Subj : GETSTR
To : Willowolf
From : Rocko
Date : Sun Jan 20 2002 05:42 am
Wi> What woud be a good "first" language to learn? I have been told
Wi> that C++ is the way to go. Maybe Perl is the better way to go for
Wi> today's needs?
I usually don't respond to these since I went through this whole phase
myself. As far as C++ is concerned, people say to learn C first. I now
disagree and think one should just go straight to the C++. IMO It's much
easier to take in object-oriented programming when your programming mind is
still a clean slate. The only problem is you'll be left with little idea
about proper object-oriented design. Few C++ books explain this well,
although there are plenty of software engineering texts on design alone.
A better idea IMO is to learn Java. It's not as cruel as C++, but it
follows a very similar format. Java is gaining steady market share for
developing applications. IIRC, the author of the Advanced Perl Programming
textbook suggested using Java as the application language, and Perl as a
scripting language.
Now we're on the topic of Perl. It's a very powerful language, to be sure.
However, it still holds best for writing scripts. That is, something that
doesnt have to be lightning fast, but needs to be developed lightning fast.
The downside here is the best books for Perl IMO are the O'Reilly books.
Unfortunately, I feel they don't address Perl too well to people who have
never written code before.
So I would suggest Java right now. It lets you dabble with GUIs and
sockets without having to make big choices in what libraries to use. It is
also becoming more popular, and can give you an edge. So far, I see that RIT
and Cornell are putting their eggs into the Java basket. I dunno if that
means anything to you though.
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