tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383248361968467665.post3228327060358795219..comments2023-10-15T11:29:53.703+01:00Comments on hüdwnkd :: digital sehnsucht: Don't Pull the Plug!J.Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15697725448199241251noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383248361968467665.post-74202549683993880602007-08-16T02:27:00.000+01:002007-08-16T02:27:00.000+01:00Tom;Ah, thank you for the suggestion! I had read N...Tom;<BR/><BR/>Ah, thank you for the suggestion! I had read Norvig's advice all too long ago, and sometime between then and now I had forgotten about the simplicity of starting from a clear, strong point -- like Python.<BR/><BR/>I think that all too often, trying to find a solid ground to build ones programming experience from is quickly obfuscated by hype from what <I>is needed now</I>, rather than what <I>is most practical</I> in the long term to develop ones overall understanding of language.<BR/><BR/>I read David Brin's <A HREF="http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2006/09/14/basic/index.html" REL="nofollow"> Why Johnny Can't Code</A> on Salon a while back, and I think it illustrates quite well why it is difficult to find something that is, well, not easy -- but a conceptually un-overwhelming starting point for young/unexperienced programmers. I've had a copy of <I>Experiments in Artificial Intelligence for Microcomputers</I>, which is an intro to BASIC, for years - which I read & re-read until the binding fell apart -- but I used it more like a history book than a programming manual. I think practicality is in dire need - time to read and <I>experiment</I>, parrot fashion. Whoo!J.Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15697725448199241251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383248361968467665.post-34291004564316453482007-08-16T02:22:00.000+01:002007-08-16T02:22:00.000+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.J.Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15697725448199241251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383248361968467665.post-66413933318519832382007-08-15T02:18:00.000+01:002007-08-15T02:18:00.000+01:00You can't go too wrong with ObjC (I can't say that...You can't go too wrong with ObjC (I can't say that it's bad - I haven't really used it, and on the face of it, it looks like a pretty good language), although I wouldn't start with it.<BR/><BR/>I'd start with Python (in fact, I wish I started with Python). Although for making Mac OS X GUI applications, Python is not ideally suited as ObjC is, Python is a really good programming language that will teach you good practice (it also has some GUI libraries on OS X). It's important to get the basics right, then which language you have to write in becomes a far smaller barrier. In the same way that grammar transcends genre (mostly), good programming technique transcends language or context.<BR/><BR/>Python is suggested in both <A HREF="http://www.norvig.com/21-days.html" REL="nofollow">Peter Norvig's</A> essay on becoming a programmer and <A HREF="http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html" REL="nofollow">Eric Raymond's</A>. There's a good reason for that. See <A HREF="http://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide" REL="nofollow">the Beginner's Guide</A> if you are interested.Tom Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01501992143175537053noreply@blogger.com