Re: [TCLUG:21269] Beginning - Language Perl or Python?

[Philip C Mendelsohn <mend0070@tc.umn.edu>]

On Thu, 14 Sep 2000, David Evans wrote:

> 2. Assembly is not a very productive language, i.e. it takes a lot of
> work for a very small amount of result. If you are the sort of person
> who wants to actually build programs, see them do things and be useful
> assembly is probably not the best route to go. 

I hope no one expects to be really productive off the bat when learning
much of anything, including computer languages.

> 3. If you learn assembly first you will understand most things, as you
> climb up by how they work. If you learn a high level language you will
> understand most things, as you climb down, by what they do. In my
> opinion knowing everything by how it works is better (when possible).

I think that this is one of the most perceptive statements I've heard for
a while.  And not just because I agree with your opinion!

> 4. The way most books and other written resources (on the web, in
> magazine articles etc.) are written they assume the high to low
> approach.

And no one that writes those things has managed to work themselves out of
a job either, have they. ;P

Cheers,
Phil

-- 
Lottery:    a tax on people who are bad at math