Re: Ada for a programming newb.

[Jeffrey Carter <spam@spam.com>]

Luke A. Guest wrote:

> On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 10:31:46 -0700, Isaac Gouy wrote:
> 
> 
>>Kyle Root <kappy044@myrealbox.com> wrote
>>
>>>I was wondering if Ada would be suitable for me. 
>>
>>Ada has many excellent qualities.
>>IMHO a smaller language is a better tool for learning about
>>programming.
> 
> 
> I disagree. A lot of people have learnt Pascal first, I think that is a
> mistake because you get to a point where you are limited by the language.
> Ada will give the beginner 1) an excellent introduction to developing
> functional code that is easy to read/write and is just nice & 2) will also
> provide a language that will not piss you off because it won't do what you
> want.

In a controlled experiment at West Point, Ada was shown to be a better 
1st language than Pascal.

Pascal was a pretty good language for its intended use (teaching 
programming basics) and its time (c. 1970, same as C, which is not 
nearly as well designed). Nowadays, Ada is a better language.

-- 
Jeff Carter
"If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate."
Monty Python's the Meaning of Life
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