Hi, > in order to improve my programming skills, I am contemplating learning a > new language. Not a scripting language - something else. So far my > research indicates either C or C++ - recommendations?
IMHO you can learn C and skip C++, assuming that you already know Python (as C++ merely adds OO features on top on C). To understand, learn and enjoy C programming, some knowledge on hardware/platform architecture is recommended. Learning Assembly programming (on any architecture or platform) and then progressing to C language will add a lot of value in understanding various aspects of the C language (things like little-endian/big endian-ness, signed variables vs unsigned variables, long-jumps, compiler optimization tricks, pointers, etc). If you are inclined towards learning a programming language that is widely used for developing large-scale enterprise applications - you might want to learn Java (Platform and the language) and its newer descendant that runs on Java platform - Groovy. You get to learning and use AOP, concurrency models on enterprise apps and higher-level architecture design (SOA, Enterprise Component driven design) and so on. Then again, most of what can be done on Java can also be done on Python - just that Java does things differently being a more rigid/statically-typed language. There are also languages like LISP, CLOS, Scala, Clojure - they teach us new ways/approaches to solve a problem. They are worth learning (though not very widely by all) as they broaden our understanding in logical thinking, concepts and algorithms. Happy hacking :-) Cheers, Chandrashekar. -- http://www.chandrashekar.info/ http://www.slashprog.com/ _______________________________________________ ILUGC Mailing List: http://www.ae.iitm.ac.in/mailman/listinfo/ilugc
