[Tutor] a quick Q: how to use for loop to read a series of files with .doc end

[Alan Gauld]

On 07/10/11 16:40, lina wrote:

> but today I was also discouraged, I was told that you should not have
> learned python, you should focus on C or bash, or D, cause python is
> going to be obsolete,

C is a great language for writing Operating Systems and other "near the 
metal" code. But its not the best language for busiess apps, artificial 
intelligence and a host of other things. Bash is a good user shell, but 
its not even the best Unix shell for scripting (Thats probably ksh).
D? Who actually uses D? I think your informant was not well informed.

AS fopr Python becoming obsolete? Maybe someday, but not soon.
And even if it does the principles it teaches are alive and well in many 
other languages - eg, Ruby, Lua both openly borrow from Python.
Just as Python borrows from Lisp and Haskell and Smalltalk and Perl.

 > I was further told that fortran is obsolete, but still lots of
 > fortran guys using it.

Absolutely and Lisp and COBOL ghave both been predicted to die for 
decades but are still marching on. It is very difficult to kill a 
popular language because the thing that made it popular keeps it
alive.

Ignore rumours and focus on programming. Don't worry about languages, 
once you know one you'll usually pick up another very quickly. They come 
and go in fashion but the concepts remain constant. Most programmers 
work in multiple languages, often even in a single
project.

-- 
Alan G
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.alan-g.me.uk/