First computer language

hzs202 at gmail.com hzs202 at gmail.com
Tue Aug 16 01:20:39 UTC 2005


Hi Everyone,

Firstly, I would like to ask the OP (original poster) if learning Perl
first was a questionable decision or something you have firmly decided
upon.

On 15/08/05 17:01 +0100, Anthony Gardner wrote:
> Perl is as clean as you wish to make it. To begin
> programming it's perfect as you don't have to worry
> about memeory mgt and if you want to program the way
> you speak, then it's perfect.

Although you can make Perl syntax read similar to language that does not
mean that it is *compact*. Compactness is a term which describes the
design of a programming language in this case can fit in your head. Eric
Raymond, author of _The Art of Unix Programming_ has a good rule of
thumb to measure whether something is compact or not. He says, "Does an
experienced user need a manual? If not, then the design (or at least the
subset of it that covers normal use [like C for example]) is compact.

I'm of the opinion that a compact programming languages (C and Python) 
should be taught first. Then non-compact languages such as Perl, Java,
Lisp and Shell language or an anti-compact language such as C++.

This is my opinion based on my own learning difficulties, I _must_
quote Raymond best illustrates my sentiment on the subject when he
writes, "The purpose of emphasizing compactness as a virtue is not to
condition you to treat compactness as an absolute requirement, but to
teach you to do what *Unix Programmers do*..."

-- 
Hakim Singhji
New York University
hzs202 at nyu.edu
Don't read everything you believe.
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