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=3.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID, RATWARE_MS_HASH,RATWARE_OUTLOOK_NONAME autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 109fba,baaf5f793d03d420 X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: fc89c,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gidfc89c,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,6154de2e240de72a X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public From: "Tim Behrendsen" Subject: Re: What's the best language to start with? [was: Re: Should I learn C or Pascal?] Date: 1996/08/09 Message-ID: <01bb85af$e83cf2a0$32ee6fce@timhome2>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 173071681 references: <01bb73e3.1c6a0060$6bf467ce@dave.iceslimited.com><1996Jul20.124025.122789@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu><01bb7b06$311fabc0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> <31FBC584.4188@ivic.qc.ca> <01bb7da2$6c505ac0$96ee6fcf@timhome2><01bb8027$de0e9c80$96ee6fcf@timhome2> <4u5a11$siv@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU><01bb8342$88cc6f40$32ee6fcf@timhome2> <4u86lc$2gu@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU><01bb846d$ content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 organization: A-SIS mime-version: 1.0 newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada Date: 1996-08-09T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Stephen M O'Shaughnessy wrote in article ... > c6c01780$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> <4uaqqg$203@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU> <01bb84b4$75304ce0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> > MIME-Version: 1.0 > > In article <01bb84b4$75304ce0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com>, > tim@airshields.com says... > > > > > >Easily learned. Later. More important to understand the > >procedural nature of the computer at first. > > > I view my computer(s) more as a standard tool to solve problems. Like the drill > in my garage. I don't need to know the voltage and current rating of an electric > drill to use it, BECAUSE most house wiring is standardized and the drill is > designed to work with house wiring. The same can be said of HLLs, they > standardize away (abstract) the details of the computer that I do not need > to be concerned with. This is not to say these details are not important. When > my drill starts tripping circuit breakers I have a problem that needs to be > solved. > > My point is that I take exception to the Tim's claim that we need to learn the > computer "first". I think a more correct analogy is the current and voltage are the underlying hardware, and the tools are assembly. HLLs are like prefab walls you slap together to build the house. Now, you can build a lot of houses that way, and they will be generally be built well. But if you want to understand how houses are put together, you have to go to the fundamental tools, with an understanding of structural dynamics. -- Tim Behrendsen (tim@airshields.com)