Re: Some Laws

From: Lemming <thiswillbounce_at_bumblbee.demon.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 01 Oct 2004 01:28:07 +0100
Message-ID: <g28pl0lq0aboe98ef3qetpvuc0u5dhubv3_at_4ax.com>


On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 15:46:45 -0400, "Laconic2" <laconic2_at_comcast.net> wrote:

>
>"Gene Wirchenko" <genew_at_mail.ocis.net> wrote in message
>news:4ig8l0t8ka42o3jfqaolqi2270f1914ap4_at_4ax.com...
>> Language.
>
>> People.
>>
>> The two are different.
>>
>
>Agreed.
>
>
>> I have heard a lot of attacks on BASIC. Many of them appear
>> predicated on some of the types of people who use it. Nonetheless,
>> that has little to do with the language. I use BASIC for quick,
>> app-related utilities. It is more robust than C for such things. It
>> is irrelevant to that who else uses BASIC. There are probably similar
>> arguments for Java.
>>
>
>There's nothing wrong with BASIC that can't be cured by learning how to
>program! ;<)

Although I realise your comment was tongue in cheek, I'm surprised to read it from you. From "Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal": '... the determined Real Programmer can write Fortran programs in any language".

The language doesn't define the programmer; the programmer is a good programmer or a bad programmer because of what s/he produces. A good programmer can produce useful programs any OS, language, whatever. The poor programmer is bound to a specific language.

I've only ever made my living writing COBOL. I've dabbled with OO languages - Java, C++ - and have moved rapidly away from them because it seems they make you "talk funny". If a junior COBOL programmer has a problem he can't quite get sorted, he goes to an elder COBOL programmer and asks some questions. THe elder says "Hmm ... ok, let's have a look at your code ..." and "... ah, are you checking that your file is open before you read from it?" ISTM that a junior C++ programmer goes to another C++ programmer and says "I'm, a bit stuck" and the elder C++ programmer says "Ah, have you considered the mountain?". The junior says "huh?" and the senior says "The snow stays only in the winter, consider the lillies in the field, they do not reap, neither ..."

And quite sensibly, the junior makes his excuses and leaves.

[Quoted] I would like to learn C++, yes I really would, but I don't think I can do the whole "OO koan" thing, and that's what puts me off. I want to write programs that do useful things (and I can do that in BASIC, Pascal and COBOL) I don't want to join some dopey religious cult.

Just my UKP0.02

Lemming

-- 
Curiosity *may* have killed Schrodinger's cat.
Received on Fri Oct 01 2004 - 02:28:07 CEST

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