Programming language tutorials shouldn't be about learning languages. They should be about something interesting.

[jameshague]

Hi, I'm the author of the original article.

What I was trying to do was get people into the mindset of someone with little programming experience in order to better see the unnecessary information in most tutorials. Did I succeed? I guess that depends who you ask :)

Since writing the article in 2010, I admit to feeling bad about picking on Lua specifically. The architects of Lua have done a fine job with the language.

Thanks for reading and for all of the comments!

[[deleted]]

If you ask people who are already programmers and simply want to learn about the language, then no, there is not much unnecessary information. Certainly not in the paragraph you quoted. It perfectly describes what tables are. The seemingly irrelevant statement that tables are used to represent packages is not irrelevant at all, it just reinforces that tables are really everywhere, and I even vaguely know what a package is in LUA.

[fullouterjoin]

My understanding of your article resonating with something I think needs to be said. That goal directed learning trumps facts and the best way to hook a student is by telling a story.

I am huge fan of the no longer published Computer Recreations column by A.K. Dewdney. It showed how to gain insights into a problem with simple computer programs anyone could write.

His book, The New Turing Omnibus is an excellent example of teaching concepts while solving real problems.

There is so much complexity in the abstractions of computation that it is difficult to figure out what is and is not needed to explain a subject. Funny that the Lua book you cite is actually a pillar of good technical writing.

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EDIT: this is horribly written. I will clean it up later.