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Choosing a language

Michael Zawrotny zawrotny at triangle.sb.fsu.edu
Mon Jan 31 09:11:09 EST 2000 
On Sun, 30 Jan 2000 08:48:02 -1000, Doug Stanfield <DOUGS at oceanic.com> wrote:
> Python is an excellent first language (or second or fourteenth for that
> matter).

[snip]

I agree entirely.  I came to Python after about ten other languages
and find it to be the most generally useful.  As much as possible,
I write everything in Python now and find that it does encourage
good practices (note, encourage, not force), and the code is still
readable a month or two later when the original problem is no longer
fresh in my head.  This despite my being too lazy to adequately
document the code in the first place.  The programs are mostly short
utilities, so the burden of reading the whole thing to figure it out
is small, but I should (and do know better), but too much to do, so
little time.  For a suggestion on how to avoid this trap, see below.

> I find the greatest strength of Python to be the interactive interpreter.
> In essence it is a sandbox to play in to try things out.  There is no other
> way to learn to program than to write programs, but writing them can be
> frustrating if you can't get into the middle of the execution and find out
> what those commands you wrote are really doing.  The interpreter is the tool
> for that.  Almost without fail if I can't make a program work I'll try a
> sequence of commands in the interpreter that show me the problem.  While
> you're learning to program, this instant feedback can make all the
> difference in speeding you to comprehension.

[snip]

Heartily seconded.  I also think the interpreter is a great tool.

Patrick Cooper [mailto:future at dotstar.net]
> > I want to start learning computer programming and from what I 
> > have found so
> > far I have chosen to start with Python.  Before I go in 
> > any more depth
> > does anyone think I should start with a different language?  I want to
> > eventually learn C, but think Python is the best place to start.

As others have noted, when you start to learn C (or some other
language), you will probably feel the pain of it not being Python.
This is the flip side to those of us who suffered first then found
Python and the fun that it brings back to programming.

My advice is that after you get comfortable with Python and start in
on C or one of its derivatives (C++, Java, etc.), pick up and read
Kernighan and Ritchie's "The Practice of Programming".  It is IMO
one of, if not the best, general programming books I've ever read.
There is multiple language coverage of nearly the entire process
program development.  Others may disagree, but I think it is a great
book.


Mike

-- 
Michael Zawrotny
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Florida State University		| email:  zawrotny at sb.fsu.edu
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