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Designing a Java graphics library for CS 1

Published:01 August 1998Publication History
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Abstract

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in using Java in introductory computer science courses. The advantages of choosing Java, however, must be balanced against two significant drawbacks: the instability caused by the rapid evolution of the Java toolkits and the complexity of the graphics model for new students. This paper outlines a strategy for teaching Java that eliminates these problems. The first component of that strategy is a set of low-level classes, DBCanvas and XGraphics, which together offer a double-buffered graphics model that is well matched to student intuition. The second component is a set of higher-level classes, principally Collage and Widget, which make it easy to introduce object-oriented techniques at the beginning of CS1. The sources for these classes are available on the Web at the URL http://cse.stanford.edu/java

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            cover image ACM SIGCSE Bulletin
            ACM SIGCSE Bulletin  Volume 30, Issue 3
            Sept. 1998
            313 pages
            ISSN:0097-8418
            DOI:10.1145/290320
            Issue’s Table of Contents
            • cover image ACM Conferences
              ITiCSE '98: Proceedings of the 6th annual conference on the teaching of computing and the 3rd annual conference on Integrating technology into computer science education: Changing the delivery of computer science education
              August 1998
              315 pages
              ISBN:1581130007
              DOI:10.1145/282991

            Copyright © 1998 ACM

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            Association for Computing Machinery

            New York, NY, United States

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            • Published: 1 August 1998

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