what is easier to learn first?...

[Grant Edwards]

In article <8b861c$ecn$1 at nnrp1.deja.com>, kgec at my-deja.com wrote:

>> After learning Python, I would recommend Scheme, Modula-3, or
>> Smalltalk.
>
>I'd be interested in your reasons for recommending Scheme.

>I'm not disagreeing with you, but I found Scheme awfully
>frustrating. 

Learning to think in a new way is often frustrating.

>Part of the reason, no doubt, was that I'd been working with
>imperative languages of one sort or another since the 1960s. Is
>your thinking that the original poster should get some
>experience with functional languages before he begins to
>develop programming habits and preferences?

Sure.  Scheme requires you think differently: functional and/or
recursive rather than imperative loops.  Smalltalk is yet
another world-view (message passing).  Modula-3 is a
strongly-typed, statically-lexically-scoped imperative
language.

Learning Python, Scheme, Modula-3 and Smalltalk will give you a
nice broad view of programming (four decent examples of four
different paradigms) and make you learn to think in different
ways, which is A Good Thing(TM).

Then, if you actually want a job, I guess you can learn C++ or
something.  The problem is, after learning Python, Scheme,
Smalltalk, and M3, you realize how utterly messed-up C++ is,
and you'll be miserable using it. ;)

-- 
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