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what is easier to learn first?...

Grant Edwards nobody at nowhere.nohow
Tue Mar 21 00:37:59 EST 2000 
On Mon, 20 Mar 2000 19:10:04 -0700, Collin Greene <greene at hctc.com> wrote:

>C+/+ or python or perl, I need an unbiased opionion here. 

An unbiased opionion on Usenet!  Good one!

>I have NO programming experiance. thanks for your time.
>greene at hctc.com

I've done a lot of C, a little C++, a little perl and a bit
more Python.  I'd definitely go with Python.  C is for OS
kernels, device drivers, and embedded work.  It really oughtn't
be taught to beginners or people who just want to write an
application.  C is low-level and unsafe: the programmer's got
to do way too much of the housekeeping, and there are countless
ways to hang yourself before you've even gotten enough rope out
to accomplish anything. -- but at least the semantics are
farily simple (assuming you know some assembly language and how
compilers work).

C++ has all of the disadvanteges of C with none of the
advantages.  It's complicated but still unsafe.

Perl's just too baroque.  There are too many hidden things that
are hard for a beginner to grok.  It's a little better than it
used to be, but to me it still looks a lot like line noise.

Python is simple, safe, and there are powerful libraries that
let you accomplish a lot without tearing your hair out.

After learning Python, I would recommend Scheme, Modula-3, or
Smalltalk.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  Is this "BIKINI
                                  at               BEACH"?
                               visi.com
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