Water is an excellent language for use in introductory computer science and programming courses.

1. Target

• Leading-edge educators who want to teach Web services and distributed programming
• Educators who teach HTML and would like to provide a gentle path to programming
• Educators who teach computer science using Scheme or Smalltalk
  Looking for a more practical language that is easier for students to learn.
• Educators who teach computer science using Java
  Looking for less complex language, but still want to teach useful skills

2. Advantages

• Practical programming language
  Learn real-world skills with Web services, XML, and distributed programming
• Simple, clean, consistent language
  Teach critical thinking and good programming skills, not a specific language
• Familiar syntax
  Extends HTML to dynamic programming
• Smooth learning curve
  Start immediately with static HTML and gradually learn programming concepts
• Multi-paradigm language
  Supports Object-oriented, Functional, Procedural, and Declarative

3. Development environment

• Instant deployment
  Every time a student runs their code, it is instantly available for others to see
• Zero-administration thin-client
• Instant feedback with fully integrated and interactive development environment
• Multiple views of objects
  Object inspector, rendered HTML, and XML
• Easy stepping and debugging (stack trace)
• Creates programs that can be instantly published on the Web
• Graphical object inspector
• Supports incremental design and implementation
• Testing and documentation supported by the language
• Development environment implemented in 1 page of Water code
• Easily supports team and shared development in a classroom
  Students can develop and deploy on their machine, as well as on a shared machine

4. Language features

• Both strong typing and weak typing
• Has standard object-oriented, event-driven UI framework (the browser)
• No confusing distinction between classes and instances (Prototype-based object system)
• Automatic memory management (Garbage collection)
• Exception handling
• Uniform representation of data, presentation, and logic
• Useful standard types: dates, regular expression
• Wide range of use
  Same language across many areas: web, multimedia, 2D, 3D, ...

5. Advanced language features

• Can implement control structure abstractions
• Anonymous methods
• Nested function definitions and global definitions
• Closures

6. Availability

• Cross-platform: PC, Mac, Unix
• Free development environment
• Free deployment for educational use
• Many examples available (50+ examples)
• Community of users at waterlanguage.org
• Commercially supported by Clear Methods