What's the fastest way to learn a programming language. (1 Viewer)

[MichaelG]

Learning a language to do simple tasks is easy, learning a language to do complex tasks is difficult. It is true that it will be easier to learn a new language after you already know one. There aren't many programmers out there that really understand OO desgin and implementation. I think one of the best books out there is the Patterns book.

I don't think that C++ is a good first language at all, too complicated to just learn. Usually what happens is that newbies to C++ really just write C code and don't really understand how to take advantage of inheritence, operator/function overloading, when to use virtual constructors/functions. I do think that Java is a good first language because is forces you to learn to handle exceptions, and is a very strict OO language. Yes, the IO package is poor, but overall Java is a good way to learn good programming practices without spending a ton of time trying to debug pointers and things like that.

 

[Shawn C]

Delphi is a VERY good starting languange. It pretty much slots in between VB and C++. Alot of people shun it immediately since it's "Pascal". "Isn't Pascal something you use in High School?" Yeah, Pascal is it's underlying syntax but it's not your father's Pascal.
That's like calling Visual Basic "just BASIC". It's not really BASIC anymore.
Delphi can do everything that C++ can (on Windows), short of some really esoteric type stuff.
A super-cool new feature of Delphi is it's ability to integrate UML models"

Unified Modeling Language
technology. Full support for class diagrams, tagged
values, stereotypes, associations (aggregates,
compositions), cardinality, visibility, mixed
transient/persistent elements and classes
Bold for Delphi integrates a powerful model-driven and n-tier business-object framework into
Delphi to establish a model-driven application design system that links the UML
environment in ModelMaker, Rational Rose,
®
or any XMI file directly to the application design
environment of Delphi and the VCL framework for Bold.

 

[Max Leung]

Steve, virtually all C++ compilers support one form of the STL or another nowadays. Since 1997, at least. Thank goodness!
Problems arise mostly with embedded platforms though...some processors do not have a GNU C++ compiler port, so you're forced to use the vendor's proprietary compiler that likely has many bugs and does not support enough ANSI C++ features. But then again, you'd be tied to a proprietary platform anyways, so I guess that's a moot point!
Partial template specialization, however, is not possible on most mainstream C++ compilers nowadays, except for the latest GNU compiler. Visual C++ .NET can't grok that yet, although people have somehow managed to port(!) the new advanced C++ libraries (like the Loki library, and that other new library that is being pushed as the new standard C++ library of the future) to it.
MS claims they'll make the compiler more standards-compliant, but I'm not holding my breath.
C# might also be a good beginner's language: No pointers, no explicit memory management, etc. Java/C#/Delphi/Modula-2/etc. etc. are all good candidates!

 

[Steven K]

No pointers, no explicit memory management

These are specific reasons why I DON'T like C# and Java... Of course, a beginner might really appreciate not having to learn about pointers and deallocation of dynamically-allocated memory

 

[Chris Bardon]

Just my 2 cents, but I learned most of my serious programming in C and C++ (but started with C-64 basic!), and think that they were great because they forced you to learn about how to deal with memory etc. Never been much of a Java fan because of the lack of pointers (and the whole VM hassle), but I'm actually interested in C#. It seems to have inherited more from C++, and I've heard nothing but good things about the new windows forms (as opposed to MFC).

 

[Shawn C]

These are specific reasons why I DON'T like C# and Java... Of course, a beginner might really appreciate not having to learn about pointers and deallocation of dynamically-allocated memory

Well, that all depends on what type of programs you are writing. I've been programming for 10+ years and have never really been in a situation where I ever had to worry about such things. 99.9% of the applications that I write have to deal with financial data in a client/server style framework. Why have to deal with all of that when you are dealing with data from a database 99.9% of the time? Writing these style applications in C++ are a real pain, and really overkill, IMHO.
This is where Delphi, VB, and those sorts of languange really make things easier.
I guess that's just me. I believe that if you can write an application in language "Y" as opposed to language "X" in 3/4 of the time and with 1/2 the headaches while still giving the users what they want, then do it in "Y".
It all depends on the kind of programs you are writing for, and on what platform.

 

[Max Leung]

I agree...sometimes it just isn't worth the hassle using a sledgehammer (C++) when all you're gonna do is serve webpages from a database.
Now, writing device drivers in Windows and embedded systems really doesn't work well in VB or Java. Dangit, gotta use C or C++ for that. Painful, for sure, but someone's gotta do it!

 

[Mike St.Louis]

Max, where do you work?

 

[Steven K]

class ActionLawSuit {
public:
bathroom();
virtual RealitySucks();
private:
Parts AreFunToTouch;
};

 

[Shawn C]

Now, writing device drivers in Windows and embedded systems really doesn't work well in VB or Java. Dangit, gotta use C or C++ for that. Painful, for sure, but someone's gotta do it!

UGH! No thanks!

About two years ago, Westwood Studios (Red Alert, etc..) was hiring someone to do some database work for them. I applied and they sent me their "standardized programmer's test". It had all kinds of complicated questions concerning algorithms in assembler, etc...You get the idea.

Look, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THAT STUFF WORKS. I've just never had to do those sorts of things with the types of programs that I write. Database guys deal with SQL and stored procedure and triggers, etc. We just don't deal with those sorts of things. I didn't even bother trying to answer the questions.

That really sucked too, becuase I literally live down the street from them. I could have walked to work every day.