Hey /prog/, heres my dilemma. I wish to learn C or python but I'm confused where to start. Reason I'm asking this is because so far I know html, javascript, some php(I know its scripting but I'm trying to get web dev down). If someone could give me a list that would depict what I should learn first that would be great. So far I plan on learning python(or perl), C, and assembly. Thanks in advance.
Just learn one and shut up. Stop making a big deal about the next language to learn as though the experience will redefine your whole soul. It won't. A good programmer's soul won't change with the knowledge of a new language. He will just become more experienced. The more languages you learn, the easier and less of a big deal subsequent languages become. So just pick one and learn it. Or learn both at the same time. It really doesn't matter.
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Anonymous2009-05-07 7:34
Stop making a big deal about the next language to learn as though the experience will redefine your whole soul. It won't
Inb4 LISP
Look, the fact is every language has these things in common: variables, loops, function calls, input and output. Learning a new language is all about figuring out how the punctuation works and what are the keywords.
When I interviewed for my current job, I didn't know PHP and had limited MySql experience, but I knew the facts above and I was able to talk them into hiring me. With the existing code base and some Googling around to bootstrap me & find some example code, I was productive within the first week.
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Anonymous2009-05-09 12:30
>>11
It's less about languages then it is about paradigms.
If you're just learning yet another imperative c-like scripting language, then of course it will be easy and won't require much experience. Try learning some lesser known(by the average programmer) languages like the ones in the LISP family(CLISP,Scheme) or ML family(SML,Ocaml, Haskell) for understanding the functional paradigm. If you never dealt with this programming paradigm before you'll see it's different than just learning new syntax. Another (worse) example: a pure C programmer learning OOP design patterns OR another programmer first learning about stack-based languages or learning assembly(and computer architecture). Can you really just say it's new syntax? Once a programmer knows most common programming paradigms, it becomes just about learning a few new concepts and syntax, but until then learning a new language can mean learning a new paradigm, which can be quite a journey.
>>13 It's less about languages than it is about paradigms. If you're just learning yet another imperative c-like scripting language, than of course
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OOP has its place, but not for beginners like post 1. The kid needs to get his head wrapped around the four concepts above and to put together some moderately sized projects before he's ready to understand why all the structural horsecrap the OOP languages put you through. The benefits of OOP languages are undeniable when the problem calls for it.
However when I am writing a 'print "Hello, $YOURNAME!" 10x' program, it's going to look very similar no matter what programming language is used.
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Anonymous2009-05-09 16:17
C++ is a great OOP language
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Anonymous2009-05-09 16:35
Learn Ruby, join the Rails community, be a ROCKSTAR!