On June 15, 2004 04:06 pm, Marv Boyes wrote: > Hello, everyone. I realize that this isn't a developer's list, but I get > the sense that there are more than a few developers here, and some of > the sharpest people I've yet encountered online. I'm looking for some > sage wisdom. ;) > > I haven't done any serious programming since Extended BASIC for Texas > Instruments' TI-99/4A. I lost interest in programming shortly after my > father brought our first Windows 3.1 machine into the house-- it was > easier to just accept what Microsoft fed me. Linux has gotten me > interested in learning how to do things for myself again, and I've had a > great time reading about the mindset and culture of coding. Having > gotten a fair handle on bash scripting, I'm interested in moving on to > something a little more advanced. Quite frankly, I'm a little > overwhelmed by the possibilities. > <snip> > > I'm interested in knowing which languages are favored by some of the > "hobbyist" developers on this list, and why. Is there a particular > programming/scripting language which seems to naturally lend itself to > the beginner (while still being rich enough to produce some useful, if > not particularly 'killer', applications)? Relatively easy to learn; > powerful enough to create something other Linux users might find useful, > should I stick with it long enough. Should I dive right into C, or might > I be better-served by learning something about, for instance, Python or > Perl? And if I _really_ get nuts about programming and decide that I > want to give GUI-driven apps a try, are there languages which would lend > themselves to something like, say, gtk (or is that a language in itself? > See, utter newbie...). > > I would appreciate anyone's thoughts; feel free to respond off-list if > this post shouldn't have been here in the first place. ;) > > > Thanks, > Marv
I see you've had recommendations for Perl and C already so I won't chime in on either of them except to say that the learning curve is pretty steep for C. That said both are useful and widely used. For relearning to program again may I suggest either Python or Ruby. Python is widely used for all kinds of tasks and widely supported. There are many decent tutorials around particularly at www.python.org. Ruby is a little newer and not so widely used. Both are included with your distro. The reality is that once you learn a modern programming language transferring the skills to another one is relatively easy. Have fun!!! ttfn John PS: If you really want a long thread going ask what the best editor is. :-) -- *********************************************************** Composed on a 100% Microsoft Free Computer Guaranteed Virus Free Mandrake Linux 10.0 OE ***********************************************************
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