Hi guys, Regarding programing languages, there's a fact that I've already mentioned a couple of times on this list (almost every time this syntax topic arises) : in the 80's some studies in psychology & ergonomics have shown that newbies and experienced programers memorize algorithms in 2 different ways : - newbies tend to memorize algos in a specific language (usually the one used for writing the code) - experienced programers memorize the algo itself, out of any specific language...
so, this is probably a clue to provide a programing language as close as possible to natural language for newbies, so that they can focus on the task of learning programing and not need bother getting used to a non-natural syntax at the same time... As an experienced programer (since 1978, having used dozens of languages), I must confess that assembler is my favorite language (for the code efficiency), but when it comes to building high-level apps, xTalk is my favorite for its readability... For the same reason, I'm not a big fan of js, and I hate PHP... Now, how do experienced mathematicians memorize complex math algos ? Perhaps the answer to that question will determine if a language close to math notation is suitable for them... There's a basic principle in ergonomics : adapt tools to human task, not the other way around... JB _______________________________________________ use-revolution mailing list [email protected] Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your subscription preferences: http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution
