On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 6:43 AM, Kenneth Gonsalves <[email protected]> wrote: > in order to improve my programming skills, I am contemplating learning a > new language. Not a scripting language - something else. So far my > research indicates either C or C++ - recommendations?
Famous quote: "Ironically, C programmers understand this much better than Lisp programmers. One of the ironies of the programming world is that using Lisp is vastly more productive than using pretty much any other programming language, but successful businesses based on Lisp are quite rare. The reason for this, I think, is that Lisp allows you to be so productive that a single person can get things done without having to work together with anyone else, and so Lisp programmers never develop the social skills needed to work effectively as a member of a team. A C programmer, by contrast, can't do anything useful except as a member of a team. So although programming in C hobbles you in some ways, it forces you to form groups whose net effectiveness is greater than the sum of their parts, and who collectively can stomp on all the individual Lisp programmers out there, even though one-on-one a Lisper can run rings around a C programmer." IMHO, every programmer must know C. It exposes the actual working of your program. Once you cross the basics, you will HAVE to understand how your program data and code gets organised in memory and stuff. Once you start trying to optimise for code size and performance, you will get to understand a lot more. Getting a systems perspective is VERY important. Go learn C (if you can do parallel learning do LISP) http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/ -- A _______________________________________________ ILUGC Mailing List: http://www.ae.iitm.ac.in/mailman/listinfo/ilugc
