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: 1696ae,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gid1696ae,public X-Google-Thread: fc89c,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gidfc89c,public X-Google-Thread: 109fba,baaf5f793d03d420 X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,6154de2e240de72a X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: nelson@cs.uwp.edu (Jeremy Nelson) Subject: Re: Should I learn C or Pascal? Date: 1996/07/19 Message-ID: <4sophl$ps1@news.inc.net>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 169661871 references: <01bb74ac$b7aa7860$7b91f780@deangulo> <01bb7591$83087d60$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> organization: University of Wisconsin - Parkside newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.dos.programmer,comp.lang.ada Date: 1996-07-19T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: johnf wrote: >So, I am I only learning C, and not "how to program"? I don't understand >how the two can be exclusive. "Programming" is seeing a problem and knowing how to construct a language-independant algorithm for solving the problem. Ie, programming is problem solving, with the added value that you understand how to make a computer help you do the work. "Learning C" is understanding the syntax and semantics of a specific computer programming language without understanding the nuances of how it can be applied to solve larger problems that may transcend the ability of that language. If you know how to program, then you already know how to determine which language is the right tool for the problem. Not every problem can be solved in every language, and knowing which one to use at which time is fundamental. If you know how to write semantically correct C programs, but you dont have any idea what to do if you are confronted with a problem that you cant solve using C, then you really dont have the "programming" side of it. As warped as it sounds, i knew several languages, but i never really became a "programmer" until i took a fortran class where the whole idea was using the computer to do problem solving. jfn