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=0.2 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC 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: cjsonnack@mmm.com (Chris Sonnack) Subject: Re: What's the best language to start with? [was: Re: Should I learn C or Pascal?] Date: 1996/08/13 Message-ID: <4uq3kp$fvn@dawn.mmm.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 173920072 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> followup-to: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada organization: 3M/IT/EIS (St.Paul,MN 55144) reply-to: cjsonnack@mmm.com (Chris Sonnack) newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada Date: 1996-08-13T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: Arra Avakian (arra@inmet.com) wrote: > I do recall being mystified and puzzled by the concept of how FORTRAN > source code could "execute", but could readily "grok" how a dumb machine > could blindly execute machine code. It wasn't until I understood the > concepts behind a compiler that the mystery faded and I could accept > the abstraction of FORTRAN. What is interesting in hindsight was that > the concept of an assembler did not cause any mystification - its role > as a translator was "obvious", but the role of a compiler was definitely > not obvious. I had a similar experience in my first days (circa 1970). Early on, I was able to write an assembler for the Z80 (using Z80 assembler!), but it was years before I could have written a compiler. Compilers are, to my mind, much harder than assemblers....for obvious reasons. > I still to this day need to understand the execution model of an > abstraction in order to "really" understand it. I guess my character > is to be suspicious of the mystery, and not be able to take it on "faith". My OVERWHELMING experience as a teacher is that most students learn a thing (any thing) faster and better if they learn the "why" and "how" that's behind it. -- Chris Sonnack http://eishcq.mmm.com Engineering Information Services/Information Technology/3M, St.Paul, Minn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As to those junk mailing lists: Death does not release you, you know. Opinions expressed herein are my own and may not represent those of my employer.