Re: [OT] Programming Language

["Frank Mc Alinden" <frankmc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks guys for the feedback..... When i get time i will have a look at
Python as its free...To me all those H.L Languages  look the same
...;-)....

Thanks
Frank

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerry Duprey" <gerry@xxxxxxx>
To: <ukha_xpl@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2005 1:29 AM
Subject: Re: [ukha_xpl] [OT] Programming Language


> Howdy,
>
>> I would like to force myself to (at least try)  learn a programing
>> language
>> so i could maybe write some simple apps for my xPL  usage....Have
several
>> books on C ...VB........
>> But i was browsing the web and came across Python ...??? Is this a
>> suitable
>> language for my needs and is it easy for a non programmer to pick
>> up.......Here ther link where im currently reading from...
>> http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide
>
> Python is a nice scripting language and you can get a lot done.  In
terms
> of
> scripting languages, I think it's cleaner than most, though the
> requirement to
> use fixed spacing to indicate program structure has always bugged me
(and
> the
> funny part is I use *very* strict spacing in my code to help indicate
> blocks,
> but I chaff at the idea that I *have* to).
>
> If you are looking for something other than a scripting language, you
may
> consider Java.  Now Java is not the be all to end all in programming
> languages, but it's no more difficult to learn than C# (C# and Java
are
> 95%
> the same) or other semi-modern languages.  Some folks feel Java is
> complex,
> but it's basic language is not at all.  There are lots and lots of
class
> libraries you can use to get things done and trying to learn them all
at
> the
> same time can overwhelm someone, but the same is true of Python or C#
--
> you
> don't get very far coding nowadays without using libraries to avoid
> reinventing the wheel.
>
> Java is portable (you can make it non-portable, but it takes some
doing)
> and
> is easily deployed on many platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux, Solaris,
etc).
> While technically you can deploy C# apps on windows or linux, doing it
on
> linux is a real bear (the first time -- getting all the components you
> need to
> make C# run takes a real long time to make work and gets very fussy --
> especially if you don't want to build the entire distribution from
source
> (which takes almost a day to do anyway)).  The Java JRE, by
comparison, is
> about 20MB download you just unzip and run (or, for windows, run the
> included
> installer).
>
> One last caveat on C# -- there are areas of it that are not supported
off
> windows yet and C# in general makes it pretty easy to create
non-portable
> apps.  I'm not trying to crap on C# -- I happen to think it brings
little
> to
> the table that wasn't already in Java and is Microsofts "me
too" language,
> but
> it fine technically -- just things that aren't often discussed when
folks
> talk
> about C#.
>
> I think the bigger questions is: do you want to learn an Object
Oriented
> Language or a non-OO language?  This decision is large -- some folks
just
> don't get the OO approach and wind up beating the head against a wall
> (though
> for very small programs, it won't matter much).  OO languages include
> Java,
> Python, C#, C++, etc.  Non-OO languages include perl and C.
>
> In the end, if you set yourself to learn any of these languages,
you'll
> eventually find that conceptually, they are all very similar and that
> moving
> to another language is very easy (Java to C# or back is about 1 hours
of
> learning -- tops -- for example).
>
> So, in short, it's unlikely you'll "go wrong" -- just sample
a few before
> you
> jump in and pick the ones that make the most sense to you.
>
> Gerry
> --
> Gerry Duprey
> Ann Arbor, MI 48103
> http://www.cdp1802.org
>
>
>
> xPL Links: http://www.xplproject.org.uk http://www.xplhal.com
> http://www.xpl.myby.co.uk
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