<< Almost always? I was thinking of how easy it is to do stuff in VB and how hard it is to do much of anything in C (or FoxPro as I still don't know it well enough). >>
IMO C/C++ take a lot longer to master than VB/VFP or other high level languages. However, they are both extremely powerful languages which can produce very fast and portable executables. << I guess it does take about ten years to reach even a semblance of mastery. >> Surely productive is the point at which you can solve real world problems using that particular language. What problem is "Hello world" solving? Personally, I think it is more important to have a good overall understanding of the various technologies such that you can pick them up with ease when required. For example, understanding OO to a good level will give you the ability to quickly learn other OO languages. While their syntax will be different (of course), their basic concepts and terminology will be fundamentally the same. Regards Dominic Burford BSc Hons MBCS CITP Third Party Developer Program Senior Software Engineer * Tel: +44 (0) 1536 495074 * [EMAIL PROTECTED] "I conclude that there are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies." -- Tony Hoare, Turing Award Lecture 1980 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Graham Dobson Sent: 20 September 2006 08:56 To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [nf] 10 programming languages to learn know // Nothing is "always." Almost always? I was thinking of how easy it is to do stuff in VB and how hard it is to do much of anything in C (or FoxPro as I still don't know it well enough). // Define "productive." "Hello world" in ten seconds. Mastery in ten / /years. You pick. I guess it does take about ten years to reach even a semblance of mastery. Is Cobol really that bad? "The Tao gave birth to machine language. Machine language gave birth to assembler." "The assembler gave birth to the compiler. Now there are ten thousand languages." "Each language has its purpose, however humble. Each language expresses the yin and yang of software. Each language has its place within the Tao." "But do not program in Cobol if you can avoid it." The Tao of Programming, Geoffrey James, 1987. -- Ted Roche Ted Roche & Associates, LLC http://www.tedroche.com [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious. ______________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Pegasus Software Limited is an Infor company. This e-mail is from Pegasus Software Limited. The e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error you must not copy, distribute or take any action in reliance on it. Please notify the sender by e-mail or telephone. Pegasus Software Limited utilises an anti-virus system and therefore any files sent via e-mail will have been checked for known viruses. You are however advised to run your own virus check before opening any attachments received as Pegasus Software Limited will not in any event accept any liability whatsoever once an e-mail and/or any attachment is received. This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email ______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
