> Learning `for(int i=0; i<10; i++)` is actually better for kids since it hides less and it is actually much more useful in the real world since that's how the most widely used languages do it.
C-style for loops are useful, though I think the historical window (that started with the dominance of C) where the most popular languages lack a direct and succinct way of expressing simple do-it-n-times iteration is closing.
Ruby's particular form may be different than others, but lots of current languages have succinct, direct methods for expressing the same thing. By the time a young child learning to code today is a professional programmer, having nothing better than C-style general for loops to express that common idiom will probably be unusual in non-legacy languages.
C-style for loops are useful, though I think the historical window (that started with the dominance of C) where the most popular languages lack a direct and succinct way of expressing simple do-it-n-times iteration is closing.
Ruby's particular form may be different than others, but lots of current languages have succinct, direct methods for expressing the same thing. By the time a young child learning to code today is a professional programmer, having nothing better than C-style general for loops to express that common idiom will probably be unusual in non-legacy languages.