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: 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: jab@erinet.com (Jerone A. Bowers) Subject: Re: What's the best language to start with? [was: Re: Should I learn C or Pascal?] Date: 1996/08/11 Message-ID: <4ulrpo$mm2@eri1.erinet.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 173585403 references: <31FBC584.4188@ivic.qc.ca> <01bb7da2$6c505ac0$96ee6fcf@timhome2> <01bb8027$de0e9c80$96ee6fcf@timhome2> <4u5a11$siv@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU> <01bb8342$88cc6f40$32ee6fcf@timhome2> <4u7grn$eb0@news1.mnsinc.com> <01bb83ad$29c3cfa0$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> followup-to: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada organization: BowTech. newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada Date: 1996-08-11T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Tim Behrendsen (tim@airshields.com) wrote: : Let me bring it back full-circle where we started. The reason : I mention assembly in the first place was the number of graduates : coming to me for a job that were failing the test I give : *abysmally*, particularly in the areas of creating an algorithm : for a problem they've never seen before, and doing logical : operations. : I chalked this up to the lack of the fundamentals being taught, : and the students having their brains filled up so much with : abstractions that they don't understand how to solve problems : anymore. : This is why I think assembly is the better way to teach : algorithms; it's just you and the algorithm. It forces them : to really think about the problem, because they don't have any : "training wheels" to protect them from the problem. An algorithm is an algorithm. An algorithm is ( or should be ) programming language independent. It would seem that assembly would teach you more about a particular platform than about algorithms. I agree about the lack of fundamentals being taught. Perhaps just naked algorithm classes and data strutcure classes. Perhaps we are concentrating too much on how something works and too little on why it works. : Whatever were doing now is *not working*, let me tell you. : -- Tim Behrendsen (tim@airshields.com) -- These thoughts are mine and mine alone. I can say that, right? EMAIL: jab@bowtech.erinet.com | Our differences should not SMAIL 9221 N Main St | make us enemies, but should Dayton, OH 45415-1126 | make us friends