·········@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <1163703593.218590.245160@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>
·······@gmail.com wrote:
> Patrick Collison wrote:
> > I don't think there's been any official announcement, so I guess a few
> > people here may be interested to learn that MIT are phasing out 6.001.
> > It's going to be replaced with some kind of hybrid programming-robotics
> > class (I think it will use Python, but I'm not sure). Details are still
> > sketchy (the new syllabus is being worked out), but the faculty are
> > open enough about the fact to tell freshmen (like myself) not to take
> > the class. 6.001 will still be offered next semester, but its future
> > after that is very murky, and it will definitely (I'm told) be gone
> > within a year or two.
>
> I just received my copy of SICP in the mail after hearing such great
> things about it. Was there anything to 6.001 besides the material in
> the book? Will just reading through it give me a pretty  good idea of
> what was involved in the course itself?

These video lectures should go well with the book.

http://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/
From: ·········@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <1163703703.538965.260870@e3g2000cwe.googlegroups.com>
·········@gmail.com wrote:
> ·······@gmail.com wrote:
> > Patrick Collison wrote:
> > > I don't think there's been any official announcement, so I guess a few
> > > people here may be interested to learn that MIT are phasing out 6.001.
> > > It's going to be replaced with some kind of hybrid programming-robotics
> > > class (I think it will use Python, but I'm not sure). Details are still
> > > sketchy (the new syllabus is being worked out), but the faculty are
> > > open enough about the fact to tell freshmen (like myself) not to take
> > > the class. 6.001 will still be offered next semester, but its future
> > > after that is very murky, and it will definitely (I'm told) be gone
> > > within a year or two.
> >
> > I just received my copy of SICP in the mail after hearing such great
> > things about it. Was there anything to 6.001 besides the material in
> > the book? Will just reading through it give me a pretty  good idea of
> > what was involved in the course itself?
>
> These video lectures should go well with the book.
>
> http://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/

and this one

http://webcast.berkeley.edu/courses/archive.php?seriesid=1906978270
From: Pedro Kröger
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <878xiaybuw.fsf@gmail.com>
·······@gmail.com writes:

> I just received my copy of SICP in the mail after hearing such great
> things about it. Was there anything to 6.001 besides the material in
> the book? Will just reading through it give me a pretty  good idea of
> what was involved in the course itself?

You may want the Instructor's Manual [1], also, the website [2] has good
stuff like code from the book, errata, etc.

Pedro Kroger

Footnotes: 
[1] http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=3849

[2] http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/
From: crepitus
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <MyZ6h.136385$3x1.12554@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk>
"Patrick Collison" <···············@gmail.com> wrote in 
·····························@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

> I don't think there's been any official announcement, so I guess a few
> people here may be interested to learn that MIT are phasing out 6.001.
> It's going to be replaced with some kind of hybrid programming-robotics
> class (I think it will use Python, but I'm not sure). Details are still
> sketchy (the new syllabus is being worked out), but the faculty are
> open enough about the fact to tell freshmen (like myself) not to take
> the class. 6.001 will still be offered next semester, but its future
> after that is very murky, and it will definitely (I'm told) be gone
> within a year or two.
> 


There are 77 comments on reddit.com. How rare. 
http://programming.reddit.com/info/r1wj/comments
From: Tracy R Reed
Subject: Re: Demise of 6.001
Date: 
Message-ID: <m3ac2r3qsy.fsf@home.copilotconsulting.com>
"Patrick Collison" <···············@gmail.com> writes:

> I don't think there's been any official announcement, so I guess a few
> people here may be interested to learn that MIT are phasing out 6.001.
> It's going to be replaced with some kind of hybrid programming-robotics
> class (I think it will use Python, but I'm not sure). Details are still

I am new to functional programming (been reading Usenet off and on for
years but this is my first posting to this group) although I have been 
admiring it from a distance for a year or two. I have been watching my 
downloaded copies of the 6.001 lectures and been very impressed. It 
became quite apparent why they would use Lisp (scheme) to teach an intro 
to computer programming class. Now I am shocked to hear that they are 
changing. Any reason given why? Has Abelson lost his religion? I am a
big fan of python also but it just isn't functional programming and it 
will be difficult to cleanly demonstrate some of the things they 
demonstrate in with Lisp in 6.001.

--
Tracy R Reed
http://ultraviolet.org