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=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID 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: 1014db,6154de2e240de72a X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: Bob Hoffmann Subject: Re: What's the best language to start with? [was: Re: Should I learn C or Pascal?] Date: 1996/08/15 Message-ID: <32138776.5434@west.net>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 174413989 references: <31FBC584.4188@ivic.qc.ca> <01bb83f5$923391e0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> <01bb8534$b2718bc0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> <4ud81d$5ii@solutions.solon.com> <4ug5u5$kha@dawn.mmm.com> <01bb86f6$d92cf6a0$32ee6fce@timhome2> <4unet9$rab@dawn.mmm.com> content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii organization: Shk/Rdc/Eis mime-version: 1.0 newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada x-mailer: Mozilla 2.02 (Win95; I) Date: 1996-08-15T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Chris Sonnack wrote: > > Dan Pop (Dan.Pop@cern.ch) wrote: > > >>> They're both pretty clear. And any real programmer knows rule #27: "There > >>> should be no constants in your code except the numbers 1 and 0, and you > >>> should view those with suspicion." > >> > >> I would say, "There should be no constants in your code except 0. Tests > >> should be less than, equal, greater than, or not equal 0. Otherwise, > >> it better involve a symbol." > > > > This is ludicrous. When coding a binary search, NO symbol will be better > > than the constant 2. Ditto for the constant 10 when doing binary to > > decimal conversions. And the list could go on and on. > > Absolutely! (Although generally binary searches don't need to divide by > 2 so much as shift right one bit.) Like most "rules", there's always > exceptions. But it's still a very good rule (of thumb). > > -- > Chris Sonnack http://eishcq.mmm.com > Engineering Information Services/Information Technology/3M, St.Paul, Minn > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself > > Opinions expressed herein are my own and may not represent those of my employer. If you really want to start from scratch, and then ALL LANGUAGES ARE EASY AFTER THAT, get an old HP-41C programmable calculator and do some "synthetic programming" (something I pioneered with W.C.Wickes and others). That is the best ! . All other languages are for kids. BobX