On Sunday, July 13, 2003, at 01:27 AM, Brad N Bendily wrote:
>
> Just out of curiosity, since you guys seem to be very
> knowledgeable of the programming arena...
>
> What do you all think is the best language for a newbie
> to learn? I mean mostly a student going into college
> in his freshmen class.
> If you had the choice, as a seasoned programmer.
> What language would you teach someone?
>
> In my opinion, although I haven't really used
> any language extensively, I would think either
> C or C++. Mostly because those languages seem to
> be a foundation for current languages.
>
No. As a first language I would never choose C or C++. As a second or
third language, sure. I'd encourage a burgeoning programmer to learn
C, on the grounds that it's a sort of lingua franca, and that it's an
excellent way to understand the innards of computers in general. But
I'd no more give C to a beginner than I'd give a toddler a gun.
I'd probably choose a scripting language, (or something interpreted,)
for nothing else than avoiding compilation and linking. Ruby might not
be a bad choice. Or BASIC. How 'bout BASIC. It's what it's for,
after all.
All of this assumes no previous programming experience. Some
programming would lead me to suggest C, maybe.
Judson
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Received on 07/14/03
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