D vs Java as a first programming language

[ore-sama]

Nicolas Sicard Wrote:
> It seems the main argument why Java is a good first language is that it 
> lacks complexity (namely C++ complexity). I think it also lacks 
> simplicity for absolute beginners. D can be both simple and complex, and 
> it shares other features with Java that could make it a language for 
> beginners: object-oriented, no pointers necessary, garbage collection, 
> strict type checking, portable...
> 
> What feature would make D a worse choice than Java for a first language?
> 
> Nicolas

If you feel like you can teach D better than any other language, do it. You will do this work and you will be asked for results. Imperative languages don't differ in terms of basic concepts like execution flow, statements, operators, primitive data types, basic I/O. Do your students really need docs beyond basic syntax?
Hmm... python having biological libraries could interest them (which is good) if you plan to give them tasks on this library.