[NTLUG:Discuss] Wanting to speak the language

[Andrew Brown]

Well it is into the second day, CNN still can not make a definitive
call... HA! 

Thanks for all the info. As one can see this is the challenge regarding
my question. I essentially got the same spread of info from my Google
searches. All of this leads me in one direction, if I want "TO SPEAK THE
LANGUAGE" I just have to start "speaking" in a language and go from
there... the C/C++ seems to be the Queen's English/Webster's English in
the game although maybe not as eloquent as Java, the French, or as "pop"
as Perl, the Spanish... ha!. I will move away from the initial exit
polls on Perl and work with C++, although daunting as it may seem. If I
can learn it; I can learn the others. 

Thanks again and I WILL be back with questions...

On Wed, 2005-02-23 at 20:52 -0600, Patrick R. Michaud wrote:
> On Wed, Feb 23, 2005 at 06:52:27PM -0800, Steve Baker wrote:
> > Ohh!! Language War!!
> 
> Indeed!
> 
> > The top four most popular languages are:
> > 
> >       C++  (14830 projects)
> >       C    (14341 projects)
> >       Java (14095 projects)
> >       PHP  (10439 projects)
> > All of the other languages are *FAR* below those in popularity (PERL
> > is number five with 5691 projects).
> 
> Actually, these numbers may be a bit suspect -- many (most?)
> Perl programs wouldn't be listed on SourceForge but would appear
> instead on CPAN (the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network).
> 
> Also, SourceForge tends to post things that are "application/package
> /project" oriented, whereas there's a lot of programming tends to 
> be "glue" or "how do I accomplish this task specific for my needs?".
> Perl tends to fall in this latter group.
> 
> (In the interest of "full disclosure", I should also note that I'm
> currently the lead developer for the Perl 6 compiler.  However,
> I've got lots of experience in all of the languages and use them
> all frequently.)
> 
> Here are some more opinions based on my experiences 
> in teaching the above languages at A&M-Corpus Christi:
> 
>  - It's better to first learn one language in great depth than
>    to try to briefly master many different languages all at once.  
>    Once a person has gained depth in a language, it's much easier
>    to apply concepts to another one.
> 
>  - If you expect to want to eventually know several languages,
>    start with C or C++ first.  All of the other languages have been
>    heavily influenced by C.  (Many CS curricula have discovered
>    that it's relatively easy for someone to move from C/C++ to 
>    another language such as Java or Perl, but difficult to 
>    transition from Perl or Java to C.)
> 
>  - It's always easiest to learn a language when you have a project
>    of some sort that you're interested in.  
> 
>  - For text/database programming, or things that manipulate lots of
>    symbols, use Perl.
>  - For server-side web programming, use PHP.
>  - For doing things on browsers, use Java.
>  - For device drivers and standalone applications, tend towards C/C++.
> 
> I've never used Python, myself, but I hear it's mostly like Perl
> with a slightly less steep learning curve.
> 
> Hope these help.
> 
> > OK - now that's out of the way...Emacs or Vi?
> 
> vi, of course.  :-)
> 
> Pm
> 
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