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From: miker3@ix.netcom.com (Mike Rubenstein)
Subject: Re: What's the best language to start with? [was: Re: Should I learn
 C or Pascal?]
Date: 1996/08/15
Message-ID: <3212afbe.3255571@nntp.ix.netcom.com>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 174308384
references: <31FBC584.4188@ivic.qc.ca>
 <01bb83ad$29c3cfa0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com>
 <4u89c4$p7p@solutions.solon.com>
 <01bb83f5$923391e0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com>
 <4uah1k$b2o@solutions.solon.com>
 <01bb853b$ca4c8e00$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com>
 <320b35a2.43769707@nntp.ix.netcom.com>
 <01bb8609$59339140$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com>
 <320bf032.7193774@nntp.ix.netcom.com> <01bb8802$a5ff3a60$32ee6fce@timhome2>
 <320f14e5.213196860@nntp.ix.netcom.com>
 <01bb8854$c2f6b880$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com>
 <320fe7f4.7066811@nntp.ix.netcom.com>
 <01bb8923$e1d34280$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com>
organization: Netcom
x-netcom-date: Thu Aug 15 12:08:21 AM CDT 1996
newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada
Date: 1996-08-15T00:08:21-05:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


"Tim Behrendsen" <tim@airshields.com> wrote:

> Mike Rubenstein <miker3@ix.netcom.com> wrote in article
> <320fe7f4.7066811@nntp.ix.netcom.com>...
> > I've probably been helped more by my knowledge of about 25 higer level
> > languages.
> > 
> > Obviously, all other things being equal, it is better to know assembly
> > language that to not know it.  But all other things are seldom equal.
> > I suspect that most beginning programmers would gain much more from
> > learning some different HLLs.  Given a choice, I'd strongly recommend
> > one learn LISP, APL, Icon, or any of a few dozen other languages to
> > learning assembly language.
> 
> We have the world that you want.  This is CS curriculum today; are
> you happy with the level of expertise of the graduates?  I'm not,
> based on my experience with trying to hire them.  If you're not
> either, what do you think the reason is?

I think that the main problem is too much emphasis on the language and
not enough on the problems and on general principles of programming.
It's certainly not lack of assembly language.

Michael M Rubenstein