[whizzter]

Large scale engineering is totally beside the point for this. This is about optimizing for teaching a first language (since many will stick with that).

Read the article, the "static trap" is a real thing for new students (on top of all other ceremony). To solve the issue of main being non-static some students will start to put static everywhere as a 'fix' to their initial issue, a day or two later they'll be asking why every student gets the same name (because they have one static variable to keep the student or name objects).

The verbosity of Java also introduces another more serious problem for learning, not only do the students have problems compiling, they also start putting their mind on focusing on syntax instead of logic once they're past the first few problems. The issue of de-programming students from this affliction is waaay too common to be ignored.

[pjmlp]

Back when I was a TA, first year students got along just as well with Pascal, Fortran and C++, many of which lacked a programming background.

I wasn't found of minimal APIs, global usings and implicit Program.cs for C# 10, and share a similar opinion in relation to Java.

No need to try to make it look like JavaScript and Python, each language has its place.

[EdwardDiego]

Anecdata - I'm self taught. Started my learning on Python.

I wanted to delve into Java. And sure enough, my very first thoughts were "wtf is public static void, why does this even matter, and why is print() so weird and long?"

Shit, I ended up finding it easier to get into F# than Java.

Then I got hired for a Java role, which is proof that the universe has a sense of humour.

[whizzter]

And none of the listed languages enforce main to be part of a class, hence the described problem didn't exist for your students.

I've taught C to beginners after the Java class and whilst there are some related problems those students encounter, the extra confusion caused by having main in a class doesn't exist (and doesn't cause as much syntax vs logic confusion later on).

[pjmlp]

I can assure you they were using OOP in C++, creating their own standard library, leaving behind the ways of C, as any proper C++ course during the ARM C++ days.

The lecture notes that eventually became this book were their path into discovering C++.

https://www.bertrand.pt/livro/programacao-com-classes-em-c-p...

[binarray2000]

"Top-level statements" in C# is a double edge sword: In a long run it will help make C# a bit more approachable to an absolute beginner to programming by reducing "noise" and cognitive load but right now it tends to confuse the beginner due to countless tutorials, SO answers, books, courses being written using using, namespace, class, Main structure.

Which makes the feature kind of pointless. Especially since all teaching materials (and those who have used them for teaching) were saying to just ignore the rest for now and concentrate on

  Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");

which is, as it's written, confusing to a beginner anyway ("What is Console?") until he learns about classes, after which both namespace and using get clear(er).