There is something very appealing about learning a small(ish) language. However, a small language does not always mean simple. And it means code can be difficult to unravel.
Niklaus Wirth, the creator of Pascal, Modula-2 and Oberon, believe strongly that teaching programming is most effective when students can grasp the entirety of a small language.
From a 2018 interview with Wirth on the topic:
> "In order to do a good experience, you have to have a clean language with a good structure concentrating on the essential concepts and not being snowed in."
> "That is my primary objection to the commercial languages – they’re simply too huge, and they’re so huge that nobody can understand them in their entirety. And it’s not necessary that they’re so huge."
Niklaus Wirth, the creator of Pascal, Modula-2 and Oberon, believe strongly that teaching programming is most effective when students can grasp the entirety of a small language.
From a 2018 interview with Wirth on the topic:
> "In order to do a good experience, you have to have a clean language with a good structure concentrating on the essential concepts and not being snowed in."
> "That is my primary objection to the commercial languages – they’re simply too huge, and they’re so huge that nobody can understand them in their entirety. And it’s not necessary that they’re so huge."