From: Richard D Riehle <laoXhai@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Computer Programming for Everybody?
Date: 1999/09/27
Date: 1999-09-27T14:15:36-05:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <7sofoo$8d2@dfw-ixnews19.ix.netcom.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 37E92BB5.3C2DB9BB@mitre.org
In article <37E92BB5.3C2DB9BB@mitre.org>,
"Robert I. Eachus" <eachus@mitre.org> wrote:
[snipped your opening comment ]
> The problem with learning BASIC as a first programming language is
>that the limits it imposes on the way people think can persist for
>years.
Yes. This is the very same problem we have with people whose first
language is English. They learn bad habits that make it difficult
for them to reason about ideas for much of their life. Some never
do get past this handicap. :-)
[ snipped a few lines ]
>
> Also, we have a very, very serious problem developing and I don't
>know what we (as industry and academia) can do about it. There is still
>a significant need for software engineers that know how to program in
>assember, or how to read assembly language. But most of the young
>people who are learning assembly code are hackers and/or crackers. But
>the jobs that need to be filled are concentrated in the safety-critical
>software field...
Agree, Robert. Dr. Dewar once presented a little summary of the
absolute number of programmers using various languages. He suggested
that the absolute number for assembler programmers has not changed
even though their relative number has diminished. Assembler is
especially critical in the world of microcontrollers where Ada has
no significant role. For example, I-8051 programmers continue to
prefer Assembler (sometimes Forth) over C for serious projects. These
microncontrollers are increasingly finding their way into safety
critical software applications.
> I'd like to see something like the old NSF summer programs, where
>the first summer students learn programming in Ada, Pascal, or some
>other language that favors software engineering as well as something
>about Web progamming. The second summer they should do some serious
>assembler programming or the equivalent. (What ever happened to PL/M?)
PL/M actually gets used now and then for eight-bit applications. There
are some dedicated PL/M programmers still hiding out here in Silicon
Valley. Perhaps their absolute number is also the same as it has been
for many years.
Richard Riehle
http://www.adaworks.com
>--
>
> Robert I. Eachus
>
>with Standard_Disclaimer;
>use Standard_Disclaimer;
>function Message (Text: in Clever_Ideas) return Better_Ideas is...
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1999-09-27 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 26+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1999-09-10 0:00 Computer Programming for Everybody? Ted Dennison
1999-09-10 0:00 ` David Botton
1999-09-10 0:00 ` Raymond Calande
1999-09-11 0:00 ` Vladimir Olensky
1999-09-12 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1999-09-12 0:00 ` mitch
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Preben Randhol
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Preben Randhol
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Mike Hall
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Brian Rogoff
1999-09-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-09-14 0:00 ` Wes Groleau
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Larry Kilgallen
1999-09-13 0:00 ` John Duncan
1999-09-14 0:00 ` tmoran
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Tarjei Jensen
1999-09-13 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle
1999-09-14 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
[not found] ` <7ronav$shf@dfw-ixnews7.ix.netcom.com>
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-09-23 0:00 ` Preben Randhol
1999-09-23 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-09-27 0:00 ` Richard D Riehle [this message]
1999-09-27 0:00 ` Marin David Condic
1999-09-14 0:00 ` Wes Groleau
[not found] ` <Pine.HPP.3.93.990915162218.958A-100000@merle.acns.nwu.edu>
1999-09-22 0:00 ` Wes Groleau
replies disabled
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox