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: 1014db,6154de2e240de72a X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: fc89c,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gidfc89c,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: seebs@solutions.solon.com (Peter Seebach) Subject: Re: What's the best language to start with? [was: Re: Should I learn C or Pascal?] Date: 1996/08/14 Message-ID: <4ut588$o5l@solutions.solon.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 174168474 references: <31FBC584.4188@ivic.qc.ca> <01bb8923$e1d34280$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> <4urn70$dhi@solutions.solon.com> <01bb89f2$de94b840$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com> organization: Usenet Fact Police (Undercover) reply-to: seebs@solon.com newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada Date: 1996-08-14T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: In article <01bb89f2$de94b840$87ee6fce@timpent.airshields.com>, Tim Behrendsen wrote: >I think this is learning bias on your part; you appear to >learn more from an abstract, theoretical basis rather than >a "sit down and try it out" basis. I would say the latter >is more typical when learning computers than the former. The latter is more typical when learning anything; it's the dominant form of human learning. I think it's poorly suited to computers and math. >But I agree with you; "the art that unifies the languages". I >think this is what I mean when I say "learning to think like >a programmer". The question is, how to convey this? It just >seems to me that the more "pure" and undistracted you can make >it, the better. I agree with this. I just don't think assembly counts as pure and undistracted. Learning to program in assembly strikes me as like trying to learn what red is by looking at fire trucks. It'd be easier to comprehend by looking at a patch of red fabric. We often use "fire engine red" to name a specific kind of red, but I'm not sure it's the best way to learn colors. -s -- Peter Seebach - seebs@solon.com - Copyright 1996 - http://www.solon.com/~seebs Unix/C Wizard - send mail for help, or send money for consulting! The *other* C FAQ, the hacker FAQ, et al. See web page above. Unsolicited email (junk mail and ads) is unwelcome, and will be billed for.