[ale] Language Jihad!

[Fulton Green]

Weighing in with my 10,000 stock options' worth:

My gut reaction: start simple and work your way to complex concepts.

Start with a good interpreted language. Python would probably be my pick,
with Perl or TCL as alternates. I know Ruby has the /. buzz right now, but
it just seems too relatively new to me.

Once you have the basics down (I/O, logic flow, numerical and string
manipulation, modular blocks, etc.), go with a good powerful object-oriented
compilable. Java would be my pick, but C++ would do (though the address
pointer situation with that language is a bit more complex than either Java
or C).

If you still can't get enough, pick up C and work your way down to assembler.
Then you can start hacking at the Linux kernel. Well ... to do that, it
becomes an issue of learning how device drivers, program loaders and
interrupt handlers tick.

Actually, you could just get everything you need in one language. Ever heard
of Visual Basic? ;-)

IIRC, computer science and software eng. curricula typically concentrate on
C, C++ and Intel assembler for teaching concepts. There's been some talk
about using Java as the entry-level language, but then you lose out on the
hardware addressing. I saw an article on /. about how M$ is trying to shove
C# into university course offerings. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't a
search on C# on most job search engines result in a broken query?

Personally, I started out with Commodore BASIC, then learned assembler when I
needed to <ahem/> circumvent certain bad blocks on my game's floppy <ahem/>.

On Wed, Jul 11, 2001 at 11:50:48AM -0400, Dow Hurst wrote:
> I have wanted to learn a programming language for a while now.  My
> thoughts were first with Perl for sysadmin.  Later, I thought I'd go
> with Python to get Object Oriented type code but still have the string
> manipulation capabilities.  Right now, Barnes and Noble has a C++ class
> online I am trying out.  Also, I discovered Ruby which has high praises
> for useability and versatility.  Tcl is interesting and people have
> praised Ada95 to me.  I am a bit confused over the whole "what is best"
> thing and believe that whatever will get the job done with the least
> fuss and bother is probably best.  I've bought books but until I get
> really fired up and believe I am on the "right" track, I just lose
> interest!
....>-8......
> Can someone convince me which is the best all around language to use? 
> Seems that C++ isn't so difficult but I really like Ruby and Perl for
> the simplicity of how much code you have to write to get something done.
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