Re: Which Programming Language

[bird@MCS.COM (J. L. Walters)]

In article <DDH7Eu.2L8@eskimo.com>, David Huseby <disco@eskimo.com> wrote:
>In article <40vilm$prh@nps.navy.mil>, schooley@nps.navy.mil says...

>>I am considering purchasing a programming language/environment
>>and I was hoping that some of the old pros out there could steer
>>me in the right direction.

>>Basically, what should the first language after BASIC be?  C?  
>>Assembly?  PASCAL?  ???

>Since I learned Basic off an Apple//e, I naturally asked the same 
>question when I switched to a PC and needed more programming power.  For 
>me the next easiest language to learn was Pascal, since then I've learned 
>a little Asm and C++ I definitly feel that Pascal helped me learn those 
>languages more than Basic.

The bottom line is, "You can do anything you want with any language so
language isn't the problem."

Each language gives you certain advantages e.g.,

1. Assembly gives you absolute control.
2. Awk, icon, or perl lets you deal with strings in a wonderful way.
3. C lets you make believe that you are in a high level language when
   you are still pretty much at assembly.
4. Pascal lets you view a program from the least interesting aspect
   to the most interesting aspect - in that order. I consider it 
   lame because of this.
5. Forth lets you think in terms of functions so it is somewhat object.
6. I have no experience with Modula so cannot comment.
7. Fortran lets you deal with the problems in a straightforward way,
   however, the FORMAT statements will take years off of your life.
8. C++ seems to be the answer to those folks that want to draw various
   sized rectangles. If this isn't your problem then perhaps you
   should look elsewhere.

Kind Regards,

	Joe Walters:  bird@mcs.com or J.L.Walters@genie.geis.com
	To know and not to do is not to know - so I retired

-- 
	Joe Walters:  bird@mcs.com or J.L.Walters@genie.geis.com
	To know and not to do is not to know - so I retired