From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_20,FREEMAIL_FROM, INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: KMays@msn.com (Kenneth Mays) Subject: Re: What's the best language to start with? [was: Re: Should I learn C or Pascal?] Date: 1996/08/31 Message-ID: <00001a73+00003355@msn.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 177546993 references: <31FBC584.4188@ivic.qc.ca> <01bb83f5$923391e0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> <4uah1k$b2o@solutions.solon.com> <01bb853b$ca4c8e00$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> <4udb2o$7io@solutions.solon.com> <01bb8569$9910dca0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> <4urqam$r9u@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au> <01bb8b84$200baa80$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> <4vbbf6$g0a@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au> <01bb8f18$713e0e60$32ee6fce@timhome2> <4vroh3$17f@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au> <01bb9360$21d0dbe0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> <503bq0$js@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au> <507ktv$nli@corn.cso.niu.edu> organization: The Microsoft Network (msn.com) newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1996-08-31T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Making a small statement in addition to this thread, it is not so much the colleges fault that the public school systems do a bad job in most cases. Colleges and universities spend the first two years reeducating the student on 9-12 grade subjects. It was hard to believe I had to waste tuition money on College Algebra when I finished Trigonometry in 11th grade!!!! some of the greatest minds on this earth never attended one college class while others were college dropouts. I would not focus so much on the school systems, but more on the minds of the people we are dealing with. If someone asked me what is the best language for game development, I would wisely tell them C/C++. If they asked me about embedded controllers, I would Ada95 (easy to maintain). This, to me, doesn't take much thought process. Why is it so hard to get it across to those college students whom had to pass PSAT/SAT/GRE/GMAT/CLEP and whatever else they take for exams today? Did we miss the mark? Why are companies like 3DO (Studio 3DO), Lockheed-Martin, MicroSoft, and Intel/Motorola able to push technology with some of the brightest (and not so bright) people in this country and over the globe? You will find out that a lot of the ingenious designs and inventions come from people who are NOT scientists and engineers - but hobbyists or "visionairs". You don't need a scientific calculator with slide rule and compass to understand transputers or build advanced rocket systems. You just have to have a brain, a will to learn. and the ability to accomplish your goals. Imagine what you would think if you found out your environmental engineering supervisor had a degree in molecular biology. Your boss didn't belong to the IEEE or ACM, but could solve cancer and many ailments caused by pollution. Would you say your boss is not competent in engineering concepts because you have a engineering degree but your boss doesn't???? Read the fine print AGAIN!!! You have to understand that it doesn't matter what language you wish to start with. You have to understand the CONCEPTS of programming. What is the thought process involved in programming, the correct ways of thinking to solve a problem and put it into a programming model. The programming language is just a tool and you have to know what tools to use correctly to solve your problem efficiently. Now if your asking me or oters what programming language should you learn so you can get a job in the real world, well you run into the same problem. What jobs are out there hiring for the language you are learning. C/C++, Smalltalk, MUMPS, COBOL, RPG, Ada, Query languages, Database programming (XTALK), PERL, Java, FORTRAN, BASIC/Visual BASIC, PASCAL/Delphi, and the list goes on. Would you learn Dylan? Many studenmts are studying it for OOP/OOD work. Just a small comment: look before you leap. Ken Mays, Ada95 Researcher kmays@msn.com NASA quiz: You got one million people on a space station circling planet Earth and the life support system suddenly explodes and wipes out all backup reserves. There isn't enough time to evacuated, a large air leak has development in the cafeteria area, radiation is spreading rapidly through the air conditioning system and becasue of the explosion the space station is out of orbit and falling towards earth fast. Your personnel has less than an hour to live? What WILL you do? What WILL... you do?