[Ilugc] learning a new language
- From: aanjhan@xxxxxxxxx (Aanjhan R)
- Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2011 10:44:36 +0100
On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 6:43 AM, Kenneth Gonsalves
<lawgon at thenilgiris.com> wrote:
in order to improve my programming skills, I am contemplating learning a
new language. Not a scripting language - something else. So far my
research indicates either C or C++ - recommendations?
Famous quote:
"Ironically, C programmers understand this much better than Lisp
programmers. One of the ironies of the programming world is that using
Lisp is vastly more productive than using pretty much any other
programming language, but successful businesses based on Lisp are
quite rare. The reason for this, I think, is that Lisp allows you to
be so productive that a single person can get things done without
having to work together with anyone else, and so Lisp programmers
never develop the social skills needed to work effectively as a member
of a team. A C programmer, by contrast, can't do anything useful
except as a member of a team. So although programming in C hobbles you
in some ways, it forces you to form groups whose net effectiveness is
greater than the sum of their parts, and who collectively can stomp on
all the individual Lisp programmers out there, even though one-on-one
a Lisper can run rings around a C programmer."
IMHO, every programmer must know C. It exposes the actual working of
your program. Once you cross the basics, you will HAVE to understand
how your program data and code gets organised in memory and stuff.
Once you start trying to optimise for code size and performance, you
will get to understand a lot more. Getting a systems perspective is
VERY important. Go learn C (if you can do parallel learning do LISP)
http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/
--
A
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