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: 109fba,baaf5f793d03d420 X-Google-Attributes: gid109fba,public X-Google-Thread: fc89c,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gidfc89c,public X-Google-Thread: 1014db,6154de2e240de72a X-Google-Attributes: gid1014db,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,97188312486d4578 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: smosha@most.fw.hac.com (Stephen M O'Shaughnessy) Subject: Re: What's the best language to start with? [was: Re: Should I learn C or Pascal?] Date: 1996/08/09 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 173146628 sender: usenet@most.fw.hac.com x-nntp-posting-host: smosha 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$96ee6fcf@timhome2><01bb8027$de0e9c80$96ee6fcf@timhome2> <4u5a11$siv@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU><01bb8342$88cc6f40$32ee6fcf@timhome2> <4u86lc$2gu@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU><01bb846d$ organization: MESC mime-version: 1.0 newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada Date: 1996-08-09T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: In article <01bb85af$e83cf2a0$32ee6fce@timhome2>, tim@airshields.com says... >I think a more correct analogy is the current and voltage >are the underlying hardware, and the tools are assembly. >HLLs are like prefab walls you slap together to build the >house. Now, you can build a lot of houses that way, and >they will be generally be built well. But if you want to >understand how houses are put together, you have to go to the >fundamental tools, with an understanding of structural >dynamics. > >-- Tim Behrendsen (tim@airshields.com) I still have trouble with your definition of assembly. An assembly language is just the one for one translation of the machine code. For the 8051 mov 90h,#0ffh is the machine code 75 90 FF This is directly voltages existing in the hardware (bits). In this sense assembly is the hardware. My position is that I don't need to know hardware specifics to learn algorithms and programming. Certainly I don't need that understanding FIRST. And my boss, customer, or whomever, does not care about my understanding as long as I can deliver a well built product. Which, as you pointed out above, I can do.